Shows / Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page
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
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Manchurian Candidate, 1962 (#22)
Cory has gone rogue and changed the running order of the episode! Is that because he was kidnapped and brainwashed while out fighting in Korea? Or because…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Thick of It Specials, with Sam Freedman (#21)
Top author and newsletter writer Sam Freedman joins us this week to talk about The Thick of It special episodes 'Rise of the Nutters' and 'Spinners and…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageState of Play, Part 2 (#20)
Mark and Cory conclude their discussion of the classic TV series State of Play. Mark reports back on his correspondence with a cast member and also auditions…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageState of Play, Part 1 (#19)
Mark and Cory begin their two-part series on the classic TV series State of Play by discussing episode one. It begins with Mark recoiling in horror at the low…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Lives of Others (#18)
Mark and Cory discuss The Lives of Others, a modern classic about Stasi surveillance in 1980s East Germany. They start off talking about how to cope with a…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe West Wing: Let Bartlet Be Bartlet (#17)
Mark and Cory talk about a giant of American political drama for the first time this week, as they tackle The West Wing. They talk about Let Bartlet Be…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Death of Stalin (#16)
Mark and Cory talk about Armando Iannucci's 2017 black comedy The Death of Stalin. You can watch the film for its exploration of the nature of evil, think…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Absence of War, with John Cotton (#15)
Our normal programme is interrupted with an emergency episode! David Hare's play about a fictionalised version of the 1992 general election, The Absence of…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageJeffrey Archer's 'First Among Equals' part 1, with Shane Whaley (#14)
Cory and Mark are joined by Shane Whaley of the Spybrary podcast this week. Shane has picked for us to watch First Among Equals, a prime time ITV political…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe Division Bell Mystery, with Elinor Taylor (#13)
Mark and Cory are joined by Elinor Taylor for our first book! It is Ellen Wilkinson’s The Division Bell Mystery, a political thriller disguised as a golden age…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageMr Smith Goes to Washington, with Aidan Byrne (#12)
Aidan Byrne joins Mark and Cory to watch the classic Mr Smith Goes to Washington. It's a film full of shameless emotional manipulation, especially from some of…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageOffside (#11)
To coincide with the men's football World Cup, Mark and Cory talk about the 2006 Iranian film Offside, about a group of Iranian women who disguise themselves…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageBrexit: The Uncivil War (#10)
To mark ten years since the Brexit referendum, Cory and Mark talk about James Graham's TV movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Brexit: The Uncivil War. They…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageYes, Minister: Party Games (#9)
Mark and Cory talk about the O.G. of British Political Sitcoms: Yes, Minister. They marvel at the genial Machiavellian genius that is Jim Hacker exploiting the…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageKing'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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageNo (#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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageBorgen 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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageAll 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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe 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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThis 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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageElection (#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…
Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the pageThe 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…
- Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page
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…