Politics For The People

There's a panel of politicians, no autocue, and it's filmed live in a pub across the road from Parliament. Hosted by politics-junkie Wallace Chapman, Back Benches is a new politics show, premiering live on TVNZ 7, Wednesday 2 April from The Backbencher pub in Wellington.

Back Benches will provide a unique take on the week's political comings and goings. It will demystify the world of politics by looking at how policies and today's issues impact your life.

And Back Benches wants to know how you think the country should be run. Each episode of Back Benches features a live panel of guests and MPs from the community, interspersed with segments recorded in the field. Chapman will 'peep and peer' into politicians' offices and other parts of the Beehive (is that really The Blair Years on Helen Clark's shelf?), and will head back to a politician's home town to get the dirt on him or her (what politician was the teacher's pet? What did their neighbours think of them?).

Back Benches will also look at local and international political highlights in This Week's Best Political Plays, and there'll be the odd tricky pub quiz asking the hard political questions of pub audience and panel alike.

Chapman, who also hosts 'The Wallace Chapman Breakfast' on KiwiFM and is a regular on TV ONE's Breakfast, is excited to be part of the new show. "It's very exciting to be part of the first wave of programmes to be commissioned for TVNZ's new digital channels. I think there is room for a political, issues-driven show, which attempts to speak about and debate politics in the language of the everyday."

"It's a great opportunity – hosting a politics show in Election Year. I think the show will be different in the sense that it will be 'down-to-earth' politics – entertaining, pretty hilarious in parts, with room for serious discussion."

Back Benches on TVNZ 7 is the show that wants your questions, and your view on how the country should be run. So tune in to TVNZ 7 at 9.10pm on Wednesdays and get the answers you're looking for (or better still, join Back Benches live at The Backbencher pub and ask the politicians yourself). Back Benches also screens on TVNZ 7 Thursdays at 12.10pm, Fridays at 9.10pm and Saturdays at 12.10pm.

ENDS

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