The satirical comedy The Thick of It – the third series of which is currently being broadcast by the Beeb – is officially my favourite TV programme of the year.  This is quite an achievement considering this household doesn’t watch TV anymore.

Isn’t the BBC iPlayer a wonderful thing?

The Thick of It is produced and directed by Armando Iannucci, who also produced and directed In The Loop, my favourite comedy feature film of 2009.  I am, as you might guess, a fan of Armando Iannucci.

This is nothing new.  I’ve been an admirer of Iannucci’s work since he co-created the seminal parody news programme The Day Today with the legendary Chris Morris (and, for that matter, it’s Radio 4 predecessor On The Hour).   I’m particularly fond, though, of his often overlooked late-90s satire show The Saturday Night Armistice, which he co-presented with Day Today alumni David Schneider and Peter Baynham.

This is my favourite moment from the show:

While I’m on the subject, I also heartily recommend Channel Four’s The Armando Iannucci Shows (2001).  It was a sketch-based series which included the following gem (appropriately entitled ‘Twats’):

You can pick up a DVD collecting all eight episodes of The Armando Iannucci Shows from many online outlets for less than a fiver.

I mention this on the offchance you’re stuck for something to buy me this Christmas.