Our great political films series reaches the twenty-first century with Paul Thomas Anderson’s unforgettable There Will Be Blood (2007), starring... more

David talks to writer and journalist Helen Lewis about David Fincher’s Fight Club (1999), the film that launched a thousand... more

Our political films season has reached the late 1980s with Do The Right Thing (1989), Spike Lee’s searing take on... more

Today’s great political film is Akira Kurosawa’s epic of war and deception Kagemusha (1980). Set in late sixteenth-century Japan it... more

Today’s great political film is Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975), voted the greatest film... more

Today’s episode is a conversation between David and the former politician Chris Smith (long-time MP and Secretary of State for... more

We resume our series on the great political films with Costa-Gavras’s Z (1969), the quintessential late 60s movie about assassination, conspiracy, street... more

To finish this series of bad ideas, David tries to persuade Gary Gerstle of the futility of televised leadership debates. From... more

For our penultimate bad idea in this series, David talks to Robert Saunders about what’s gone wrong with British politics... more

Today’s bad idea is a theory of the universe: David talks to astrophysicist Chris Lintott about Steady State Theory, the... more

Today’s bad idea concerns history itself: David talks to world historian Ayse Zarakol about the temptations and the pitfalls of... more

For today’s bad idea David talks to political philosopher Alan Finlayson about what goes wrong when politicians get their hands... more

Today’s bad idea is about how ideas get adopted, argued over and rejected: David talks to political philosopher Alan Finlayson... more

For our latest bad idea with an interesting history David talks to the geneticist and science writer Adam Rutherford about... more

To kick off our new series on the history of bad ideas David talks to historian Sophie Scott-Brown about the... more

For the final (extended) episode in our American Elections series David talks to Gary Gerstle about the historical significance of... more

For the last episode in this season of great political films David explores Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (1966), which changed... more

This episode is about two great films on the same dark theme: David talks to American historian Jill Lepore about... more

For today’s great political film David discusses Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963) with the Italian historian of ideas Lucia Rubinelli. How did... more

Today’s great political film is John Frankenheimer’s masterpiece of Cold War paranoia The Manchurian Candidate (1962), which came out the week of... more

In today’s episode David discusses Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), a great... more

Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane (1941) is many people’s favourite film of all time, including Donald Trump’s. Why does Trump love it... more

Today’s great political film is Frank Capra’s Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), a much-loved tale of the little guy... more

For the first episode in our new series David explores Jean Renoir’s La Grande Illusion (1937), a great anti-war film that is... more

David talks to author Michael Lewis about SBF and EA: about the man he got to know before, during and... more

David checks in with Gary Gerstle one more time before November to explore where things now stand with the US... more

For episode four of our series on the history of thinking about thinking machines, David and Shannon discuss a very... more

Today’s episode in our series on the history of thinking about thinking machines explores the novel that inspired Blade Runner: Philip... more

In today’s episode in our series on the history of thinking about thinking machines, David and Shannon discuss Isaac Asimov’s... more

For the first episode in our new series on the history of thinking about thinking machines, David talks to philosopher... more

For our last episode in this series of historical counterfactuals, David talks to the historian Ben Jackson about what might... more

Our counterfactuals series moves forward to 1989: David talks to Lea Ypi about what might have happened if the Berlin... more

David talks to historian Margaret MacMillan, author of the prize-winning Peacemakers, about whether the 1919 Paris Peace Conference deserves its reputation... more

Today’s episode is another big early twentieth-century counterfactual: David talks to the historian of Russia Edward Acton about how the... more

We return to our series on historical counterfactuals with the big one: how might WWI have been avoided? David talks to... more

Our Great Political Fictions re-release concludes with a musical: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s wildly popular and increasingly controversial Hamilton (2015). What does it get right... more

The penultimate episode in our Great Political Fictions re-release is about Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife (2008), which re-imagines the life of First... more

Today’s Great Political Fiction is Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty (2004), which is set between Thatcher’s two dominant general election victories... more

For the twelfth episode in our Great Political Fictions re-release, David discusses Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), her unforgettable dystopian vision of... more

In today’s Great Political Fiction David explores Salman Rushdie’s 1981 masterpiece Midnight’s Children, the great novel about the life and... more

In today’s episode David discusses Ayn Rand’s insanely long and insanely influential Atlas Shrugged (1957), the bible of free-market entrepreneurialism and source book... more

Our ninth Great Political Fiction is Bertolt Brecht’s classic anti-war play, written in 1939 at the start of one terrible... more

Our eighth Great Political Fiction is H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895) which isn’t just a book about time... more

Today’s Great Political Fiction is Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) - a story that it’s easy to know without... more

The sixth Great Political Fiction in our summer re-release is Anthony Trollope’s Phineas Redux (1874), his lightly and luridly fictionalised... more

This second episode about George Eliot’s masterpiece explores questions of politics and religion, reputation and deception, truth and public opinion. What... more

Today’s Great Political Fiction is George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1872), which has so much going on that it needs two episodes... more

Our fourth Great Political Fiction is Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862), the definitive novel about the politics – and... more

Our third Great Political Fiction is Friedrich Schiller’s monumental play Mary Stuart (1800), which lays bare the impossible choices faced... more

Today’s episode on the Great Political Fictions is about Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) – part adventure story, part satire of early-eighteenth-century... more

In the first episode of the summer daily re-release of our series on the Great Political Fictions, David talks about... more

What If… The Vietnam War Had Ended in 1964? For our latest counterfactual David talks to historian Thant Myint-U about his... more

Today’s episode explores one of the big counterfactuals of twentieth-century American politics: David talks to historian Benn Steil about how... more

For our second episode on big historical counterfactuals, David talks to world historian Ayse Zarakol about how the East might... more

To kick off our new series on counterfactual histories David talks to the geneticist and science writer Adam Rutherford about... more

Something different for our last episode on the Great Political Fictions as this time David talks to the person who wrote it:... more

David talks to the writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis about Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird (1960), one of the most widely... more

The writer and political philosopher Lea Ypi talks about the impact on her of Henrik Ibsen’s The Wild Duck (1884), which she first read... more

David talks to Mark Ford and Seamus Perry, hosts of the LRB’s Close Readings poetry podcast, about what makes a great political... more

This week we check back in with Gary Gerstle to discuss what’s been happening in American politics after a tumultuous... more

Our series concludes with a musical: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s wildly popular and increasingly controversial Hamilton (2015). What does it get right and what does... more

The penultimate episode in our fictions series is about Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife (2008), which re-imagines the life of First Lady Laura... more

Our political fictions series returns with Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty (2004), which is set between Thatcher’s two dominant general election... more

To wrap up our series David and Robert attempt some instant history on the election result that’s just happened: in... more

For election day, David and Robert discuss the previous general election in December 2019, which saw Boris Johnson win a... more

In this extra episode for election week David talks to historian Robert Saunders about the last great Labour landslide of 1997,... more

Today’s pivotal UK election is the one that brought Margaret Thatcher to Downing Street in 1979. David talks to historian... more

In today’s episode on pivotal UK elections David talks to historian Robert Saunders about the first great Labour landslide of... more

The first episode in our new series with historian Robert Saunders on pivotal general elections is about the Tory disaster... more

For the final episode in the current series, David discusses Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), her unforgettable dystopian vision of a future... more

In the penultimate episode of the current part of our Fictions series, David explores Salman Rushdie’s 1981 masterpiece Midnight’s Children,... more

In this episode David discusses Ayn Rand’s insanely long and insanely influential Atlas Shrugged (1957), the bible of free-market entrepreneurialism and source book... more

Bertolt Brecht’s classic anti-war play was written in 1939 at the start of one terrible European war but set in... more

H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine (1895) isn’t just a book about time travel. It’s also full of late-19th century fear and... more

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1886) is a story that it’s easy to know without really knowing it at all. This... more

This week's great political novel is Anthony Trollope’s Phineas Redux (1874), his lightly and luridly fictionalised account of parliamentary polarisation... more

This second episode about George Eliot’s masterpiece explores questions of politics and religion, reputation and deception, truth and public opinion. What... more

Our series on the great political novels and plays resumes with George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1872), which has so much going... more

For our last episode in this series David is joined by Helen Lewis to discuss Mesmerism – aka animal magnetism – an... more

For our penultimate episode in this series David talks to Kathleen Stock about Roland Barthes’s idea of the Death of... more

In this episode of our series on the lingering hold of bad ideas David talks to the writer and broadcaster... more

For the latest episode in our series about the hold of bad ideas, we welcome back the geneticist Adam Rutherford... more

Today’s bad idea is one with a very long history: David talks to the historian Christopher Clark about antisemitism and the reasons... more

In today’s episode about seemingly good ideas gone badly wrong David talks to the philosopher and journalist Kathleen Stock about... more

In the second episode in our series on bad ideas David talks to the political economist Helen Thompson about the gold standard,... more

For the first episode in our new series about the hold of bad ideas David talks to the geneticist and... more

In our final episode David and Lea discuss liberation movements, from post-colonial liberation to women’s liberation, gay liberation and animal... more

In the penultimate episode in this series David and Lea discuss two twentieth-century philosophies of freedom and the human psyche. What... more

In our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea have reached anarchism and nihilism. What is the positive vision of human... more

In the latest episode of our series about different ideas of freedom David and Lea explore what makes the free... more

In this episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea explore Immanuel Kant’s vision of rational freedom and perpetual... more

History of Freedom w/ Lea Ypi: Machiavelli and Political Liberty For the third episode in our series about ideas of freedom David and Lea... more

In episode two of our new series David and Lea explore some ancient ideas of freedom and ask what they... more

In the first episode of our new series about the history of freedom, David and Lea discuss what the idea... more

Sign up now for bonus episodes and ad-free listening – and help support the podcast.  www.ppfideas.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy... more

For our final episode in this series, David and Gary discuss the election of 2008, which saw Barack Obama’s extraordinary... more

Our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections has reached 1980 and the election of Ronald Reagan. David and Gary discuss... more

The election of 1936 saw FDR re-elected in a landslide. It was also an election in which fundamental questions about the... more

We’ve reached the twentieth century and today’s episode is about the decisive election of 1912. David and Gary discuss the year when the... more

This episode in our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections looks at 1896, when a single speech nearly upended... more

In the third episode in our series on the Ideas Behind American Elections David and Gary talk about what was... more

For the second episode in our new series on the Ideas Behind American Elections, David and Gary discuss 1828: the... more

In the first episode of our new series on the Ideas Behind American Elections, David and historian Gary Gerstle explore... more

In an extra episode this week David answers your questions about the most recent series of the History of Ideas... more

This week’s Great Political Fiction is Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (1862), the definitive novel about the politics – and... more

This week’s Great Political Fiction is Friedrich Schiller’s monumental play Mary Stuart (1800), which lays bare the impossible choices faced... more

This week’s episode on the great political fictions is about Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1726) – part adventure story, part satire of... more

In the first episode of our new series on the great political fictions, David talks about Shakespeare’s Coriolanus (1608-9), the... more

This week David talks to Richard Whatmore and Lea Ypi about what caused the loss of faith in the idea... more

This week David talks to Rory Stewart about his life in politics and the history of the ideas behind his... more

This week David talks to the political scientist Mike Kenny about the possible fate of the United Kingdom. What makes the... more

Episode 12 in our series on the great essays is about Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘The Case for Reparations’, published in the... more

Episode 11 in our series on the great essays explores Umberto Eco’s ‘Thoughts on Wikileaks’ (2010). Eco writes about what makes... more

Episode 10 in our series on the great essays is about David Foster Wallace’s ‘Up, Simba!’, which describes his experiences... more

Episode 9 in our series on the great essays is about Joan Didion's 'The White Album' (1979), her haunting, impressionistic... more

Episode 8 in our history of the great essays is about Susan Sontag’s ‘Against Interpretation’ (1963). What was interpretation and why... more

Episode 7 in our series on the great essays is about James Baldwin’s ‘Notes of a Native Son’ (1955), an... more

Episode 6 in our series on the great essays is about Simone Weil’s ‘Human Personality’ (1943). Written shortly before her death... more

Episode 5 in our series on the great essays is about George Orwell. His wartime essay ‘The Lion and the... more

Episode 4 in our series on the great essays is about Virginia Woolf’s masterpiece ‘A Room of One’s Own’ (1929). David... more

Episode three in our series about the great political essays is about Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’ (1849), a ringing call to... more

Episode two in our series on the great essays is about David Hume. How can eighteenth-century arguments about the national... more

Episode one in our series on the great essays is about Montaigne, the man who invented a whole new way... more

For our last episode before Christmas David answers some of your questions about the History of Ideas series – What... more

As we wrap up our History of Ideas series David discusses what makes a great essay and whether the best... more

This week David talks to the economists Dieter Helm and Diane Coyle about the challenges of building sustainability into the... more

This week David and Lea answer your questions about democracy. When does democratic freedom shade over into anarchy? What’s the... more

In the penultimate episode in our series on the great essays, David talks about Ta-Nehisi Coates’s ‘The Case for Reparations’,... more

In the latest instalment of David’s ongoing conversation with Lea Ypi about the past, present and future of democracy they... more

This week David talks to the historian and essayist Jill Lepore about where the chaotic last decade of American politics... more