Jesse Armstrong and Joanna Scanlan have opened up about how Chris Langham’s sudden exit led to a “new version” of The Thick of It.
Armstrong, best known as the creator of HBO’s Succession and co-creator of Peep Show, served as a writer on the hit BBC political satire.
Scanlan starred as Terri Coverley, a press secretary at the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship.
The show, which was created by Armando Iannucci, ran into trouble early on, however, when one of its main stars was forced to leave.
Langham, 76, earned acclaim for his performance as bumbling minister Hugh Abbot in the first and second series, but did not return for a third.
Armstrong and Scanlan spoke about the fall-out of his sudden departure during a conversation at the 2025 Hay Festival, which has partnered with The Independent for a second year.
“We had a strange situation with The Thick of It because Chris Langham had been the first minister of DOSAC,” recalled Scanlan.
“And we had this successful six episodes and I think there was a Bafta night of success and joy,” she said, going on to say that Langham’s abrupt exit led to an unplanned “hiatus”.
“The series went into… Well, the word ‘hiatus’ would imply that it was intended, but it went into suspension for some time,” she said.
Scanlan added that she was initially concerned for the future of the show, stating: “I remember talking to the cast and saying, ‘Oh my gosh it’s so rare that you get something that works as a sitcom, it’s really tricky!’
“But as it turns out, I think it was something that, by necessity, then opened the series out.”
The actor continued: “Because they then had to bring the opposition [into the story]. The opposition didn’t exist before then […] and all of that opened up.
“It was very interesting to see the byproduct of what felt at the time like catastrophe.”
After Langham’s departure at the end of series two, the series introduced Roger Allam, who played opposition minister Peter Mannion, and also ushered in a range of new characters, settings, and storylines.
Responding to Scanlan, Armstrong said: “That is one of the things in big and little ways that you have to try and navigate the unexpected calamities or tragedies, and I guess Armando navigated to a new version of the show.”
The Thick of It, which also starred Peter Capaldi and Chris Addison, was a huge success, running for four seasons before coming to an end in 2012. It also spawned In the Loop, a film spin-off starring James Gandolfini and Tom Hollander.
Iannucci went on to create the Emmy-winning political satire Veep for HBO, in which Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Vice President Selina Meyer.
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