On this week's New Statesman podcast, it's a week without Brexit (kind of)! Helen Lewis and Stephen Bush are back to look at the formation of The Independent Group and their 11 splitter MPs. They also touch upon the case of Shamima Begum, before Tom Gatti and Kate Mossman deliver The Back Half, this week looking at Alan Partridge's return to the BBC and the noniversary of Danny Boyle's adaptation of Alex Garland's The Beach.If you are a New Statesman digital subscriber you can get advert free access to this podcast by visiting newstatesman.com/nssubscribers. If you haven't signed up yet, visit newstatesman.com/subscribe to purchase your subscription. Send us your questions for future episodes via Twitter @ns_podcasts.SAVE £££ THIS CHRISTMAS:⭐️ Gift big ideas, bold politics, and proper journalism from just £2LISTEN AD-FREE:📱Download the New Statesman appMORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.