The centrist dad duo winning over millennial women: How Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart reached cult status with their no. 1 podcast (and even have groupies)

When thinking of acts capable of selling out venues quicker than the Foo Fighters a global pop sensation will likely spring to mind.

But it's an impressive feat earned by former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy Alastair Campbell, 67, and former Cabinet minister Rory Stewart, 51, with their live tour of The Rest is Politics.

The centrist duo took to the UK's capital this week as part of their UK tour, entertaining hordes of fans with their live show of their podcast, which attracts a staggering 2.5 million listens each week.

While their tour might not include glitter and friendship bracelets, it does have a tight knit fanbase of predominantly women packing out venues, with some even arriving in shirts with the duo's face on.

It's evidence of a whirlwind two years for the charismatic pair, who didn't count each other as friends before the show, but together, they've masterminded Amazon Music's podcast of the year boasting over 145 million total downloads.

Campbell, the son of a Scottish vet, attended the same Leicester comprehensive school as Gary Lineker - the former England footballer and co-founder of Goalhanger, which produces The Rest is Politics.

After reading modern languages at Cambridge, he went on to pen pornography for Forum magazine from France under the pseudonym The Riviera Gigolo.

He went on to join The Daily Mirror, where he rose rapidly and eventually became a political editor. By 29, he had become editor of the new Sunday Today newspaper - but the publication's launch faltered, triggering a breakdown.

It was then that he relaunched his career in politics, working as Tony Blair's spin doctor. He became one of the main figures behind the New Labour movement, helping guide Blair to election victories.

After election success in 1997, Campbell served as Blair's chief press secretary, earning the nickname 'the real deputy prime minister'.

Post working for Blair, he continued to advise governments and in 2019, he was famously expelled from the Labour party after he admitted he had not voted for the party for the first time in his life, in disgust at the party's stance on Brexit.

Eton and then Oxford University educated Stewart, who previously tutored Prince William and Prince Harry, on the other hand, mounted a colourful Conservative leadership challenge in 2019, making no secret of his Remainder views and eventually losing out to Boris Johnson.

After quitting the Tories and standing down as an MP, he launched an independent bid for London mayor but abandoned plans when Covid hit, and the poll was delayed.

It's two career trajectories that, given their different knowledge and life experience, wouldn't necessarily meet.

And they didn't until one fateful day in 2022 when Campbell met Tony Pastor, a co-founder of Goalhanger, in a Westminster Pret.

He recollected Tony's words in the Guardian : 'Tony came to see me in the Westminster Pret. He said: ''This podcast thing is huge. It's just two guys talking, but it is huge. So we should do one called The Rest is Politics, you and a Tory.''

They pitched Dominic Cummings, but he was quickly ruled out. So, Campbell asked his followers on social media - if he was to do a podcast with a Tory, who would they like it to be?

A majority replied with Rory, so even though he did not know the former Cabinet minister, he phoned him and asked his thoughts.

Rory liked the idea, and despite him living in Jordan at the time, where he worked for the Turquoise Mountain Foundation, they recorded their first episode remotely the following week.

It was through the podcast that a bromance between Tony Blair's former spin doctor and an old Etonian blossomed.

Campbell told the Guardian how their friendship formed with the help of a shared dislike for Boris Johnson and Brexit.

'I think we've both got quite a romantic view of what politics can be,' Campbell said. He added: 'When we started, we both loathed what Johnson stands for, and what he has done.'

While they might not agree on all issues, the duo have come to appreciate each other's opinions and tolerate the moments where they differ.

And now they've grasped the attention of millions of listeners, who dutifully tune in to listen to each episode of The Rest Is Politics and watch them live on stage.

The podcast description reads: 'Two men who've been at the heart of the political world...join forces from across the political divide.

'The Rest Is Politics lifts the lid on the secrets of Westminster, offering an insider's view on politics at home and abroad while bringing back the lost art of disagreeing agreeably.

The Rest Is Politics has toured the UK four times since its launch in March 2022, selling out tickets each time.

The podcast has over 145 million downloads so far and draws 2.5 million listens per week..

And with its success has come an especially dedicated fanbase that some might refer to as groupies.

Campbell recalled how his wife Fiona Millar and daughter Grace thought the Albert Hall live show audience was 'completely mad' after hearing attendees discuss the words they most like to hear him and Stewart utter.

The newfound fame has also seen them 'constantly' stopped in the street; he told the Guardian - by 'mostly women'.

It's a movement reflected on social media, with content creator Isabella, who goes by on TikTok, describing the This Is Politics tour as her version of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, adding it's: 'The real love story'.

Elsewhere, Charli, on TikTok, shared a clip of her with a friend at the live tour, pint in hand, and comparing it to a Sabrina Carpenter gig.

And if that's not enough, Campbell and Stewart have even earned homage t-shirts, described as 'a wardrobe essential for any fan of The Rest Is Politics', with admirers donning the £23 merch to the sell-out tour dates.