Series 4 will be his last

Armando Iannucci is to quit Veep.

The Glaswegian creator of the show will leave after season 4, which launches on Sunday, broadcaster HBO has said.

The strains working in the States while his family remains in London is one of the main reasons for Iannucci’s departure.

He tweeted that the upcoming series was the best yet, adding: ‘Time for me to quit airports. I'm leaving on a high and kissing goodbye to jet-lag.’

David Mandel, a former Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer, is to take over the helm. Although a fifth series has not officially been confirmed, his appointment suggests the show will continue. Mandel previously worked as a writer on Seinfeld, where Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus got he break.

‘We have had conversations with Armando for some time about the challenges of maintaining his family life in London and producing a show in the states,’ HBO said in a statement. ‘Armando is not replaceable, but we are confident that Veep will continue to be produced at the highest levels with new showrunner David Mandel.’

Veep launched in 2012 as a US answer to Iannucci’s The Thick Of It and has gone on to win four Emmys including three for Louis-Dreyfus.

The show is shot mostly in Maryland, and has employed several Brits off-camera, with Chris Morris, Chris Addison and Tm Kirkby among the directors and Tony Roche, Simon Blackwell, David Quantick and Will Smith among the writers.

Season three ended with Louis-Dreyfus’s character Selina Meyer becoming president. Here's a trailer for the new run.

Published: 11 Apr 2015