Radio Times: Review by:; David Butcher

Armando Iannucci and his A-Team of writers serve up a surprise this week: a one-off, gift-set edition that’s a different beast altogether from what we’re used to. In place of the usual sweary farce, we get dry satire, set entirely at hearings for a public inquiry into the death of Douglas Tickell, the health worker whose suicide has dogged DoSAC ministers and flunkies throughout the series.

The exchanges are skilfully done, mocking the etiquette of Leveson-type inquiries, where a quaint legalistic process (“If you would turn to tab 16...”) tries to fathom the mad scramble of ministerial politics.

To start with, you may miss the mad scramble and its belly-laughs
a bit, but this has great moments. There’s Peter Mannion struggling
to appear politically correct, Stuart Pearson talking guff (“I believe in government as a transceiver, yeah?”) and Malcolm, still cobra-deadly without his usual profanities, and all the more dangerous when he seems to be cornered.

But it’s fragile aide Robyn who returns to deliver the damning verdict on her political masters: “To be honest, I think they’re just trying to get through the day without cocking up.”

About this programme

6/7. Hour-long episode of the political comedy. Everyone has a lot of questions to answer about the suicide of the key worker after his flat was sold off - government, opposition and civil service alike. Heading the inquiry is Lord Goolding, who isn't going to stand for any nonsense. The truth is about to come out - unless someone lies, or creates a diversion of some kind, or simply pretends not to remember anything.