Armando Iannucci hints Leveson style inquiry may feature in next series

Armando Iannucci has hinted that the Leveson inquiry has provided inspiration for the next series of his political satire The Thick of It. The comic writer revealed that a "major inquiry will feature quite heavily" in the programme, which is set in the corridors of British government. With its all-star cast of politicians, Iannucci indicated the ongoing inquiry into press standards was ripe for lampooning. "It is interesting watching them all swear on oath and then saying what they say," he told an audience of journalists at a private screening of his new US political satire, Veep. "Tony Blair was giving – for want of a better word – his evidence". David Cameron, George Osborne and Nick Clegg have also taken the stand in recent weeks to answer questions ranging from their relations with Rupert Murdoch's media empire to their ideas for cleaning up the press in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal. The new series of The Thick of It will follow the fortunes of a different government to reflect the real-life changes in Westminster since series three in 2009. Iannucci said: "We've just finished filming, it's all in the can. There's a new government, it's in coalition, our previous cast are in opposition and we go backwards and forwards between the two. "There's more of a story arc to it now, even though each episode is self-contained, and in the last three episodes everything comes together." The 48-year-old recently defended his acceptance of an Order of the British Empire medal after Alastair Campbell mocked him for it. Tony Blair's former spokesman, the alleged model for The Thick of It character Malcolm Tucker, joked on Twitter that the satirist had joined the Establishment he claimed to deride.