Latest news with #Iannucci
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Thick of It creator reveals scene which cabinet ministers say happened in real life
The creator of the hit political satire The Thick of It has revealed which scene in the series cabinet ministers have confessed to experiencing in real life. Armando Iannucci told Sky News' live event with that the writers would make up scenarios to be "as stupid as they can" - only to be asked later by Whitehall officials how they had found out about it. One episode in particular that was close to the bone involves the fictional mouthy communications director of Number 10, telling a cabinet minister the policy he is due to announce to the media is being cancelled because it is too expensive - and he will have to come up with another one on the spot. Mr Iannucci said: "Sometimes we would come up with stories that were like, we had to invent them, you know, and we thought, let's push it as stupidly as we can. "And then a couple of weeks later, someone from Whitehall would say, 'how did you find out exactly? We thought we'd kept that very quiet'. "And you know, the opening episode has them in the back of a car trying to come up with a policy. Malcolm's rung up and said the policy you've called the press to hear, you cannot go ahead, It's too expensive. "So they've got to come up with a policy that sounds great but will cost nothing. And I've had various former cabinet members say to me quietly, 'I've been in the back of that car'." The Thick of It aired 20 years ago this month, when New Labour was in government. It satirised the inner workings of modern British government, with the focus on the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship. Harriet Harman, one of the few senior female figures at the time and now a peer and co-host of Electoral Dysfunction, asked Mr Iannucci if anyone inspired the character Nicola Murray, who was the focus of series three. "I'm asking for a friend, because basically it's like she was so ineffective, but she was so hard working and a nice person. Yes, but she was utterly destroyed by Number 10 and her ministerial colleagues putting the boot in. "I just wondered if she was based on anyone in particular?". Mr Iannucci said everyone in The Thick Of It was "based either on a composite of different things we've heard in different people or on a kind of guesstimate of what this person might be".
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
WATCH: Man catches crashes, near misses on video at Avondale intersection near his home
Nicolas Iannucci said he's seen crash after crash since he's lived in his Avondale neighborhood. Ianuucci said speeding drivers and blind spots that obstruct the view of oncoming traffic are to blame for issues at Herschel and Dancy streets. Since he bought security cameras, he said he has been documenting the serious car crashes and near misses to take that evidence to the city. He said he is asking for more traffic-calming measures, like crosswalks, speed cushions, a four-way stop, or a fully functional traffic light. Iannucci said he sent a 12-page letter to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan. Read the full letter below: Letter to the Mayor by ActionNewsJax on Scribd He received a response that told him to reach out to JSO for traffic concerns and call the city's call center for traffic-calming measures. Iannucci said that isn't enough. Action News Jax took Iannucci's concerns to his district representative. Jacksonville City Councilman Jimmy Peluso represents the Avondale community and said he has been made aware of the problematic intersection. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] In a statement sent from his office, Peluso said he will work to fund whatever solution traffic engineers develop to address the problems. You can read that full statement below: 'Council Member Peluso has instructed Traffic Engineering to review this intersection specifically to improve sightlines to reduce crashes. We will be installing a crosswalk with additional lighting at the Herschel and Van Wert which we fully expect will slow traffic down in this area. This crosswalk will be a small stretch away from this exact intersection. I can send the renderings if that would be helpful! 'Council Member Peluso will work to fund the solutions the Traffic Engineers develop to make the Herschel and Dancy intersection safer.' For people like Iannucci who live on Herschel and Dancy, though, they are hoping that change comes soon before more serious crashes happen. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Iraqi News
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
JOC: Our Forces Have the Expertise to Respond Swiftly to Challenges
Baghdad-INA Deputy Commander of Joint Operations Command, Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadi, on Wednesday met with his Italian counterpart to discuss strengthening bilateral military cooperation, affirming that Iraqi forces have the experience needed to address challenges and implement immediate responses. According to a statement from the Joint Operations Command received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), Al-Muhammadi welcomed Italian Joint Operations Commander Lieutenant General Giovanni Maria Iannucci, along with the Italian ambassador to Iraq and accompanying delegation, at the JOC HQ in Baghdad. Al-Muhammadi congratulated Iannucci on his new position and praised his previous role as commander of NATO's mission in Iraq, acknowledging his significant contributions. The meeting covered a range of topics of mutual interest, with a focus on enhancing coordination and joint cooperation between the two countries. Al-Muhammadi highlighted the key duties of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, particularly in counter-terrorism efforts and the pursuit of remaining militant elements, noting that Iraqi security forces now possess the expertise to effectively tackle emerging threats and provide immediate solutions. He also emphasized the close monitoring by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of all security and intelligence operations carried out by Iraqi forces. Al-Muhammadi extended his gratitude to Italy for its support during Iraq's fight against terrorist groups, and for its ongoing contributions to training, capacity-building, and capability development. For his part, General Iannucci commended the qualitative progress in the performance of Iraqi security forces, thanking al-Muhammadi for the warm welcome and reaffirming Italy's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties—particularly in the security sector.
The Independent
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Armando Iannucci says ADHD medication changed his life ‘overnight'
Armando Iannucci has revealed that taking ADHD medication changed his life overnight after his adult children suggested that he may have the condition. The 61-year-old Scottish comedy writer and director, best known for creating the Westminster sitcom The Thick of It, was diagnosed with ADHD in 2023 after two of his children, who have the condition, noticed that he had similar behaviours to them. 'Two of my kids were diagnosed and they said to me, 'But Dad, this is exactly what you're like,'' he told The Times. He explained: 'I've been living off adrenaline, which explains why I've gone into a career where there are deadlines that you have to hit, and why I've surrounded myself with people who are more practical, and why I haven't done a nine-to-five job.' 'Therefore I've always been absolutely shattered at the end of the day or at the weekend and that's not good.' Iannucci said that taking medication has an 'instantaneous' impact on him. '[It was] an overnight 'oh, this is what it's like, being normal,'' he said. He said that since his diagnosis, he has more understanding of his condition and doesn't punish himself when he isn't productive. 'I get through the day without beating myself up for being very inefficient and impractical and lazy, and then I don't come home absolutely shattered,' he said. 'So it's been a significant thing, really.' He added: 'The thing is, I don't actually feel anything, as in I don't feel I've had ten cups of coffee. I just feel OK.' After his diagnosis, the director wrote to various people he had worked with in the past, explaining why some scripts were delayed. He added that he was 'slightly relieved to find there was actually an explanation' and that some people replied to him, ''Oh well, I'm glad there was a reason.'' Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a condition that affects people's behaviour. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating and may act on impulse. Symptoms are typically noticed at an early age when a child begins school, and most cases are diagnosed when children are under 12 years old. Adults with ADHD may have problems with organisation, time management, following instructions, dealing with stress, feeling restless or completing tasks. Iannucci rose to fame working across radio and television, and drew acclaim for The Thick Of It, which starred Doctor Who actor Peter Capaldi as swearing spin doctor Malcolm Tucker. His 2009 spinoff film In The Loop was nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Iannucci's career will be depicted in a forthcoming profile for the BBC's Imagine: The Academy of Armando. However, the film took years to make because Iannucci kept on avoiding being interviewed for it. He said: 'For about two or three years, not constantly but across that period, film camera crews would turn up on set and I would be highly conscious of them. I would end up just running away, find a reason and say, 'I've got a meeting, actually.'' Iannucci said seeing the film was 'like watching your own obituary'. 'It was all very nice but just odd. The figure in the film felt like someone else. I started to disassociate myself from the Armando in the film, so I was genuinely watching it to see what would happen next.' Imagine: The Academy of Armando is on BBC 1 at 10.40pm on 3 March.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Imagine: The Academy of Armando, review: leaves no doubt that Iannucci is the foremost satirist of our time
There will be some people out there whose cultural lives haven't been improved by Armando Iannucci but not, I'd guess, that many. Imagine: Academy of Armando (BBC One) was therefore a bit of an open goal: simply string together a show-reel of Iannucci's greatest hits, from On the Hour to The Day Today to The Thick of It and onwards, throw in some illustrious talking heads (Chris Morris, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Palin and Steve Coogan all turned up) to say how brilliant he is and (to quote from his and Coogan's greatest creation Alan Partridge) it's back of the net. To its credit, Imagine attempted something a little more intricate than straight hagiography, telling Iannucci's story but trying to show his method ('quicker, shorter, funnier' are his watchwords), how it all fits with his world-view (dark absurdity) and his sphere of his influence (absolutely massive). A deft combination of the three left you in no doubt at the end of the hour that Iannucci is the foremost satirist of our time. With so many riches to choose from – not just the clips but the queues of grandees gushing with praise – Imagine only faltered occasionally. One misstep was to frame Iannucci as some kind of recluse in the JD Salinger mould. Presenter Alan Yentob spent the first 10 minutes appearing to be sniffing him out like a bespectacled bloodhound. But I've interviewed Iannucci before for this publication; many journalists have. I don't recall him being averse to talking about himself or his work at all. Maybe, just maybe, he didn't want to sit down with Yentob. When you watched the programme you sensed Iannucci's discomfort with the pomposity of talking about himself with the perennially po-faced other Alan (and there was a priceless moment when they talked about the naming of Alan Partridge, concluding that, 'he was just an Alan', with Iannucci staring hard at the other Alan in the room). Ultimately, Iannucci's work has always made fun of things like Imagine, people like Yentob, and the very notion that there could be an 'Academy of Armando'. None of this distracted from the excellence of the work, or the strength of the programme, but it did make you imagine if Iannucci's next project might involve the inner workings and egos of a flagship arts show.
