The Rest Is Politics is a British podcast and television series 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, with a strong focus on UK politics, but also international developments, such as foreign elections and humanitarian catastrophes. An American edition was launched in April 2024 with Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay hosting.[5]
| 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 |
Background
editBoth Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart are former political figures, and both left their respective parties because of their opposition to more extreme elements in them. Their podcast is aimed at "disagreeing agreeably", seeking a more temperate and informed political debate.[6]
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 publicly stated that he had voted for the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 European Parliament elections in the United Kingdom.[7] Stewart is an academic, author, former diplomat and politician.[8] A former member of the Conservative Party, Stewart served as international development secretary and prisons minister under Theresa May. He represented Penrith and The Border in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for around nine years. In 2019, after Boris Johnson was elected leader of the Conservatives, Stewart resigned from the cabinet. He was part of the 2019 suspension of rebel Conservative MPs for having rebelled against Johnson's approach to Brexit. He later also resigned his party membership.[9]
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,[10] 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,[11] 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.[12]
Format
editThe 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 Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak,[13] which sparked the July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis that culminated in the resignation of Boris Johnson; the October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis which resulted in the dismissal of Kwasi Kwarteng and resignation of Liz Truss; and the first 2024 United States presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.[14]
The Rest Is Politics: Election Special
editAhead of the 2024 general election, The Rest Is Politics was announced in Channel 4's coverage line-up, presenting alongside Emily Maitlis.[15]
| No. | Guest(s) | Running time | Original air date | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N/A | 46:00 | May 29, 2024 | Episode | |
|
In the first episode, Alastair and Rory dissect the results of their exclusive poll, which shows Labour's lead is narrowing, and discuss Rishi Sunak's national service policy. | |||||
| 2 | N/A | 47:00 | June 4, 2024 | Episode | |
|
Alastair and Rory discuss a recent poll that looks particularly damning for the Tories, and look at both Sunak and Starmer's latest election pledges. | |||||
| 3 | N/A | 47:00 | June 11, 2024 | Episode | |
|
Alastair and Rory ask what impact the D-Day fiasco will have on Rishi Sunak. | |||||
Special guests
editThe 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 Israel–Hamas war. The following public figures have been interviewed on the podcasts' special episodes:
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ "The Rest is Politics: Navigating the Intersection of Rest and Politics". The Politics Watcher. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rory Stewart". Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ 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 (2 September 2023). "The week in audio: Finn and the Bell; Animal; The Rest Is Money – review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ The Rest Is Politics (28 June 2024). Why Joe Biden must step down. Retrieved 29 June 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Waterson, Jim (22 April 2024). "Emily Maitlis and The Rest Is Politics to host Channel 4 election night coverage". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 April 2024.