Today’s episode of The Story – the daily news podcast from The Times and The Sunday Times – is my adventures in Makerfield – the by-election to end all by elections.

Makerfield isn’t actually a real place. It’s a group of former mining towns just south of Wigan, on the fringes of Greater Manchester, nestled next to Lancashire. In a couple of weeks, the good people of these disparate towns will elect a new MP – and they may gift us a new Prime Minister along the way.

What I found in Makerfield is fascinating. It’s a story about how our online lives are shaping our real world, and how they could be shaping the most significant by-election in recent history.

You can listen to it by clicking right here.