Political Fictions: political drama on screen and on the page

Mark and Cory talk about Charlie Wilson's War, a film about one of the biggest CIA covert operations in history. They talk about a remarkable man who could 'strut while sitting down', how covert something really can be if it's being covered in the media, the thrill of assembling a majority on the committee, and whether wonder weapons win wars. And in a special bonus segment (hello, War Movie Theatre!), they talk about whether the events in this film changed the course of the Cold War. 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. Next time, we're watching Crossing The Floor. Check out its amazing cast, including Tom Wilkinson here, and watch it on YouTube here.

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 we're talking about that classic of Cold War paranoia, The Manchurian Candidate? Mark and Cory talk about why it's important for Communist front companies to make a profit, highlight how the film skewers both left and right, and debate whether the dastardly conspiracy at the heart of the plot actually makes any sense. The Roger Ebert reviews which are referenced in the episode can be read here and 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. Next time, we're talking about Charlie Wilson's War.

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 Losers'. We talk about how prescient the episodes are about both the rise of Gordon Brown and the Conservative rebranding under David Cameron, top political advice about how you can ensure you get a good desk in an office, Cory gets massively distracted by the cricket, and we end by wondering whether the show has been misunderstood. Sam's newsletter is Comment Is Freed, and you can listen to Mark's previous chats with Sam about his writing here and here. If you are in the UK, you can watch these episodes on BBC iPlayer.  Next time, we're talking about The Manchurian Candidate. 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.

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 for a role as a defence counsel, whilst they also talk about which elements of the plot remain realistic today and which are complete MacGuffins. The Guardian article Cory refers to can be read here and the previous podcast episode, covering State of Play episode 1, is here. Next time, Sam Freedman joins us to talk about The Thick Of It specials The Rise of the Nutters and Spinners and Losers, both of which you can watch on BBC iPlayer. 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.

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 score Cory intends to give it, almost causing an irreparable rift in Political Fictions Towers. Thankfully, they manage to repair the relationship by talking about what the show tells us about politics in the early 2000s, praise the excellent cast (especially those who are able to stand awkwardly in the background very effectively) and undertake some seriously impressive letterbox-based investigative work. You can view more about State of Play, including details of where it's currently streaming, here. Next week, we'll be returning to talk about the rest of the series. 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.

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 terrible dictatorship and how the film is about the power of art. However, they quickly get sidetracked with some suspicious behaviour of the Stasi officers including keeping bottles of tomato sauce in the sink and drawing floorplans of flats a little too quickly. (A note of caution: this episode does contain discussion of themes including suicide and sexual assault where this is relevant to the film's plot.) Anna Funder's article on the film which Cory references can be found here, and the more academic article on suicide can be found here. Timothy Garton Ash's The File is highly praised by both Cory and Mark in the episode, whilst you can also buy tickets for the play here.   This episode kicks off a special miniseries in which we will be putting out weekly episodes for the next month or so. Next Thursday, we're starting a two-part series on the classic TV serial State of Play.   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.

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 Bartlet, the nineteenth episode of series one. In it, Mark wonders if The West Wing is actually the epitome of the "Boris Johnson school of politics", Cory outmanoeuvres Mark into confirming we will record a Christmas Special about Love, Actually and they debate whether the central message of this episode has been misunderstood. Next time, we're discussing The Lives of Others.  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.

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 about whether the license that is taken with the truth is completely appropriate, or just wait for the amazing memes to appear on screen.  The Guardian article on the film's accuracy which Cory mentions can be found here, whilst the academic critique that Mark was looking forward to reading so he could disagree with it can be found here. After last week's emergency episode on The Absence of War, we're returning to fortnightly episodes. In two weeks' time we are talking about The West Wing episode "Let Bartlet Be Bartlet", which is the 19th episode of series one. 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/).

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 War, is on BBC iPlayer for a limited period. So before it goes, Mark and Cory talk about it with the former leader of Birmingham City Council, John Cotton. They discuss the reasons Labour lost the 1992 election, whether the play has the right lessons about how to be successful in politics, the dilemmas facing leaders and why political dramas never seem to get the fonts quite right. Watch The Absence of War before Wednesday September 16 on BBC iPlayer here. Next week, we're discussing The Death of Stalin. 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/).

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 drama from the 1980s. As its episodes total up to 494 minutes, this time we're dipping into the first episode only. Take a listen to see if we - and you - want to watch the rest of the series. The series is based on the book by Jeffrey Archer, once a highly praised and successful novelist whose books were festooned with quotes praising his literary abilities. With the advantage of hindsight, however, we ask if Jeffrey Archer's work is best compared to Anthony Trollope or a McDonald's Filet-o-fish? Watch the first episode of First Among Equals, and indeed the rest of the series, on YouTube here and second-hand copies of a DVD version are available from the usual places. The original novel is also widely available. Next week we're interrupting our planned schedule and talking about David Hare's The Absence of War to mark its return to BBC iPlayer. Watch that before next Thursday's episode comes out 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/).