The art of the political interview – with Rob Burley

Why is this lying bastard lying to me? That’s the question Jeremy Paxman famously asked when trying to pin down slippery politicians, and it’s the title of Rob Burley’s new book, published on 11 May. With 25 years of experience working with the great political interviewers of our age – from Andrew Neil to Emily Maitlis, and Andrew Marr to Beth Rigby – he joins Rachel Cunliffe to dissect what makes a great TV political interview, and why scrutiny of our leaders is more important now than ever. 

They discuss Brian Walden’s landmark 1989 interview with Margaret Thatcher, the impossible pressure put on the BBC, and the surrealism of the brief Liz Truss era. They also look at how Boris Johnson broke the rules of engagement between journalists and politicians, and revisit why the former PM once had to hide in a fridge. 

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