The Thick of It (TV Series)

Spinners and Losers: Opposition Extra (2007)

Olivia Poulet: Emma Messinger

Quotes 

• Phil Smith : [on phone]  Stewart is keen for you to go on News 24...

  Emma Messinger : He is going on News 24.

  Peter Mannion : ...wants you to go on News 24, he wants you to do a bit of "praise him" "praise him" about the PM, you know go all backed in...

  Peter Mannion : Oh God no, sorry I really don't wanna do that.

  Phil Smith : No No of course you don't want to do that, no one wants to do that...

  Emma Messinger : What's he saying?

  Phil Smith : It's my phone call.

  Emma Messinger : Put him on loudspeaker will you.

  Phil Smith : I don't want to put him on loudspeaker... no I'm talking to him...

  Emma Messinger : [turns on the loudspeaker]  Peter, hi it's Emma, listen Stewart says this really is the strategy.

  Peter Mannion : We're supposed to be the Opposition for Chrissakes, in the old days we wouldn't have been weeping over his grave, we'd have been pissing on it.

  Emma Messinger : If we start point scoring now, we're just going to look like opportunist weasels.

  Peter Mannion : Well, weasily done.

  Emma Messinger : What?

  Peter Mannion : It's "weasily done".

  Phil Smith : It's a joke.

  Emma Messinger : That was a joke?

  Peter Mannion : Tell Stewart I'm not doing it, tell him bollocks to it. Tell him to fuck off.

  Emma Messinger : Tell Stewart to... now Peter that's not a very good idea now is it?

  Peter Mannion : Not actually to fuck off, just make an excuse, pretty it up. But when you do tell him, make sure he knows, reading between the lines, that I told you to tell him to fuck off, but you're prettying it up.

• Emma Messinger : [on phone]  Have you seen the Mail?

  Oliver Reeder : No, I haven't. I am under 40 and I have a penis. Why?

  Emma Messinger : They've got a big graphic on the night's winners and losers. It's not a great picture of you.

  Oliver Reeder : What, me? I'm in it?

  Emma Messinger : You look very, very pasty and about nine.

  Oliver Reeder : Am I a winner or a loser?

  Emma Messinger : You are a loser.

  Oliver Reeder : I'm a loser? For fuck's sake. Is that Ben on Today in the background? You can even hear him blinking on the radio. This is bollocks. I'm not supposed to be in the paper. I'm just, you know, it's not me who's supposed to be in the paper, is it? It's fucking ridiculous.

  Emma Messinger : Oh, come on, it's only the Mail. Don't worry about it.

  Oliver Reeder : Yeah, I know it's only the Mail, but, you know, my mum gets the Mail.