Fictional TV politicians 'add to public cynicism'

The "cynical" depiction of fictional politicians in television dramas such as House of Cards add to the public's scepticism towards Parliament, a professor has claimed.

Steven Fielding, a professor of political history at the University of Nottingham, told the Today programme that the public are influenced by such portrayals as the majority admit to knowing "very little" about the inner workings of politics.

But House of Cards author Lord Dobbs claimed that it was the responsibility of political dramas to "portray the darker side" of its protagonists.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday 10 April.