In 1998, then-prime minister Tony Blair asked the home secretary, Jack Straw, to look into the release of wrongly imprisoned Weatherfield resident Deirdre Rachid. “It is clear to anyone with eyes in their head she is innocent and she should be freed,” he said. Opposition leader William Hague followed suit: “The whole nation is deeply concerned about Deirdre, Conservatives as much as everyone else.” They were, of course, talking about a fictional character on one of the UK’s most popular soaps, Coronation Street. Politicians had just realised the power of talking telly.
Here we are more than 25 years later, then, in the age of prestige TV and streaming – and an election that could end the Tories’ 14-year run. Soaps may have lost their grip, but television is stronger than ever, and MPs are desperate to be relatable. It makes sense that a party leader naming their favourite show has become part of the PR machine. But with so much more choice comes more opportunity to succeed or fail in reaching voters – and this election’s frontrunners are clearly trying to get messages across with the shows they named in a Radio Times article this week.
Rishi Sunak continues his “safe pair of hands” approach by picking Bridgerton – a pleasant, posh, people-pleasing period drama that has nothing but positive press around it. “I’m always in awe at the talent that we have in this country, and fantastic period dramas like this showcase why this country stands as a creative industries superpower,” he said, forgetting his party’s endless cuts to the arts. He’s also not entirely convincing: anyone who has watched the latest season wouldn’t be able to sing its praises without mentioning that six-minute sex scene.
Labour’s Keir Starmer, meanwhile, wants people to know he’s not quite as boring and bland as they think, by picking a Channel 4 sitcom. He didn’t give RT an answer, but he did tell this paper he watches Friday Night Dinner with his two teenage children: “Some of the humour is a bit close to the bone – they are only 13 and 15 – and they’ll say, ‘Did they just say that?’” The fact that it ended four years ago suggests that he genuinely has tuned in at least once, just like a normal bloke (his dad was a toolmaker, don’t you know).
Green party next, and the co-leaders went big on political thrillers and crime dramas – they are serious about problem-solving. Carla Denyer says that while such shows can feel “too much of a busman’s holiday”, she makes exceptions for The West Wing and Borgen. Adrian Ramsay says he is “currently streaming Rebus”. But, remembering the crucial “be relatable!” element, Denyer is half-convincing by adding Death in Paradise (it has a huge fanbase) and Doctor Who (beloved by multiple generations) to her list.
Liberal Democrat Ed Davey’s beloved shows back his focus on carers – he has been very vocal about caring for his disabled son in this campaign – and he all but names children’s TV star Mr Tumble as his inspiration for those eye-catching stunts. Operation Ouch!, Something Special (anything with Mr Tumble, basically) and Horrible Histories are what he watches with his kids. Confusingly, these choices might be my favourite – well played.
Nigel Farage of Reform, on the other hand, is chilling in his answer. “I recently watched Baby Reindeer. The more I cringed, the more compulsive it became,” he said. Yes, this is one of the best shows of the year, but it seems unlikely that anti-woke, far-right Farage appreciates it for being a comedian’s nuanced unpacking of his real-life trauma. Instead, it is more fitting that the social media storms, grubby Piers Morgan interview and headline-grabbing controversies are what piqued his interest. Also, a campaigning politician who can fit in a seven-episode Netflix binge? Hmm.
A more sensible, if totally boring, answer came from Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth: sports documentaries, of course. Admitting that it’s “good to be able to switch off from wall-to-wall politics and news”, he says train passengers may well catch him watching Drive to Survive, Full Swing and Quarterback. What an appreciation of discipline and hard work (and, yes, golf).
Lastly, the SNP’s John Swinney only watches live sport: “Despite Scotland’s journey at the Euros coming to an end, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the tournament when I can, as it reaches the latter stages.” At least there’s no pretence about swooning over One Day.
Of course, if they were really tuning in to the best stuff on TV right now, they’d have caught programmes such as Buying London (a toe-curling reality show that is a window into London’s housing crisis), Undercover A&E (a terrifying investigation into cataclysmic failings in the NHS), and Dead Calm: Killing in the Med? (a gut-punch documentary about the deaths of more than 500 asylum seekers that should have serious consequences) – and realised that their answers could have actually meant something.
Hollie Richardson is the assistant TV editor for the Guardian
