In the Loop

In the Loop

• Linton Barwick: Is there a problem, Mr Tucker?
• Malcolm Tucker: I’ve just come from a briefing with a nine-year-old child.
• Linton Barwick: You’re talking about AJ. AJ is one of our top guys. He’s a Stanton College Prep, Harvard. One of the brightest and best.
• Malcolm Tucker: Well, his briefing notes were written in alphabet spaghetti. When I left, I nearly tripped up over his umbilical cord.

There’s a clear, direct line from the BBC Series The Thick of It (2005-12) to Veep (2012-19) and Succession (2018-23) and that line runs through the 2009 feature In the Loop. Loop is where Armando Iannucci took his method across the pond and proved it could transfer to American culture. The spine of this process is the writing team of Jesse Armstrong (creator of Succession), Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche along with Iannucci combining comedy, politics and cultural differences. Then “swearing consultant” Ian Martin adds additional material to give the film its profane edge.

Actors love to appear smart, where intelligent things flow smoothly from their mouths. If they can’t sound smart, they at least love to sound clever in the way they phrase insults, which is why you’ll often see stars attached to these films (even less commercially successful ones like The Death of Stalin). Give an actor a memorable, cutting insult that sticks in people’s heads and their star gets a little shinier.