The BBC Is Using ‘The Thick Of It’ To Get People To Stay The F*ck At Home

London, where the British Broadcasting Corporation is located, is under lockdown due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but that hasn’t stopped people (fools) from sun bathing and mass gathering. It’s the same problem that many cities around the globe are facing — I’m based in Austin, Texas, where the public parks looked like this on day one of a shelter-in-place order — so to help curtail the issue, the BBC is using clips from its classic shows to tell people to, as Malcolm Tucker might put it, stay the f*ck at home:

A clip from Armando Iannucci’s political satire The Thick of It shows government spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi, ordering an immediate lockdown, with no one going in or out. At the end a message appears on screen reading: “Seriously, stay at home. Please help stop the spread.”

“Right, people. Listen up! It’s a f*cking lockdown, right now!” Malcom says in the clip. “We are in a prison drama. This is the fucking Shawshank Redemption, right But with more tunneling through sh*t and no f*cking redemption.” At least we can still use phones.

Other shows involved in the campaign include I’m Alan Partridge and The Mighty Boosh (“The Isolation Song” should hit number one the Hot 100 any day now). “Acting on heath advice will save lives,” BBC director-general Tony Hall said. “Using our stars is a good way of getting the message out far and wide. Even if it makes just a small difference, it will be worth it.” Stay inside, watch The Thick of It and I’m Alan Partridge, save lives.

— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson) March 26, 2020