The Thick of It

The Minister for Social Affairs, Hugh Abbot gets a very focused focus group in to tell him which one of two contradictory policies to go for. Meanwhile, Number Ten's enforcer, Malcolm Tucker is concerned the Minister is out of touch.

The Minister thinks his Housing Bill has been a success. Unfortunately, the man at Number Ten thinks an empty flat in London could pose a problem. Someone's going to have to resign. Friendly journalist Angela Heaney has turned cold; she intends to portray a rather unattractive image of the Minister. Can Tucker prevent things from turning ugly?

Malcolm makes things difficult when an outside adviser arrives to inspect all the departments, and enlists his colleagues' help in getting rid of him. Hugh is upset to discover that everybody is aware the Prime Minister's wife does not like him - a blow to his plans for a policy announcement that will impress her husband.