You certainly wouldn’t know his real age if you’ve been watching him act the arrogant special adviser who has next to no idea what people are actually like, while he nonetheless writes the policy that will run their lives. Because if you give someone who is only, say, 25 a job like that, then they are going to act just like Olly does – like the country is one oversized parlour game for them to play with. This week’s episode, following how Tucker and Olly and Glenn plot over who gets the political capital of using Julie at a party conference, is the best of the three episodes so far this series. Even without the contrast of Melanie, Olly comes off as an amoral idiot, especially compared to Glenn ‘Harold Bishop’ Cullen, who nobly tried to protect Melanie’s interest throughout the episode. The building tension, likened by minister Nicola to “being trapped in a boy’s toilet”, ends with Glenn getting punched in the face for trying to do the right thing. The Thick Of It is normally a show you gently laugh at so you don’t miss the next killer line, but this is one of the rare occasions where you don’t have much choice but to guffaw at what is unfolding. All in all, this was another typically strong episode, and there are signs that my previous concern – that the satire on show was mildly dated – is just a sign that the eight-episode run is planning to fully plot the last two years of decline for the governing party. Bring on the next five.
