(from left: Glenn Cullen, Terri, Nicola Murray, Malcolm Tucker and Ollie Reeder in character from 'The Thick of It')
Quite possibly the most outspoken, rude and no-holds-barred man on UK television, apart form Gene Hunt (another fav. hero), Malcolm is a true PR hero for me.
I'm sure academics, fellow students and possibly my own mother would argue that that simply cannot be. Here we have a man that uses dirty tricks, fairly blue language and sandpaper insults to move MPs and civil servants into line.
We also have a man that is committed to doing his job. Albeit a fairly sleaze ridden one, he does seek to keep the government in power, whatever the cost.
This is what a PR should be. Dedicated to his agency/department, no matter how bad the times get. The interesting dilemma comes when a PR has to search morally for answers to questions which just 'aren't cricket'.
The most recent Thick of It, broadcast on 12/12/09, saw two of Malcolm's colleagues talking about a report into one of the men's conduct. The other man was the chair of the report. For the context of this you'll need to see the rest of the previous episode. Suffice to say, Malcolm needed revenge.
What does he do? He tips off a photographer that they would be meeting. The saying 'A picture tells a thousand words' comes to mind, and the papers make a meal out of the pair of them.
Ethical? Probably not. Was it justified? If a little over the top, possibly. Was the intention of good PR there? I would argue yes. To save his job was Malcolm's first priority, as well as getting even with his colleagues. However, he also knew that this report could be damaging to the government and his 'company's' reputation would be on the line.
Malcolm doesn't necessarily show he can cope under pressure, but he can handle any crises that come up.
Would I encourage people to be like him? Definitely not. What I would say is take a page out of his book. Don't be put off by crises and look after your company or clients.
Three top insults soon to go into 'The Rutland Correspondent recommends...'
'Oh f***, here comes the beige power ranger'
'What's the story, f***-a-nory'
'He's so dense that light bends around him'
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