‘Selina was not modelled on Harris’: Iannucci on how US presidential race came to mirror Veep

Writer says cyclical nature of politics allows satire to appear to predict future, including vice-president’s run for top job

For years, British politics has echoed the ludicrous and sometimes concerning storylines of Armando Iannucci’s TV show The Thick of It. Now, with the US vice-president, Kamala Harris, campaigning to become the commander-in-chief, Americans are using the show Veep as proof of the satirist’s gift for prophecy.

So what does Iannucci think about being dubbed the Nostradamus of western politics?