Alike Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister the series satirises the inner workings of government. But compared with the older programmes the format has been adapted to reflect the changes in twenty-first-century politics in the United Kingdom. Malcom Tucker (Peter Capaldi) is a spin doctor and advisor to the newly appointed minister of the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship or DoSAC for short. Tucker's approach is machiavellian, but not as subtle as the coercive and persuasive tactics of Sir Humphrey (Yes Minister) or the brutal machinations hidden behind an impenetrable polite facade that are the hallmark of the original House of Cards. "I am Scottish. I can complain about things, I can really complain about things." is uttered by Capaldi himself in the first episode as the twelfth Doctor Who after having regenerated with a Scottish accent, it is however, also a concise comment on his earlier role: with Malcolm Tucker there is no false pretense when it comes to threats and insults. English understatement or ambiguity have no place in the avalanche of expletives Tucker unleashes in a conversation.
A feature film In the Loop was released in 2009.