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Armando Iannucci turns satirical eye on Silicon Valley Armando Iannucci turns satirical eye on Silicon Valley
(about 9 hours later)
The author of The Thick of It has written a pilot episode about the world of social media for an American TV company. Armando Iannucci is in discussions with HBO, the cable company which made The Wire and The Sopranos. The author of The Thick of It has written a pilot episode about the world of social media for an American television company. Armando Iannucci is in discussions with HBO, the cable company that made The Wire and The Sopranos.
He tells Andrew Rawnsley, the Observer's chief political commentator, in tomorrow's paper that he is unlikely to write another series of The Thick of It and plans to focus his attention on California's Silicon Valley. He tells Andrew Rawnsley, the Observer's chief political commentator, in the New Review that he is unlikely to write another series of The Thick of It and plans to focus his attention on the new centre of power in California's Silicon Valley.
The last series of The Thick of It begins on British TV next week, featuring a Tory minister and his Lib Dem junior in charge of the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, while the Malcolm Tucker character, allegedly based on Alastair Campbell, aids the opposition. The last series of The Thick of It begins on British TV this week, featuring a Conservative minister and his Liberal Democrat junior in charge of the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, while the Malcolm Tucker character, allegedly based on Alastair Campbell, aids the opposition.
"Probably this will be the last series of The Thick of It. The door is left open at the end to come back and do specials, but I feel I have explored every crevice now and it's time to take stock and move on. I'm thinking about the power of the internet," said Iannucci. The series has infuriated some in government, but is seen by many politicians as an accurate depiction of some aspects of Westminster life.
"Microsoft, Google, Facebook; you have these twentysomethings who have a way into billions of households. Where's the power gone? The power is gravitating towards these companies." "Probably this will be the last series of The Thick of It. The door is left open at the end to come back and do specials, but I feel I have explored every crevice now and it's time to take stock and move on. I'm thinking about the power of the internet," said Iannucci. "Microsoft, Google, Facebook; you have these twentysomethings who have a way into billions of households. Where's the power gone? The power is gravitating towards these companies."
Iannucci said he was also interested in Apple – the way it controls access to software through its App store – and in technology tycoons such as Bill Gates. Iannucci said he was also interested in Apple – the way it controls and restricts access to new software through its App store – and in technology tycoons such as Bill Gates.
"I'm interested in that personal thing of what it does to you when you're 25 and you're a multibillionaire and everyone in the world knows who you are," said Iannucci. "I'm also interested in that personal thing of what it does to you when you're 25 and you're a multibillionaire and everyone in the world knows who you are," said Iannucci.
The creation of Facebook has been dramatised in the film The Social Network and IT workers have been satirised in the Channel 4 series The IT Crowd. However, the rise of social media companies is too recent to come under the full glare of TV satire. The creation of Facebook has been dramatised in the film The Social Network and information technology workers have been satirised in the Channel 4 series The IT Crowd. However, the rise of social media companies has been almost too recent to have come under the full glare of TV satire.
Iannucci has already shown that he can strike a chord with American audiences. His series Veep, a satire about the role of America's vice-president, has had a successful run on HBO. Iannucci has already shown he can strike a chord with audiences in the US. His series Veep, a satire about the role of America's vice-president, has already had a successful run on HBO.
The Social Network showed it was possible to make the world of computer programmers dramatic and sexy, while recent developments such as Facebook's stock market flotation show the industry has potential for hubris and failure. One aspect of social media that Iannucci hopes to examine is the tension between venture capitalists, who have all the money and no specialist knowledge, and social media entrepreneurs, who have all the knowledge and no money. The Social Network demonstrated that it was possible to make the world of computer programmers dramatic and sexy, while recent developments such as Facebook's disastrous stock market flotation show the industry has potential for hubris and failure. One aspect of social media that Iannucci hopes to examine is the tension between venture capitalists, who have all the money and no specialist knowledge, and social media entrepreneurs, who have all the knowledge and no money.
He also feels that social media has not received the scrutiny it deserves. "I always see it from a sort of storytelling point of view. The story might make it look frightening or it might make it look farcical," said Iannucci.He also feels that social media has not received the scrutiny it deserves. "I always see it from a sort of storytelling point of view. The story might make it look frightening or it might make it look farcical," said Iannucci.
He explains to Rawnsley that he began to feel sorry for politicians, although that transformed into a conviction that there was a problem with the British political system. "We the people put the pressure on them to be absolutely perfect, to not stumble, to have a fully thought out, fully budgeted opinion on every topic we throw at them. Not to buy anything, not to have a salary, not to go on holiday, none of that. I started feeling sorry for them. He explains to Rawnsley that he began to feel sorry for politicians, although that transformed into a conviction that there was a problem with the British political system.
"We the people put the pressure on them to be absolutely perfect, to not stumble, to have a fully thought-out, fully budgeted opinion on every topic we throw at them. Not to buy anything, not to have a salary, not to go on holiday, none of that. I actually started feeling sorry for them.
"This time around, I've come at it with a feeling that the whole system doesn't work. And it's primarily because we have a generation of politicians who have done nothing apart from politics. They do the politics degree, become an MP and then they're in the cabinet by the time they're 39.""This time around, I've come at it with a feeling that the whole system doesn't work. And it's primarily because we have a generation of politicians who have done nothing apart from politics. They do the politics degree, become an MP and then they're in the cabinet by the time they're 39."