The decline and fall of the political interview

What happens when a party leader ducks the opportunity to face a long forensic interview on television during a general election campaign? What are the challenges posed to broadcasters when norms are ignored? Boris Johnson famously did that during the last general election: so how will that affect the approach of the parties and the broadcasters when negotiating the terms of future interviews at the next election?Will party leader debates happen this time, or will the negotiations between the broadcasters and the political strategists run aground amidst arguments about the format and the terms of engagement? And if so, will it really matter? Are long-form interviews a better form of scrutiny than a version of Prime Ministers’ Questions in a studio?Mark and Ruth discuss these questions and more with Rob Burley, currently of Sky News, but formerly the editor of live political programmes at the BBC where he was responsible for overseeing output such as Daily Politics, Politics Live, the Andrew Marr Show, the Andrew Neil Show and Brexitcast.They discuss stories from Rob’s book, Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me including how the TV companies plan their political packages during an election campaign and how broadcasters like Andrew Marr and Andrew Neil prepare for a major political interview?🎓 Access resources about issues mentioned in this episode via our website here: hansardsociety.org.uk/news/parliament-matters-podcast-e20❓ Submit your questions to us on all things Parliament using the form here: hansardsociety.org.uk/pmuq📱 Follow us across social media @HansardSociety✅ Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest updates related to the Parliament Matters podcast and the wider work of the Hansard Society: hansardsociety.org.uk/nlSupport the Hansard Society by making a donation. We don't have a wealthy founder or an endowment. That's why donations are so important – they help to support our work AND our independence: hansardsociety.org.uk/donateParliament Matters is a Hansard Society production supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.