Political cartoons, that is where the savagery in those days came from. I often think that those really sharp, excoriating political cartoons really capture things even am still to day. But of course, you know, george lived in here when lots of people didn't know who the king was. And there's a great story about how he comes across a woman milking a cow, and she doesn't recognize him,. She says, oh, i wanted to go and see the king, but i've got five children. He suddenly goes, well, you can tell o companions that the king came to see you. That's very funny, because that story is almost identical too
What does the face of power look like? It’s a question the academic Mary Beard explores in her latest book, Twelve Caesars: Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern. She tells Kirsty Wark how the depiction of Roman autocrats have influenced art, culture and the presentation of power for more than two thousand years.
King George III was condemned in the 18th century as ‘the cruellest tyrant of his age’ and depicted as a diminutive and pompous figure in the 21st century musical, Hamilton. These are images the historian Andrew Roberts seeks to counter in his new biography of the King. His revisionist account argues that far from being a tyrant or incompetent he was one of the country’s most admirable monarchs.
Modern political leaders are no strangers to the importance of public image. As the Conservative government holds its party political conference in Manchester the political commentator and sometime-stand-up comedian Ayesha Hazarika looks at how leaders of different parties have tried to stage manage their hold on power.
Producer: Katy Hickman