Past Present Future

The Great Political Fictions: The Dispossessed

Today’s great political fiction is a path-breaking work of science fiction: David explores Ursula Le Guin’s The Dispossessed (1974), which imagines a world without the need for government or coercive ...

2026-06-07

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The Great Political Fictions: The Golden Notebook Part 2 w/Catherine Taylor

In the second of two episodes about Doris Lessing’s The Golden Notebook, David talks to critic and memoirist Catherine Taylor about the novel’s place in the history of feminism. Is its idea of ‘free w...

2026-06-03

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The Great Political Fictions: The Golden Notebook

In today’s episode David explores Doris Lessing’s bold and brilliant The Golden Notebook (1962), a book about female emancipation, political disillusionment and much, much more. Why did Lessing insist...

2026-05-31

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The Great Political Fictions: Brave New World

For the first in a new set of episodes about some of the great political fictions of the past hundred years David explores Aldous Huxley’s much misunderstood dystopian masterpiece Brave New World (193...

2026-05-27

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Live Film Special: Good Night, and Good Luck w/Helen Lewis

Today’s episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Regent Street Cinema in London: David talks to the writer and broadcaster Helen Lewis about George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck (...

2026-05-24

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The Starmer Crisis in Historical Perspective – Part 2: What’s Next?

Today it’s the second of our episodes trying to make sense of what’s happening in British politics with a bit of historical perspective: this time asking what is likely to follow from the current cris...

2026-05-20

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The Starmer Crisis in Historical Perspective – Part 1

Today it’s the first of two episodes in which we try to make sense of what’s happening in British politics with a bit of historical perspective: how did we arrive at the current crisis and what might ...

2026-05-17

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Where Are We Going? The Future Of Work

David talks to author and journalist Sarah O’Connor, who writes about the changing character of work for the Financial Times, to explore what is happening to the world of jobs and employment in the tw...

2026-05-13

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Live Film Special: The Third Man w/Misha Glenny

Today’s episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Regent Street Cinema in London: David talks to the writer and broadcaster Misha Glenny about Carol Reed’s 1949 masterpiece The Third Man...

2026-05-10

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Now & Then with Robert Saunders: The General Strike @100 Part 2

Today it’s the second part of David’s conversation with historian Robert Saunders about the meaning of the 1926 General Strike on its hundredth anniversary. How did the strike end and was its outcome ...

2026-05-06

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Now & Then with Robert Saunders: The General Strike @100

In today’s episode David talks to historian Robert Saunders about the meaning of Britain’s one and (so far) only general strike on its hundredth anniversary. Was the strike a revolutionary event or an...

2026-05-03

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Live Film Special: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut w/Beeban Kidron

Today’s episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Regent Street Cinema in London: David talks to film director and campaigner Beeban Kidron about the 1999 film-length version of South Pa...

2026-04-29

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Talking … Peter Mandelson and New Labour w/Helen Thompson

In today’s episode David and Helen Thompson explore the tortured relationship between Peter Mandelson and the New Labour project that he helped to create and now seems finally to have destroyed. How h...

2026-04-26

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PPF+: A Taste Of What You’ve Been Missing (Taster 2)

In today’s extra episode some more highlights from the PPF+ archive in another selection we first put out last summer: here are a few more excerpts we think you might enjoy. In this episode you’ll he...

2026-04-24

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PPF+: A Taste Of What You’ve Been Missing (Taster 1)

In today’s extra episode some more highlights from the PPF+ archive in a selection we first put out last summer: here are a few more excerpts we think you might enjoy. In this episode you’ll hear Dav...

2026-04-23

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PPF+: A Taste Of What You’ve Been Missing (Taster 3)

Today’s episode features some recent highlights from PPF+ where we have just released our 50th bonus episode. In this selection you’ll hear philosopher Paul Sagar talking about his personal experience...

2026-04-22

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Orwell’s War: Frozen In Time (1942-43)

Today’s episode in our series about how George Orwell tried – and failed – to make sense of WW2 looks at his response to the vast lurches of fortune from 1942-43 as Hitler’s plans for world domination...

2026-04-19

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Orwell’s War: False Dawn (1940-41)

Today’s episode in our new series about how George Orwell tried – and failed – to make sense of WW2 as it was happening looks at the events of 1940 and 1941, from the collapse of France to Hitler’s in...

2026-04-15

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Orwell’s War: The Nightmare (1938-39)

Today’s episode is the first in a new series about how the greatest political writer of the 20th century tried – and failed – to make sense of the central political event of the century. How did Georg...

2026-04-12

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Live Film Special: Metropolitan w/James Marriott

Today’s episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Regent Street Cinema in London: David talks to author and journalist James Marriott about Whit Stillman’s Metropolitan, which dissects t...

2026-04-08

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Past Present Future

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