Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 28, 2024, 11:19:17 AM

Login with username, password and session length

What do you reckon to Malcolm Tucker?

Started by BritishHobo, January 28, 2019, 09:08:24 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Sebastian Cobb

I thought Robyn was a good character used sparsely. She makes Terri look competent though.

Cuellar

Just like to add an excellent Steve Fleming moment I saw last night.

When Malcolm gets fired and he goes to visit DoSAC, he takes Nicola aside and asks if she stands fully behind the PM (as there's a coup in the offing).

She tells him "I'm firm, absolutely...I'm as firm as a...sailor's wang on shore leave"

Fleming (in extreme closeup): "..Superb"

Rebecca Front's face when he goes to sort of touch her chin after that is excellent too - a flash of absolute horror. She is really good in it, let's be honest.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

The brilliance of Capaldi's performance can't be stressed enough, he's utterly compelling.

magval

Quote from: Cuellar on February 05, 2019, 10:03:16 AM
Just like to add an excellent Steve Fleming moment I saw last night.

When Malcolm gets fired and he goes to visit DoSAC, he takes Nicola aside and asks if she stands fully behind the PM (as there's a coup in the offing).

She tells him "I'm firm, absolutely...I'm as firm as a...sailor's wang on shore leave"

Fleming (in extreme closeup): "..Superb"

Rebecca Front's face when he goes to sort of touch her chin after that is excellent too - a flash of absolute horror. She is really good in it, let's be honest.

Is Rebecca Front ever not excellent? She is a brilliantly subtle performer.

ToneLa

I like the little scene when Malcolm gets binned off as Sam is being hassled being told to clear her desk or something and Malcolm intervenes.

And during the Goolding Inquiry you can see her acting with her face. Aye, nice that, bit of loyalty, he's always nice to her.

Utter Shit

I wouldn't completely agree with the idea that Nicola is just a bit useless rather than nasty - we never completely learn the story with her marriage, and it's clear there are two sides to it, but some of her comments both to and about him are pretty nasty (one in particular about how her agreeing to marry him was 'one big practical joke' or something).

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: ToneLa on February 05, 2019, 11:59:13 AM
I like the little scene when Malcolm gets binned off as Sam is being hassled being told to clear her desk or something and Malcolm intervenes.

And during the Goolding Inquiry you can see her acting with her face. Aye, nice that, bit of loyalty, he's always nice to her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahi2ZBRSDiE

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on February 05, 2019, 12:57:54 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahi2ZBRSDiE

That's great, Malcolm is genuinely nice to Sam throughout the whole show (and the film). That doesn't excuse his otherwise cruel, bullying, morally bankrupt behaviour, but those brief moments illustrate that Malcolm has a shred of decency. He probably had several shreds of decency at one point in his life, but he eventually grew to hate himself and every politician he dealt with.

Sam probably reminds him of everything he's lost.

marquis_de_sad

She has has zero power over him and and no influence over the political situation.

Twed

I think he considers her a civilian. I think there was some subtext about Tucker in how he considered people with political clout fair game, but was extremely kind and polite to civvies. Ruthless for a reason.

I don't buy that because I don't think Tucker is rooted in a good enough system to be a force for good at any cost, but I think that's what the programme is getting at. Similarly with his anger about being taken to task by Olly for his homophobic insults, with Tucker pointing out that he's fought for gay rights his entire life.

chveik

Quote from: Twed on February 05, 2019, 04:36:21 PM
Similarly with his anger about being taken to task by Olly for his homophobic insults, with Tucker pointing out that he's fought for gay rights his entire life.

which episode? I don't recall that.

Twed

Finding it so hard to reference that I'm concerned that I might have dreamed it.

greencalx

Quote from: Twed on February 03, 2019, 06:44:00 PM
Yeah, and a "civilian adviser" and "business guru" apparently. His position is a bit confusing. Like Alan Sugar in all but demeanor.

I thought Julius Nicholson was based on / inspired by John Birt, who was Blair's "blue skies" tsar or something equally inexplicable for a while.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Twed on February 05, 2019, 09:01:02 PM
Finding it so hard to reference that I'm concerned that I might have dreamed it.
Malcolm does describe a spat between Ollie and Will as a "Super Gay Weight title fight" or such.

thraxx

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on February 05, 2019, 01:12:25 PM
That's great, Malcolm is genuinely nice to Sam throughout the whole show (and the film). That doesn't excuse his otherwise cruel, bullying, morally bankrupt behaviour, but those brief moments illustrate that Malcolm has a shred of decency. He probably had several shreds of decency at one point in his life, but he eventually grew to hate himself and every politician he dealt with.

Sam probably reminds him of everything he's lost.

I've known Sam since we were like 8 years old. Fucking mad watching her in those scenes. He'd better have been nice to her.

Twed

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on February 05, 2019, 11:19:19 PM
Malcolm does describe a spat between Ollie and Will as a "Super Gay Weight title fight" or such.
Just checked that clip, it doesn't seem to be it. What I'm thinking of definitely had Tucker stating his credentials.

monkfromhavana

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on February 05, 2019, 09:57:00 AM
I thought Robyn was a good character used sparsely. She makes Terri look competent though.

But is she incompetent? You only get that impression because various incompetent politicians and advisers tell you. I can't think of one actual mistake she makes (maybe "I am bent" but that was more a collective fuck up.

Mobius

"You MASSIVE.GAY.TWAT.

FUCK OFF"

Love the Richard Bacon ep. Sara Pascoe as his assistant as well.


Cuellar

Quote from: Twed on February 06, 2019, 12:36:10 AM
Just checked that clip, it doesn't seem to be it. What I'm thinking of definitely had Tucker stating his credentials.

He does at one point chastise a journalist on the phone by saying 'that's actually an incredibly homophobic headline, you massive poof'

imitationleather

Quote from: monkfromhavana on February 06, 2019, 09:24:04 AM
But is she incompetent? You only get that impression because various incompetent politicians and advisers tell you. I can't think of one actual mistake she makes (maybe "I am bent" but that was more a collective fuck up.

I've been rewatching the series all the way through and I think Terri comes across as perfectly capable at her job, but just totally unimpressed with the succession of rubbish politicians and advisors she has to deal with in the department. It's surely Robyn who is actually useless at her job. I also find her character really bland. Just can't get a hold of what she's supposed to be at all.

Reading this thread and going over the Steve Fleming scenes again has made me revise my opinion on him, though. The bit where he turns up with the coffees and tells them to drop everything to release that data is great. I still feel the scene where he's sacking Tucker is a tad OTT, though. He reminds me too much of the character he plays in The Thin Blue Line in that bit.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: monkfromhavana on February 06, 2019, 09:24:04 AM
But is she incompetent? You only get that impression because various incompetent politicians and advisers tell you. I can't think of one actual mistake she makes (maybe "I am bent" but that was more a collective fuck up.

Teri was massively dumbed down in the fourth series, going gooey over yer man Mannion and all that. She's actually a more than competent and relied upon civil servant in sereieses before then.
( posted this before reading what imitationleather had to say )

Utter Shit

My view of Terri is that she's competent but utterly work-to-rule, possibly as you say because she is jaded by the incompetence around her. She makes it clear that her work begins and ends in the office (though in fairness she does cut short her leave at one point IIRC) and she's only really interested in her home life, where most of those around her are consumed by their careers.

I'd highly recommend the tie-in book 'The Missing DOSAC Files' (buy through Neil's Amazon link thing on the main page, he'll get a small cut then), it's really well done and provides a lot of background to the characters that gives you a greater udnerstanding of their personalities - one of the articles is a performance review of Terri's from when she worked at a supermarket, and again it really emphasises that she is firmly work-to-rule.

ToneLa

Quote from: Utter Shit on February 06, 2019, 10:38:51 AM
My view of Terri is that she's competent but utterly work-to-rule, possibly as you say because she is jaded by the incompetence around her. She makes it clear that her work begins and ends in the office (though in fairness she does cut short her leave at one point IIRC)

Oh right, when they have that collapsed cafe woman in for a speech, and Terri is driving to her sisters. She's meant to be working from home, but no fucks given

She does say, which I think is right, civil servants like her can't be partisan, as it's happening at a party conference. Hence the hood and all that. So a mix in this example of both, jobsworth when it suits, but caught skiving. Definitely self interested.

Not sure if she's actually incompetent. You'd think so by how they talk to her, but they also ring her up often enough and need her to action things. But she fucks it up. But sometimes she doesn't.

Probably not an incompetent character, but certainly jaded. I wouldn't, actually, say her priorities are wrong. Except the Mannion thing. She has an attitude problem, not a 'just' competency problem. And who wouldn't have an attitude problem there?

imitationleather

In the first series she seems far more involved in the Glen and Ollie dynamic and an integral part of all the decision-making that goes on. It's only post-specials where the series becomes a bit more sitcommy in tone that they bring her apparent incompetence in to the characterisation far more. It's not quite to the extent of Trigger becoming so stupid that he appeared like he needed to be living in a psychiatric hospital by the '00s OFAH specials, but there's a definite shift.

dr beat

Quote from: greencalx on February 05, 2019, 10:30:42 PM
I thought Julius Nicholson was based on / inspired by John Birt, who was Blair's "blue skies" tsar or something equally inexplicable for a while.

I can see a bit of Burt there, but I saw Julius as being more based on Andrew Adonis.

bgmnts

Quote from: Utter Shit on February 06, 2019, 10:38:51 AM
My view of Terri is that she's competent but utterly work-to-rule, possibly as you say because she is jaded by the incompetence around her. She makes it clear that her work begins and ends in the office (though in fairness she does cut short her leave at one point IIRC) and she's only really interested in her home life, where most of those around her are consumed by their careers.

Definitely a comment on the civil service and the beauracracy I reckon. The idea that she is a 'blockage' to change and all that.

I have worked in part of the civil service for a while and my god it is cushty as fuck.

BritishHobo

My favourite ever bit with Terri or Robyn is when Terri bollocks Robyn for something and reminds her that they've had conversations before about attitude. Robyn, really quite genuinely taken aback and baffled, protests "But that was your attitude!"

Twed

Quote from: Cuellar on February 06, 2019, 10:10:40 AM
He does at one point chastise a journalist on the phone by saying 'that's actually an incredibly homophobic headline, you massive poof'
Not that one either. In the bit I'm thinking of he gets accused of using homophobic insults too often and then takes that person (I'm sure it's Ollie) aside to whisper about being in the party when gay rights was a forefront battle.

ToneLa

Quote from: Twed on February 06, 2019, 01:39:37 PM
Not that one either. In the bit I'm thinking of he gets accused of using homophobic insults too often and then takes that person (I'm sure it's Ollie) aside to whisper about being in the party when gay rights was a forefront battle.

Absolutely no memory of this!

He does use gay jokes quite a lot, so it is something I'd like to have seen touched on, but...

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: magval on February 05, 2019, 10:41:18 AM
Is Rebecca Front ever not excellent? She is a brilliantly subtle performer.

She was a bit shit in the Doctor Who episode she was in, but it was a pretty poor role which she couldn't really do much with.