Why is Britain so divided? (with playwright James Graham)

About this episode

Listen to our new podcast, Backstory. Cathy Newman goes behind some of the biggest news stories of recent decades with the people at their heart, uncovering their side of the story and why it still matters today. This week... Is Britain more divided now than ever? James Graham is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) playwrights of his generation - best known for Dear England, Punch and This House. He grew up in Nottinghamshire, and saw how communities were torn apart by the miners' strike of 1984-85. Decades later, he wrote about those divisions in his hit TV drama Sherwood, about a community still living with the pain of the strike. Forty years on, with Britain still wrestling with the fallout from Brexit and the culture wars, are we becoming a more and more divided country? In an at times emotional chat, James joins Cathy to reflect on growing up in a divided Nottinghamshire, being bullied at school and how his work has forced him to confront his own past and reopen wounds from the miners' strike that have never fully healed. He also gives his verdict on Andy Burnham's political storytelling – and whether vibes are enough to make a successful prime minister.