Talking Politics
Hosted by Talking Politics
Short, animated video essays from a Cambridge professor explaining complex political topics, from global finance to the mechanics of Brexit.
This is a series of short, scripted video lectures on specific political questions. Hosted by Cambridge academic David Runciman, each episode uses a central question—like 'How do you hide a trillion dollars?'—to structure a concise, evidence-based explanation. Produced with Tifo Football, the videos pair Runciman's narration with simple animations and on-screen text to make dense topics like electoral mechanics or financial crime accessible.
“Its distinctiveness comes from combining the authority of a Cambridge politics professor with the accessible, animated format popularised by channels like Tifo Football. Unlike panel discussions, it offers a single, tightly-scripted narrative argument in under 10 minutes.”
Who hosts this show
Talking Politics features Cambridge professor David Runciman explaining complex political phenomena in a clear, academic, and non-partisan manner. The original audio podcast, which ran from 2016 to 2022, involved a panel of academics discussing current affairs. The YouTube channel, produced in partnership with Tifo Football, translates these analyses into short, scripted, animated video essays. The project has been dormant since late 2019, with the final podcast episode airing in March 2022.
Credentials & credits
- Honorary Professor of Politics, University of Cambridge
- Former Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies, Cambridge (2014-2018)
- Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)
- Author of multiple books on politics and democracy
- Contributing Editor, London Review of Books
Other ventures
- Past Present Future (podcast)
- History of Ideas (podcast)
- Author of books including 'How Democracy Ends' and 'Confronting Leviathan'
- Columnist/writer for The Guardian and London Review of Books
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01How To Launder A Trillion Dollars - In Five StepsOct 23, 2019 · 7 min
- 02How Facebook Impacts Political ElectionsOct 10, 2019 · 9 min
- 03Who Could Replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader?Sep 24, 2019 · 8 min
- 04Who is Lib Dem Leader Jo Swinson?Sep 18, 2019 · 9 min
- 05How Would a Second Referendum on Brexit Work?Sep 11, 2019 · 8 min
- 06What is the EU's Brexit Strategy?Sep 4, 2019 · 11 min
Notable episodes
- 01How To Launder A Trillion Dollars - In Five Steps
It exemplifies the show's strength: breaking down a vast, complex, and secretive topic into a clear, digestible, and shocking five-step guide.
- 02How Facebook Impacts Political Elections
A timely and data-rich analysis of social media's role in modern democracy, citing specific studies and campaign tactics to explain its influence.
- 03Who Could Replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader?
Showcases the UK-centric political analysis, demonstrating a deep understanding of the Labour Party's internal dynamics and historical fault lines.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a solo narrative show and does not feature guest interviews. The questions referenced in the evidence are rhetorical devices used to frame the host's scripted analysis.
This is a single-host, narrative show with no interviews or guests. Each episode is a scripted video essay, narrated by David Runciman, that poses and answers a single political question. The visual style is defined by its partnership with Tifo Football, using simple animated illustrations and text overlays to explain concepts.
Signature segments
- · Partnership with Tifo Football for animated visuals
- · Explainer format, often structured as a step-by-step guide
- · Analysis framed around a central question (e.g., 'Who is...?')
- · Academic, non-partisan tone
Topics covered repeatedly
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who is the host of Talking Politics?
- The host and narrator is David Runciman, a Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge.
- Is the Talking Politics podcast still running?
- No. The original audio podcast ended in March 2022, and the YouTube channel has been inactive since late 2019.
- What is the show's format?
- The YouTube channel features short (under 10 minutes), scripted, and animated video essays that explain a single political topic. It is not an interview show.
- What is the connection to Tifo Football?
- Tifo Football partnered with Talking Politics to produce the video versions of the show, providing the animation and video design.
- Where can I find David Runciman's current work?
- David Runciman now hosts a new podcast called 'Past Present Future' and continues to write for publications like the London Review of Books.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Official Podcast Websitetalkingpoliticspodcast.com
- [02]David Runciman - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [03]Past Present Future Podcastppfideas.com
- [04]David Runciman's profile at the University of Cambridgebennett.cam.ac.uk
- [05]David Runciman at the London Review of Bookslrb.co.uk
- [06]Talking Politics Finale Episodetalkingpoliticspodcast.com
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