Even during the first series the winning formula was already there with the Thick of It. A different era for those in the ministerial positions but Tucker is still the puppet master. Babbling idiots, clumsy administrators and the emphasis on foot and mouth. Each episode entertains and keeps you guessing as to what may possibly lie ahead.
Peter Capaldi is this political drama. Every scene without him in lacks for it. He is a seething swearing tornado, spinning through the ministerial corridors of power. He is the spin doctor that makes ministers wince and fawn. His outbursts are utterly brilliant. Sometimes the swearing reaches levels of creativity that are artistic. He makes stressed Eric (a cartoon series) look banal. The plot is pretty good, it shows ministers as puppets of the civil servants and reactionaries to media pressure, who knows how accurate that is but I suspect there is more than a grain of truth. This is secondary to the whirlwind of humour. There are good comedians around Capaldi but to be frank their candles are blown out by the force 12.