| The Rest is Politics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | Alastair Campbell Rory Stewart |
| Genre | Talk |
| Format |
|
| Language | English |
| Length | 30-50 minutes |
| Publication | |
| Original release | 2 March 2022 |
The Rest is Politics is a British podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.[1][2]
It launched in March 2022,[3] and has since become one of the leading political podcasts in the United Kingdom.[2] The podcast is produced by Goalhanger Podcasts.[3][4] Campbell and Stewart generally discuss contemporary news and politics.
Background
Both Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart are former political figures, and both have been expelled from their respective parties for their opposition to more extreme elements in them. Their podcast is aimed at "disagreeing agreeably", seeking a more temperate and informed political debate.[5]
Campbell is a journalist, political strategist, and mental health activist, known for his work as communications chief for Tony Blair. A former member of the Labour Party, Campbell was expelled after having voted for the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 European elections.[6]
Stewart is a diplomat, author, soldier, and politician. He served as Conservative international development secretary and prisons minister under Theresa May. He represented Penrith and The Border in the House of Commons for around nine years. In 2019, after Boris Johnson was elected leader of the Conservatives, Stewart resigned from the cabinet. Subsequently, having rebelled against Johnson's approach to Brexit, he was expelled from the parliamentary party. He later resigned his party membership as well.[7]
Goalhanger Podcasts is owned by former England footballer Gary Lineker, and also produces the podcasts The Rest is History, hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland,[8] Battleground hosted by Saul David and Patrick Bishop, We Have Ways Of Making You Talk hosted by Al Murray and James Holland, The Rest Is Money, hosted by Robert Peston and Steph McGovern,[9] “The Rest is Football”, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, and The Rest is Entertainment, hosted by Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.[10]
Format
The podcast ordinarily releases two episodes every week: a "main" episode and a "question time" episode. The main episodes last around 30 to 50 minutes, and involve Campbell and Stewart discussing contemporary events and news stories, mostly from the United Kingdom. During the question time episodes, they answer questions from listeners. The questions are not limited to topics formerly discussed on the podcast, and include news stories not discussed on the main episodes as well as the hosts' political careers. The theme music that starts and ends each episode is 'A Diabolical Caper', written by composer Luke Richards.
On some occasions, the podcast releases "emergency" episodes, reacting to major news events, such as the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid[11] and the dismissal of Kwasi Kwarteng.[12]
Special guests
The podcast hosts special guests, interviewing active and retired politicians on their careers and current events. In January 2023, Goalhanger began a new podcast series, Leading, for Campbell and Stewart to interview their special guests and to invite non-political figures as guests. Since Leading released, The Rest is Politics did not invite any special guests, with the exception of Israeli public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari and Palestinian ambassador Husam Zomlot during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.
The following public figures have been interviewed on the podcasts' special episodes:
References
- ↑ Sturges, Fiona (28 March 2022). "Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell's odd-couple podcast". www.ft.com. Financial Times. Archived from the original on 20 April 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- 1 2 Marriot, James (21 December 2022). "The 25 best podcasts of 2022: from The Rest is Politics to The News Agents". www.thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- 1 2 Sawyer, Miranda (6 March 2022). "The week in audio: Paperless; Weekend; Ukrainecast; The Rest Is History – review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ↑ Turvill, William (8 December 2022). "The News Agents podcast hits 10 million downloads". pressgazette.co.uk. Press Gazette. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ↑ Duggins, Alexi; Verdier, Hannah; Richardson, Hollie; Lindlar, Charlie (29 December 2022). "Best podcasts of the week: The rise and fall of the Silicon Valley brand that made antidepressants 'cool'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ↑ "Labour expels Alastair Campbell from party". The Guardian. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ↑ Bloom, Dan (4 September 2019). "Tory Rory Stewart sacked by text while he accepted politician of the year award". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ↑ White, Peter (17 June 2022). "Gary Lineker's Goalhanger To Expand Podcast Output After Signing With WME". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (2023-09-02). "The week in audio: Finn and the Bell; Animal; The Rest Is Money – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
- ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (2 December 2023). "The week in audio: The Rest Is Entertainment; History for You With Douglas and Hugh and more". Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ↑ Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (5 July 2022). "SPECIAL:SUNAK AND JAVID RESIGN". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
- ↑ Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (14 October 2022). "TRUSS DOWN, KWARTENG OUT". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.