20 Funniest Moments In British Comedy

4. On The Record - The Thick Of It

The Show: British comedy is always at its best when there's a serious point to be made underneath it all, and after having political satire mired the slapstick for so long, the BBC's The Thick of It lifted the skirt on the establishment and found that the fact of what was underneath was funnier than any fiction. Showcasing the modern political machine for all it's spinning, lying, absurd reality, the show created a star in Peter Capaldi, as the Prime Minister's enforcer (based loosely on Tony Blair's Alistair Campbell) - the man with 1000 swear words.

The Setup: After receiving some polling figures that suggest the current leader of the opposition Nicola Murray is perceived as "smug" and "glum", Tucker and co. head to the Guardian's offices for a PR offensive. All goes wonderfully, until the MP's loose tongue on the stairway results in a huge story getting leaked to a journalist who's walking behind them. She immediately confesses to Tucker, who's reaction stands out as one of the most iconic moments in the whole show.