Blunt, sweary and indispensable - that’s the cliche of political chiefs-of-staff like the West Wing’s CJ Cregg. Today we hear the stories of the real-life CJs, behind the thrones of Nelson Mandela, Tony Blair, Julia Gillard and more. 

Find out more about The Front podcast here. You can read about this story and more on The Australian's website or on The Australian’s app.

The weekend edition of The Front is co-produced by Claire Harvey and Jasper Leak. The host is Claire Harvey. Audio production and editing by Jasper Leak who also composed our theme.