Political theatre in 'The West Wing'

If you've been forced to stay home every Saturday night for the past couple of months, you'll know all about the subject of this week's program. 'The West Wing' has won the Emmy Award for best TV drama four years in a row. Its final series has been screening each Saturday night on ABC television, where it developed a cult of devoted fans. 'The West Wing' looks inside the White House of Democrat President Jed Barlett, played by Martin Sheen. It's walking talking television ... in corridor scene after corridor scene, policy makers, politicians and advisers stride out flicking files, making decisions, talking on mobiles, giving instructions and arguing the finer points of economic strategy and international relations. The pace is frenetic and the language is fabulous. Among its many fans is Professor Julian Thomas, director of the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University.