Best David Runciman Podcasts (2025)

1
The History of Bad Ideas: Genius 57:07

2d ago57:07

57:07

Today’s bad idea is ‘genius’, the label that has enabled all sorts of terrible behaviour through the ages. Writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis explains how and why the idea of genius gets misapplied to people and things that just aren’t. Why are geniuses meant to be tortured? Why are individual geniuses prized over the collaborations that lie behind…

1
Rebecca Solnit: Changing the Story, Changing the World 1:05:08

3d ago1:05:08

1:05:08

Rebecca Solnit: Changing the Story, Changing the World In this powerful in-store conversation, Rebecca Solnit joins Adam Biles to discuss her new book No Straight Road Takes You There — a rallying call for hope, justice, and the reimagining of our collective future. With wit, clarity, and courage, Solnit explores how stories shape our world — and h…

1
The History of Bad Ideas: Austerity 59:36

7d ago59:36

59:36

For the first episode in our new series about how bad ideas take hold, David talks to economist Mark Blyth about austerity, the cost-cutting idea that refuses to die. Why is it an article of faith that states need periodic purging to stop them getting too greedy? Why does this so often happen at times when it does most harm, from the 1930s to the f…

1
Politics on Trial: Charles I vs Parliament 1:03:40

10d ago1:03:40

1:03:40

Today’s political trial is perhaps the most consequential in English history: the trial and execution of King Charles I for treason in January 1649. How could a king commit treason when treason was a crime against the king? How could a court try a king when a king has no peers? How could anyone claim to speak for the people after a civil war when s…

1
The Book That Refuses to End: Catherine Lacey on The Möbius Book 53:30

10d ago53:30

53:30

In this episode of the Shakespeare and Company Podcast, Adam Biles speaks with acclaimed author Catherine Lacey about her daring new work The Möbius Book. Structured as a "Tête-bêche"—two intertwined texts printed back-to-back—the book pairs a memoir chronicling the fallout of a painful breakup with a novella that spirals into the psychological sus…

1
Postwar: 10. India and Empire 14:55

13d ago14:55

14:55

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 9. Churchill's 'Gestapo' Broadcast 14:38

13d ago14:38

14:38

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 8. Healthcare for All 14:31

13d ago14:31

14:31

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 7. The Labour Manifesto 14:32

13d ago14:32

14:32

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 6. Appealing to Women 15:00

13d ago15:00

15:00

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 5. The Soldiers' Election 14:58

13d ago14:58

14:58

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 4. Public Opinion 14:33

13d ago14:33

14:33

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 3. The Beveridge Report 14:41

13d ago14:41

14:41

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 2. Mr Churchill and Mr Attlee 14:35

13d ago14:35

14:35

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Postwar: 1. The Rejection 14:53

13d ago14:53

14:53

David Runciman tells the story of the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. The 1945 general election was one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: a decisive rejection of Winston Churchill and his leadership. The election of Clement Attlee's Labour government in a landslide marked a break with the past and signalled a strong d…

1
Politics on Trial: Galileo vs the Inquisition 1:05:43

14d ago1:05:43

1:05:43

Today’s trial is one of the most notorious in history but also one of the most misremembered. Galileo’s epic confrontation with the Catholic Church over the question of whether the earth moves round the sun – culminating with his interrogation and condemnation in Rome in 1633 – was not just a matter of truth vs ignorance or science vs superstition.…

1
Writing the Unspeakable: Neige Sinno on Abuse, Memory, and Language 1:09:14

17d ago1:09:14

1:09:14

Trigger Warning: This episode contains detailed discussions of child sexual abuse, rape, trauma, and the failures of the justice system. In this powerful and deeply affecting conversation, Neige Sinno speaks with Adam Biles about her landmark book Sad Tiger, recently published in English in a luminous translation by Natasha Lehrer. A searing litera…

1
50th Anniversary Special: The 1975 European Referendum w/Robert Saunders 1:01:17

17d ago1:01:17

1:01:17

Today’s episode is about a pivotal event in British history that took place exactly 50 years ago: the 1975 referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Community. David talks to historian Robert Saunders about why it was so different in so many ways from the Brexit referendum in 2016. Why in 1975 were Labour and the SNP the Eurosceptic partie…

1
Postwar: Trailer 2:31

17d ago2:31

2:31

David Runciman tells the story of one of the biggest shocks in British parliamentary history: the 1945 election and the dawn of a new age. Listen on BBC Sounds from Monday 9 Jun 2025By BBC Radio 4

1
Politics on Trial: Mary Queen of Scots vs the Secret State 55:42

21d ago55:42

55:42

In today’s episode an extraordinary political trial that culminated in the execution of one queen at the behest of another: Mary Queen of Scots, convicted of treason in 1586 and beheaded in 1587. But who really wanted her dead, Queen Elizabeth or Elizabeth’s powerful political servants? Why did Mary demand to be tried before parliament rather than …

1
Politics on Trial: Thomas More vs the King 58:14

24d ago58:14

58:14

In today’s episode another trial that forms the basis for great drama: the case of Thomas More, tried and executed in 1535, events dramatised by Robert Bolt in A Man for All Seasons and Hilary Mantel in Wolf Hall. How did More try to argue that silence was no evidence of treason? Why was his defence so legalistic? Was he really ‘the Socrates of Eng…

1
Politics on Trial: Joan of Arc vs the Church 1:01:01

28d ago1:01:01

1:01:01

Today’s political trial took place in 1431 though it was still being re-litigated right through to the twentieth century: the case of Joan of Arc, charged with heresy by the Church and burned at the stake. Why was a political prisoner tried in an ecclesiastical court? Why were her interrogators so obsessed by her choice in clothes? How did Joan see…

1
On the Edge of the Real: Guadalupe Nettel on The Accidentals 51:34

29d ago51:34

51:34

In this rich conversation, Guadalupe Nettel joins Adam Biles at Shakespeare and Company to explore the themes of her short story collection The Accidentals. They delve into the complexities of perception and the uncanny, the deep strangeness embedded in familial relationships, and the porous boundary between nature and human nature. Nettel discusse…

1
Politics on Trial: Socrates vs Democracy 54:57

1M ago54:57

54:57

The first political trial in our new series is the one that set the template for all the others: the trial of Socrates in Athens in 399 BCE, which ended with a death sentence for the philosopher and a permanent stain on the reputation of Athenian democracy. Why, after a lifetime of philosophy, was Socrates finally prosecuted at the age of 70? Was t…

1
Politics on Trial: A History of Lawfare 52:06

1M ago52:06

52:06

To introduce our new series about historic political trials – from Socrates to Marine Le Pen – David explores what makes political confrontations in a court of law so fascinating and so revealing. Why do even the worst of dictators still want to play by the rules? What happens when realpolitik and legal principles collide? How does the political sy…

1
The Pitchforks are Coming (2024) - Myra Hamilton, Carl Rhodes & Jordan van den Berg 1:00:24

1M ago1:00:24

1:00:24

Ordinary citizens are starting to realise that their dwindling share of our common wealth is no accident, but the inevitable result of the current system. As life becomes more precarious, has the time come when the ‘discontented majority’ will flex their muscles and seize, by whatever means, a fairer share of the economic and social pie? Or will th…

1
Speaking Bluntly (2024) - Antoinette Lattouf, Andy Mills & Josh Szeps 1:03:13

1M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

Journalists play a vital role in a democracy, holding power to account. The traditional model of journalism sees journalists as disinterested seekers of the truth, striving for ‘objectivity’ and suppressing their own opinions. But as newsrooms and editorial pages previously staffed only by white male journalists have evolved, and as the internet ha…

1
David Runciman (2024) - Votes for 6 year olds 45:40

1M ago45:40

45:40

When it comes our most divisive political, economic and social issues there is a fracture between the views of the old and the young. As older generations continue to monopolise wealth and how policy is shaped, younger generations are becoming more and more disenfranchised. The inequality and anger between generations is growing, and it might just …

1
Counterfeit People (2024) - Lizzie O’Shea, Patrick Stokes & Emily van der Nagel 1:01:03

1M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

The late philosopher and scientist, Daniel Dennett talked about ‘counterfeit people’ as one of the great dangers of AI – but are we now willing to court the same dangers through our adoption of multiple identities across the metaverse. Moving from the confinement of physical reality to the landscape of the metaverse, where looks, preferences, and g…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: What’s Gone Wrong? w/Dani Rodrik 54:05

1M ago54:05

54:05

For the final episode in this series David talks to the leading economist Dani Rodrik about the case he made in the early 2000s that globalisation was unsustainable in its current form. How does he think this prediction has been borne out? What forms of globalisation might work in the 21st century? Where are the strengths and weaknesses of the exis…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: The Crisis of the 1970s (and Trump!) 1:04:18

1M ago1:04:18

1:04:18

David talks to historian Meg Jacobs about how the 1970s changed everything for America’s understanding of its place in the global economy. How did first the Nixon Shock and then the Oil Shock reshape American politics? Why did America’s politicians respond to these shocks not with tariffs or sabre-rattling but with calls to national self-sacrifice?…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: Central Banks vs the People (and Trump!) 56:53

1M ago56:53

56:53

Today David talks to political and economic theorist Leah Downey about the role that central banks in general – and the Federal Reserve in particular – have played in the story of globalisation. How has the Fed tried to reconcile its obligations to American democracy with its obligations to the global order? Is the Eurodollar a token of American st…

1
William Blake, Sea Monsters, and the Ecstasy of Art, with Philip Hoare 57:28

2M ago57:28

57:28

In this episode of the Shakespeare and Company Interview Podcast, Adam Biles welcomes Philip Hoare to the bookstore for a mesmerizing conversation about Hoare’s latest book, William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love. With characteristic lyricism, Hoare explores the mystic intersections between Blake’s visionary art and poetry and the siren call of…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: Hoover and Smoot-Hawley (and Trump!) 1:02:00

2M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

David talks to historian Gary Gerstle about the last time the Republican party got caught up in a tariffs disaster and how it changed American politics. The Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930 brought tariffs back and helped bring down both the Republican Party and the global economy. Why didn’t Hoover stop it? What did the fiasco reveal about the limits of p…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: Chamberlain and the Tariff Wars (and Trump!) 58:06

2M ago58:06

58:06

Today we explore the explosive fight over tariffs that took place in Britain in the first decade of the twentieth century. David talks to historian Robert Saunders about how Joseph Chamberlain made tariff reform a great popular cause and how it nearly destroyed his party. Are there parallels with Trump’s tariff wars today? Yes! Are there lessons fo…

1
Ideas of Globalisation: Trade, Race and Empire (and Trump!) 1:00:08

2M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

We start a new mini-series on the history of ideas of globalisation by exploring how arguments from 150 years ago foreshadow what’s happening with Trump today. David talks to economic historian Marc Palen about the nineteenth-century fight between economic nationalists and the champions of an open economy. Was free trade for everyone or just for wh…

1
The History of Revolutionary Ideas: Lenin and Trotsky 56:24

2M ago56:24

56:24

To conclude this part of our revolutionary ideas series, we explore the overlapping lives and thinking of two emblematic twentieth-century revolutionaries: Lenin and Trotsky. David talks to historian of Russia Edward Acton about what inspired them, what connected them and what divided them. How were they radicalised? How did they interpret the fail…

1
Overnight: Dan Richards on Sleep, Service, and the Secrets of the Small Hours 59:27

2M ago59:27

59:27

In this episode, Adam Biles is joined by writer Dan Richards to talk about his new book Overnight, a deep dive into the world of the night and the people who live and work while the rest of us sleep. From ferry captains and bakers to ICU nurses, researchers, and racing drivers, Richards explores the unseen rhythms and quiet heroism of nocturnal lif…

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