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"I use leaking to show up corruption, to show up hypocrisy, to show up idiocy and also the fourth horseman of the political apocalypse, duplicity."
―Malcolm Tucker[src]


Malcolm Tucker is the former Director of Communications for the Opposition and the Media Adviser to the Leader of the Opposition. From Series 1 to 3 he worked as both the Chief Election Strategist and Director of Communications for Number 10, where he acted as the party's chief enforcer. He is a member of the Labour Party. His character is heavily inspired by Former Labour Party Director Of Communications Alastair Campbell

Background[]

Personal[]

Tucker was born in Scotland. It is implied by Peter Mannion that he grew up in the Gorbals area of south Glasgow. Little is known about his personal life, although it is implied he is a self made man of humble origins. In the Specials he mentions he has a young niece, suggesting he has at least one sibling. It is subtly implied in Series 3 that he is particularly close to his niece as he has many children's drawings and paintings pinned up in his office. Further, when being pursued by photographers after his forced resignation, a young boy is briefly seen looking out of the window of Tucker's home.

However, Tucker explicitly states that he has no wife, children of his own, nor friends, and in series 3 is shown spending his 50th birthday alone in his office.

The reasons for his deep personal animosity towards journalist Simon Hewitt, mostly left open to speculation in the final cut, are explained to Ollie by Terri in one of the deleted scenes: Hewitt's current girlfriend, BBC health correspondent Kelly Grogan, had been Tucker's girlfriend until about three months earlier.

Professional[]

Tucker is the much feared Director of Communications for the Government. He serves two main roles: acting as the Prime Minister's enforcer to ensure Cabinet Ministers follow the party line, and managing the PR for the government's crisis management. He regularly uses smears, schemes, manipulation, and gory threats (often evocative of horror movies) to dominate and control peers in the political sphere; this "Malciavellian" behaviour is, however, fundamentally aimed at the public good - maintaining the power of Labour, the stability of the government, and ensuring that politicians stay in line.

In stark contrast to his behaviour with politicians and "upper class-holes", Tucker's treatment of working-class and marginalized civilians is shown to be sincerely empathetic and gentlemanly. He is also shown to have a genuine friendship with a similarly aggressive peer, Senior Press Officer Jamie McDonald, also of a working-class Scottish background. His working relationship with his assistant, Sam Cassidy, is also shown to be tender and empathetic, with Tucker rushing to defend and comfort her first after his forced resignation.

Series 1[]

Series 2[]

Specials[]

Series 3[]

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Series 4[]

Following attempts to capitalise on a controversial DoSAC policy leading to the death of a mentally-unstable nurse, Douglas Tickel and an inquiry into rampant government leaking, he was prosecuted for illegal acquisition of Tickel's NHS records and perjury during the Goolding inquiry, which resulted in the end of his political career and his final downfall.

Behind the Scenes[]

Appearances[]

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