You can just imagine the panic in Downing Street on Friday with Tom Watson having conversations exactly like those in this clip, telling Damian and Derek to undo what he doesn’t know about and wouldn’t even remember if he did. The excuse lines used by Damian and Derek come straight from episode 6 of The Thick of It – including “this email was never intended to be seen by anyone but the recipient”.

Draper of course added to the real comedy with his defining Channel 4 News soundbite yesterday – “I wasn’t lying on purpose”. Armando Iannucci’s fictional version was “I unintentionally lied. Unknowingly might have told an untruth”.

Guido particularly likes the line “Malcolm Tucker has left the building”.  Damian McBride has left the building.