
Past Present Future is a bi-weekly History of Ideas podcast with David Runciman, host and creator of Talking Politics, exploring the history of ideas from politics to philosophy, culture to technology. David talks to historians, novelists, scientists and many others about where the most interesting ideas come from, what they mean, and why they matter. Ideas from the past, questions about the prese... more
| Publishes | Twice weekly | Episodes | 286 | Founded | 3 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | NewsHistoryPolitics | |||

Today’s episode looks backwards and forwards from 1946 to explore the different ways the UK has imagined the US over time, as friend and as foe, as inspiration and as warning, as threat and as salvation. David and Robert examine how America has both ... more
Today’s episode sees the return of our occasional series with historian Robert Saunders looking at significant political anniversaries: this time it’s the 80th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s ‘Sinews of Peace’ speech given at Fulton, Missouri in M... more
In the fourth and final conversation in this series David talks to Luke Kemp, author of Goliath’s Curse, about where we might be heading. Where does the greatest risk of global collapse lie? Who is ultimately responsible for our fate? What makes stat... more
In today’s episode David talks to Luke Kemp, author of Goliath’s Curse, about the prospects for societal collapse in the 21st century. Are we living in a global Goliath? Is there any escape in an age when personal data has become the primary lootable... more
People also subscribe to these shows.





Brilliant to have Helen Thompson back with David on this important and fascinating topic. Makes me realise how much I’ve missed the old Talking Politics podcast and the coming together of these two brilliant thinkers and communicators. Much more please.
Great topics but the ads are horrible and there is no warning music to let the listener know that they are coming. Such a shame you ruined the listener experience! Please respect the listener and your guests and add some way to alert a listener to the upcoming ads. Take a clue from Ezra Klein on this.
I’ve become someone obsessed with this podcast. So erudite and wide-ranging. The series of deep dives into historical trials is one of the fascinating studies into the intersection of justice and politics that I’ve come across. I also thoroughly recommend subscribing; the bonus eps are just as riveting.
The Farage episode descended into left wing propaganda before long. Shame they couldn’t bring themselves to produce something impartial and succumbed to the left wing hysteria.
Thank you for making this podcast! 🙏
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #142 | |
Apple Podcasts | #233 | |
Apple Podcasts | #20 | |
Apple Podcasts | #83 | |
Apple Podcasts | #52 | |
Apple Podcasts | #67 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
This series centers on the history of ideas, exploring how political philosophy, history, culture, and technology intersect to shape current events and future possibilities. Conversations frequently feature historians, political theorists, and thinkers who unpack enduring questions about power, legitimacy, justice, and governance, alongside broader debates about geopolitics, existential risk, and societal change. A standout aspect is the host's ability to weave deep intellectual analysis with accessible storytelling, often drawing on historical episodes, trials, and political controversies to illuminate contemporary issues. The format tends to include rigorous, idea-driven dialogue with prominent scholars and public intellectuals, making it... more
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Past Present Future. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Past Present Future and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Past Present Future, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Past Present Future, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
To see how many followers or subscribers Past Present Future has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
These podcasts share a similar audience with Past Present Future:
1. The LRB Podcast
2. Close Readings
3. Ones and Tooze
4. In Our Time
5. Origin Story
Past Present Future launched 3 years ago and published 286 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Past Present Future from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Past Present Future. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
Recent guests on Past Present Future include:
1. Luke Kemp
2. Sonya Amadae
3. Sonia Amadae
4. Paul Sagar
5. Glen Rangwala
6. Beeban Kidron
7. Nikhil Krishnan
8. Lee Hall
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.