Bigotgate: the day the PM joined The Thick of It

Watching the surreal events unfold in Rochdale yesterday was like viewing a live-action episode of The Thick Of It. Gordon Brown's encounter with Gillian Duffy was strangely reminiscent of the moment when Hugh Abbott was confronted by a vociferous woman demanding: "Do you know what it's like to clean-up your mother's piss?" Brown shook Duffy's hand, smiled, said it was a pleasure to meet her. Then, after he got into the car, the meltdown began – has somebody been watching too much Malcolm Tucker ? Well it certainly looks that way: there are a clutch of Thick Of It moments which seem remarkably – unbelievably perhaps – similar to the real-life political rough and tumble. Can you think of any more? Bad-tempered outbursts Civil servant Robyn feels intimidated by Jamie, another homicidally abrasive Scot. Tucker's response? "Relax, he has never hit anyone. Or at least anyone he has hit has never had the balls to take it to a superior." Tucker, of course, went on to punch Glen in the face. Dodgy expenses The Thick of It movie spin-off In The Loop has a "can't-be-too-careful" character Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), who is too paranoid to watch pornography in his hotel . "I thought it might be nice to go out rather than sitting in my room trying to spank one out over a shark documentary, cos I'm scared that if I watch a porno it will end up in the register of members' interests." Second homes Hugh Abbot is on the receiving end of a volcanic tirade from Malcolm after a journalist discovers his second home is empty. When photo-ops go bad Nicola Murray stands in front of a poster for by-election candidate called Liam Bentley – and inevitably, the photographers pictured her head framed by the words "I am Bent". David Cameron's managed to get himself into this pickle twice already. Lost data The immigration statistics for the past seven months are wiped from the records – and nobody can find the backup. "Somebody has done a huge poo on my desk, and I want it cleared up," says Nicola. "My bum is clean," Terri replies. "It's clean as a whistle"