New podcast: Political Fictions

New podcast: Political Fictions

Author: Mark Pack February 1, 2026 Duration: 1:15
Exciting news! This month I’m launching Political Fictions, a new podcast with Cory Hazlehurst, from the Not Enough Champagne podcast. It’s all about TV, film and books featuring politics. Take a listen to our trailer to find out more. You can subscribe to Political Fictions in all the usual places, including on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. You can also follow the podcast via our website, www.politicalfictionspodcast.com. I will be carrying on with my previous podcast, Never Mind The Bar Charts, but at a lower tempo of episodes.

Join Mark Pack for Never Mind The Bar Charts, a podcast that digs into the mechanics, personalities, and unexpected stories shaping British politics, with a particular eye on the Liberal Democrats. This isn't a dry recitation of policy papers or a simple replay of the week's headlines. Instead, Mark and his guests pull apart the political narratives, examining the strategies, the polling data behind the bar charts, and the human moments that often get lost in the Westminster fray. You'll hear conversations that go beyond the soundbites, offering analysis that is both insightful and accessible, whether you're a political insider or just a curious observer. The tone is conversational and often wry, with those promised stray digressions into history, culture, and the occasional oddity that makes politics so perpetually fascinating. It's a show for anyone who finds the 'how' and 'why' of political life more compelling than the 'what'. New episodes of this podcast regularly feature a range of voices from across the political spectrum, all brought together by Mark's long-standing expertise and genuine curiosity about the subject.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 50

Never Mind The Bar Charts
Podcast Episodes
How to improve people's lives: Rachel Bentley on being a councillor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:43
The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features Southwark councillor Rachel Bentley on what it's like being a councillor, the difference you can make to improve people's lives, the disappointments of Sadiq Khan,…
Meet the inspirational star who wants to be an MP [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:01
I've been honoured to have many great guests on Never Mind The Bar Charts but wow... this time's guest really blew me away with his moving life story and with the thought of just how exciting it would be to see him on th…
Banning alcohol in the US didn’t last; could Brexit be the same? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:59
It took decades of campaigning for Prohibition campaigners to win in the US, getting alcohol banned in the early twentieth century. Once they'd won, their victory seemed set to last. Yet in less than a decade and a half…
Why do so many obvious policy ideas keep on not happening? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:45
The latest episode of Never Mind The Bar Charts features Sam Freedman, talking about his recent excellent article on why apparently obvious policy ideas keep on being talked about, but not getting implemented. What's goi…