How television drama and comedy have portrayed politics

Steven Fielding has a post on Ballots and Bullets looking at television comedies dealing with politics that were screened before the advent of Yes Minister.

Some of the examples he gives are single episodes of well-remembered comedies like Steptoe and Son and Rising Damp. And everyone has heard of Dennis Potter's play Vote Vote Vote for Nigel Barton even if they have not seen it.

But he does produce some long forgotten series that dealt with politics: Swizzlewick, The Whitehall Worrier and Best of Enemies.

As Steven says, his list is not exhaustive. One obvious omission is the situation comedy No Job for a Lady, which starred Penelope Keith (at the height of her post-Margot fame) as a Labour MP.

A more serious take on the subject is promised at Love Thy Neighbour, I Claudius and Thunderbirds, a one-day conference on television being held at the University of Leicester on 8 April. One of the subjects in the programme is "Corridors of Power: The depiction of the House of Commons in television drama".