Tales from the Green Benches: An Oral History of Parliament
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<h3>Many of us will be familiar with the image of the House of Commons’ infamous green benches. But what does it really feel like to be in the Chamber, working in the ‘mother of Parliaments’? This is what the History of Parliament Trust’s Oral History project seeks to find out, interviewing former MPs about their time in Westminster- and beyond. Now, for the first time, we have gathered some of the reflections within our vast archive of interviews into one place, allowing you a true insider’s view into life as a Member of Parliament.</h3><p><br></p><br><p>What drove these individuals to enter political life? How did they secure their seat or win an election? And what impact did this job have on their personal life?</p><br><p><br></p><p>Hosted by Dr Emma Peplow, Head of Contemporary History at the History of Parliament Trust, and Dr Alex Lock, historian and curator at the British Library, this podcast spotlights some of the brilliant interviews from MPs who sat between the 1950s and early 2000s within our 200+ strong archive, using never before heard clips and highlighting the unique insights that oral history interviews provide. </p><br><p><br></p><p>Listen to ‘Tales from the Green Benches: an Oral History of Parliament’ to hear stories from the heart of the Commons, from those who sat on those very benches.</p><p><strong>A podcast from the History of Parliament Trust. </strong></p><br><p><br></p><p>Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.</p><p>Artwork by <a href="mailto:neil@the-brightside.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">neil@the-brightside.co.uk</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
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Publishing Since
10/24/2024
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Recent Episodes
July 14, 2025
Special Episode live from the Houses of Parliament!
Dr. Emma Peplow and Dr. Alex Lock host Dr. Priscila Pivatto, Anne Milton, and Baroness Gisela Stuart to discuss the History of Parliament’s Oral History Project, highlighting previously unrecorded details of MPs' careers in this interview episode.
December 9, 2024
The Political is Personal
<p>One point that all of our oral history interviewees agree on is that being MP is more than just a job: it is a lifestyle. Becoming a Member of Parliament is all-consuming and can impact upon marriages, parenting, financial security and more. Whilst some enter into this aware of the toll it can take, others find the reality of this role hard to manage. And in our period, where MPs' actions and expenses came under intense scrutiny, the political became personal- and public!</p><br><p>In this final episode of the series, Emma and Alex explore some of the more emotional reflections within our interview archive, as Members reflect on how being an MP impacted on their personal lives- and how they now feel about the role, years after leaving the Chamber.</p><br><p><br></p><p>Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.</p><p>Artwork by <a href="mailto:neil@the-brightside.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">neil@the-brightside.co.uk</a>.</p><br><p>Find more from the History of Parliament Trust at<a href="http://www.historyofparliament.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> www.historyofparliament.com</a> and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/political-lives-of-postwar-british-mps-9781350089280/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs</a>’.</p><p><strong>Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!</strong></p><br><p><br></p><p>More information:</p><br><p>British Library Reference Codes: Episode Webpage:</p><p>Giles Radice interviewed by Henry Irving, C1503/0160</p><p>Kenneth Weetch interviewed by Alexander Lock, C1503/0070</p><p>Helene Hayman interviewed by Emmeline Ledgerwood, C1503/0115 B</p><p>Dick Taverne interviewed by Jason Lower, C1503/0006 </p><p>John Watson interviewed by Henry Irving, C1503/0040</p><p>Jenny Tonge interviewed by Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, C1503/0148 </p><p>Ivan Lawrence interviewed by Priscila Pivatto, C1503/0171 </p><p>Sylvia Heal interviewed by Alexander Lock, C1503/0172</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
December 2, 2024
Historically Underrepresented MPs
<p>During much of the twentieth century, the stereotypical image of an MP was of a white, straight, male. But, as our archive of oral history interviews suggests, the makeup of the House of Commons would go through a significant change as we approached the millennium. However this doesn’t mean that Westminster, as both a location and an environment, adapted to meet this.</p><br><p>In this episode we look at those Members who didn’t fit into this traditional image of an MP: women, Members from minority ethnic backgrounds, Members who identified as LGBTQ+, or those from working class families, for example; people that we have, for the sake of this episode, termed ‘historically underrepresented’. Using reflections from the members themselves, Emma and Alex explore the difficulties that many faced during their time in the Chamber.</p><br><p><br></p><p>Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.</p><p>Artwork by <a href="mailto:neil@the-brightside.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">neil@the-brightside.co.uk</a>.</p><br><p>Find more from the History of Parliament Trust at<a href="http://www.historyofparliament.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> www.historyofparliament.com</a> and follow this link to find information about our publication ‘<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/political-lives-of-postwar-british-mps-9781350089280/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Political Lives of Postwar British MPs</a>’.</p><br><p><strong>Make sure to like, subscribe and send us a review!</strong></p><br><p>More information:</p><p>British Library Reference Codes:</p><p>Diana Maddock interviewed by Isobel White, C1503/0157</p><p>Bryan Magee interviewed by Sandy Ruxton, C1503/0049 </p><p>Parmjit Dhanda interviewed by Peter Reilly, C1503/0208 </p><p>Hilary Armstrong interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0103</p><p>Helene Hayman interviewed by Emmeline Ledgerwood, C1503/0115 B</p><p>Janet Fookes interviewed by Emma Peplow, C1503/0066 </p><p>Jenny Tonge interviewed by Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite, C1503/0148</p><br><p>House of Commons Library briefings used in the episode:</p><ul><li><a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06652/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">SN06652 ‘Female Members of Parliament’</a>,</li><li><a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7483/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CBP7483 ‘Social background of Members of Parliament 1979-2019’</a></li><li><a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn01250/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">N01250 ‘Women in Politics and Public Life’</a> </li></ul><p>Find out more about the gender balance within Westminster in <a href="https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/gender-balance-politics" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this article from the Institute for Government.</a></p><p>And find articles about underrepresented MPs <a href="https://historyofparliament.com/2024/07/11/experiences-of-women-in-parliament/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the History of Parliament website.</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
9 total episodes available
Recent guests on Tales from the Green Benches: An Oral History of Parliament
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Dr Priscila Pivatto
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Anne Milton
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Baroness Gisela Stuart
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- What is Tales from the Green Benches: An Oral History of Parliament?
<h3>Many of us will be familiar with the image of the House of Commons’ infamous green benches. But what does it really feel like to be in the Chamber, working in the ‘mother of Parliaments’? This is what the History of Parliament Trust’s Oral History project seeks to find out, interviewing former MPs about their time in Westminster- and beyond. Now, for the first time, we have gathered some of the reflections within our vast archive of interviews into one place, allowing you a true insider’s view into life as a Member of Parliament.</h3><p><br></p><br><p>What drove these individuals to enter political life? How did they secure their seat or win an election? And what impact did this job have on their personal life?</p><br><p><br></p><p>Hosted by Dr Emma Peplow, Head of Contemporary History at the History of Parliament Trust, and Dr Alex Lock, historian and curator at the British Library, this podcast spotlights some of the brilliant interviews from MPs who sat between the 1950s and early 2000s within our 200+ strong archive, using never before heard clips and highlighting the unique insights that oral history interviews provide. </p><br><p><br></p><p>Listen to ‘Tales from the Green Benches: an Oral History of Parliament’ to hear stories from the heart of the Commons, from those who sat on those very benches.</p><p><strong>A podcast from the History of Parliament Trust. </strong></p><br><p><br></p><p>Presented by Dr Emma Peplow and Dr Alex Lock, produced by Melissa FitzGerald at Zinc Audio. With additional writing from Dr Priscila Pivatto and script editing from Connie Jeffery. All interviews are deposited at the British Library. Find a catalogue of interviews on our website.</p><p>Artwork by <a href="mailto:neil@the-brightside.co.uk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">neil@the-brightside.co.uk</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Information about guest appearances is not available.
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