Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page

Cory Hazlehurst / Mark Pack

Join Cory Hazlehurst and Mark Pack as they digest some of the best - and some of the worst - depictions of politics in fiction: film, TV and even the occasional book. What political advice is smuggled into these stories and how do they impact on what people think about politicians today?

Episodes

  1. King's Game (#8)

    May 28

    King's Game (#8)

    In a scheduling choice completely unconnected to any contemporary political events, Mark and Cory talk about the 2004 Danish film full of leadership plotting, King's Game. This is a proper conspiracy thriller, where even the children are Machiavellian geniuses. They question whether it really makes sense for plotters to document their evil schemes in such meticulous detail, bemoan the bad use of political polling in the film and debate how useful this film is as a how-to guide for potential leadership candidates. You can view the IMDB page for King's Game here. Next time we're talking about the Yes, Minister special "Party Games". If you're in the UK then you can watch this on BBC iplayer. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    49 min
  2. No (#7)

    May 14

    No (#7)

    Cory and Mark talk about the political film that's probably most likely to be accidentally bought on Amazon: Pablo Larrain's No. It's about a referendum, and one with several parallels with the Brexit vote. Mark fact checks Cory on a number of occasions, they discuss how successful campaigns always seem to have three word slogans, and chew over the significance of a scene involving baguettes. You can view the IMDB page for No here. Next time, we're discussing the Danish political thriller King's Game. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    55 min
  3. Borgen on Greenland (#6)

    Apr 30

    Borgen on Greenland (#6)

    Mark and Cory talk about Scandi Ballot Box dramas for the first time. They discuss the Borgen episode in which there are revelations about how Greenland is being used for CIA rendition programmes. They talk about whether photogenic politicians giving inspirational speeches is all that’s needed to solve the world’s problems, the difficulty of writing political fictions with Donald Trump in the White House, and Mark gets even more excited about a door than usual. The Borgen IMDB page is here and we discuss the fourth episode of series one. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Next time we are talking about Pablo Larrain's film No.

    50 min
  4. All The President's Men (#5)

    Apr 16

    All The President's Men (#5)

    Mark and Cory talk about All The President’s Men, which was released 50 years ago this month. Mark gets to do his rant about how this film is basically Raiders of the Lost Ark, we ponder whether it’s got the most realistic rubbish of any movie, get very excited about a door and explain why the film presents Queen Elizabeth as launching a bid for absolute rule. You can listen to Slate’s Slow Burn series on Watergate which Cory recommends here. Mark talks about Jane Alexander’s Oscar-nominated role as Best Supporting Actress despite her only being on screen for less than seven minutes. (Apologies for the mistake about saying she won that year.) There is an interview with her in The Guardian to mark the film’s 50th anniversary here. Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters. Our theme tune is “Monkeys Spinning Monkeys” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    49 min
  5. The Thick of It, Series 1 (#4)

    Apr 2

    The Thick of It, Series 1 (#4)

    Mark and Cory talk about political TV for the first time, and there's nowhere better to start than The Thick of It. After rewatching the first series, they talk about which fictional policy proposals ended up becoming reality, why it's important that focus groups thought Keir Starmer was an eagle, and given that Malcolm Tucker keeps screwing everything up perhaps the secret genius behind the British Government is actually Terri Coverley? You can view the IMDB page for The Thick of It here and UK listeners can watch the show on BBC iPlayer. If you enjoyed our segment on focus groups, you may enjoy Mark's latest post on the topic here (note the date). Next time we are watching the classic All The President's Men. As well as appearing in your favourite podcast app, you can find all our episodes online at the show's website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com. You can find Cory writing about politics at Paperback Rioter or playing chess, while Mark can be found at The Week in Polls and his Parliamentary activity on the Parliament website.

    51 min
  6. This House (#3)

    Mar 19

    This House (#3)

    Mark and Cory talk about James Graham's play This House. The hit play, available to stream from the National Theatre, is about party whips trying to prop up a government without a secure House of Commons majority in the 1970s. Mark and Cory marvel at the kipper ties and rotary dial phones, discuss the importance of treating your political opponents with respect, and ponder whether works of art would be improved if they spent more time celebrating the achievements of Labour governments.   Regular listeners will know we have a 'Phil Woolas award' segment in the show. Our sincere condolences therefore to his friends and family on the news that broke just before publishing this episode of his death from cancer at 66.   You can view the IMDB page for This House here.   Next time we're reviewing the first series of The Thick Of It, which UK listeners can currently watch on BBC iPlayer.   As well as appearing in your favourite podcast app, you can find all our episodes online at the show's website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com. You can find Cory writing about politics at Paperback Rioter or playing chess, while Mark can be found at The Week in Polls and his Parliamentary activity on the Parliament website. Our theme tune is "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    49 min
  7. Election (#2)

    Mar 5

    Election (#2)

    Cory and Mark watch Election, the 1999 film starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. They talk about whether any of the characters in this film are actually likable, the importance of tying string to your pens, and how although so many commentators have compared Reese Witherspoon's character to Hillary Clinton, maybe the best historical parallel in this film is with the Miliband brothers. You can find the IMDB page for Election here. The alternative ending which we talk about can be viewed on YouTube. Next time we're talking about This House, which you can watch on National Theatre Online here. As well as appearing in your favourite podcast app, you can find all our episodes online at the show's website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com. You can find Cory writing about politics at Paperback Rioter or playing chess, while Mark can be found at The Week in Polls and his Parliamentary activity on the Parliament website. Our theme tune is "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    47 min
  8. The Iron Lady (#1)

    Feb 19

    The Iron Lady (#1)

    In the first episode of Political Fictions, Cory and Mark talk about the 2011 film The Iron Lady. They discuss how the film presents the human side of politicians, what it says about Margaret Thatcher and her legacy, and ponder the appearance of some mysterious milk.   You can view the IMDB page for The Iron Lady here.   Next time we're discussing Election, the 1999 film starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. If you're in the UK it's currently available to watch on iplayer.   As well as appearing in your favourite podcast app, you can find all our episodes online at the show's website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com   You can find Cory writing about politics at Paperback Rioter or playing chess, while Mark can be found at The Week in Polls and his Parliamentary activity on the Parliament website.   Our theme tune is "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    46 min

  9. Jan 24

    Coming soon: Political Fictions, a new podcast

    Starting in February 2026, join Cory Hazlehurst and Mark Pack as they digest some of the best - and some of the worst - depictions of politics in fiction: film, TV and even the occasional book. Subscribe in your favourite podcast app or listen online at https://www.politicalfictionspodcast.com/ Our theme tune is "Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and licensed under the Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

    1 min

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About

Join Cory Hazlehurst and Mark Pack as they digest some of the best - and some of the worst - depictions of politics in fiction: film, TV and even the occasional book. What political advice is smuggled into these stories and how do they impact on what people think about politicians today?

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