It’s certainly one way to unwind: politicians have revealed their favourite small screen hits, from space aliens to Scottish police procedurals

Come on, we’ve all seen it. Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, and six minutes on a broken chaise longue. One of the steamiest scenes in Bridgerton history set pulses racing among audiences everywhere – and that’s saying nothing of the polyamorous menage à trois between Benedict Bridgerton, Lady Tilley, and the mysterious Mr Suarez. Apparently the most avid viewer of the regency romp? None other than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

That’s right. In a recent confession to Radio Times, the man formerly known as Dishi Rishi admitted that Bridgerton has been his television show of choice when it comes to unwinding from the many stresses of the general election campaign.‘I’ve recently enjoyed watching Bridgerton with Akshata,’ he told the outlet. ‘I’m always in awe at the talent that we have in this country, and fantastic period dramas like this showcase why this country stands as a creative industries superpower.’

It certainly showcases talent alright. Sunak did, of course, acknowledge that the election beat had left him with little time for television in general outside of catching the Euros. So, yes, if Sunak’s supplication to mass appeal is to be believed, then the prime minister watched along with us all as Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton took to their shared carriage and enjoyed a perfectly civil ride home.

Perhaps, considering the Sunak household’s combined net worth of over £600 million, they simply wanted some interior design advice. Either way, let’s hope none of the parties involved with this fantastic period drama honed their craft in a ‘rip-off’ drama degree.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey’s television show of choice? Horrible Histories, Operation Ouch, or anything involving Mr Tumble. This family man approach, with most of Davey’s TV time spent alongside his children, has clearly been the inspiration for much of the liberal leader’s performance throughout the election campaign. He’s taken a tumble down a waterslide in Somerset, fallen from a paddleboard in the Lake District (ouch), and made history as one of the first UK political candidates to campaign from a rollercoaster. No doubt Sir Ed is hoping to pull off something special come the general election on 4th July.

For Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer, political dramas feel like too much of a ‘busman’s holiday’, though she told Radio Times that she made exceptions for The West Wing and the Danish series Borgen. While her enjoyment of Death in Paradise is probably limited by the AirMiles racked up on flights to Guadeloupe, it’s her love of Doctor Who that will have drawn most attention. The time travelling sci-fi classic has given us flatulent town councillors, an intergalactic alien racist attempting to undo the legacy of Rosa Parks, and a more than one episode dedicated to the economics of tax collection on Pluto.

Keir Starmer didn’t get back in time for the press deadline, though Hollie Richardson recalls how the Labour would-be prime minister once told the Guardian that he considered himself a big fan of Friday Night Dinner.

‘The more I cringed, the more compulsive it became,’ said Nigel Farage of his current favourite show, Netflix’s chilling stalker drama Baby Reindeer. Sometimes, the jokes write themselves.

Hey, sometimes it beats a televised debate.