Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page – Details, episodes & analysis

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Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page

Cory Hazlehurst / Mark Pack

Tv & Film

News

History

Frequency: 1 episode/15d. Total Eps: 13

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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Apple Podcasts

🇬🇧 Great Britain - tvAndFilm
02/08/2026
#88
🇬🇧 Great Britain - tvAndFilm
01/08/2026
#59
🇬🇧 Great Britain - tvAndFilm
31/07/2026
#98

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Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://coryhazlehurst.substack.com/
20 shares
https://incompetech.com/
12 shares
https://libdemnewswire.com/
8 shares

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499537/
2 shares
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031679
2 shares
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0378215/
2 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 62%

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Mr Smith Goes To Washington, with Aidan Byrne (#12)

Episode 12

Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 01:15:52

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 the children in it. They marvel at the performances of Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains and especially Jean Arthur, wonder if this film has an anti-FDR message, and Mark takes handwriting experts to task.

You can find Aidan on Blue Sky as Plashing Vole.

Next time, we're reading Ellen Wilkinson's The Division Bell Mystery.

You can view the IMDb page for Mr Smith Goes To Washington here.

Cory’s email newsletter is Paperback Rioter and Mark has a family of email newsletters.

Subscribe to our newsletter for some additional bonus content and to get alerted whenever a new episode comes out.

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/).

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Offside (#11)

Episode 11

Thursday, July 9, 2026 • Duration 44:05

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 as men to sneak into a stadium. Mark gets to deploy some football knowledge, they discuss how the film isn't a great advert for national service and ponder the symbolism of Iranian toilet graffiti.

You can view Offside on IMDb here.

Next time, we're watching the classic Mr Smith Goes To Washington.

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/).

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Election (#2)

Episode 2

Thursday, March 5, 2026 • Duration 47:03

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/).

The Iron Lady (#1)

Episode 1

Thursday, February 19, 2026 • Duration 46:24

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/).

Coming soon: Political Fictions, a new podcast

Saturday, January 24, 2026 • Duration 00:57

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/).

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Brexit: The Uncivil War (#10)

Episode 10

Thursday, June 25, 2026 • Duration 55:43

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 talk about the ability of Mark Gatiss to chew scenery without actually being on screen, how the story the film tells of how Leave won has aged rather badly, and Cory has a rant about the most shambolic doorknocking encounter he's ever seen.

You can view Brexit: The Uncivil War on IMDb here.

Next time, we're watching the 2006 Iranian film Offside.

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/).

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Yes, Minister: Party Games (#9)

Episode 9

Thursday, June 11, 2026 • Duration 46:40

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 British sausage to win a leadership contest, explain why this episode is a good guide for would-be leadership contenders, and lay it on a bit thick with their marmalade discussion.

If you're in the UK then you can watch this on BBC iPlayer.

Next time, we're watching Brexit: The Uncivil War.

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/).

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King's Game (#8)

Episode 8

Thursday, May 28, 2026 • Duration 48:46

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/).

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No (#7)

Episode 7

Thursday, May 14, 2026 • Duration 54:38

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/).

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Borgen on Greenland (#6)

Episode 6

Thursday, April 30, 2026 • Duration 49:58

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.

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Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other14

IMDb10

Youtube2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other14

IMDb10

Youtube2