PastMaster: Reshaping History With AI

45 Episodes

Reverse

S3E10: ‘Lady Claudius’ vs Robin Hood (ft Heidi Regan) [1152 CE]

2024-07-0959:28

Comedian Heidi Regan joins the PastMaster team for the chance to meet her hero Robin Hood. Sent on a mission to steal the Sheriff of Nottingham’s treasure and free the Merry Men from jail, will she use stealth and cunning or brute force (or a little of both?) Expect lots of tickling, plenty of gold and if all goes to plan a good bath and a giant celebratory bonfire in Sherwood Forest. This is PastMaster’s debut with Claude 3.5, currently the chattiest, slickest chatbot in the game (allegedly). Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.ai/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E9: Claude is back! Cockney GameMaster vs Samurai Warriors. [~1336 CE]

2024-07-0151:37

GameMaster Claude is back and is as weird as ever! Tan has always wanted to return to feudal Japan to meet some Samurai warriors. He finally gets his chance, but will GameMaster let him play? Tan finds himself in a battle against the Samurai warriors and GameMaster itself, who insists on inserting into the story with main-character energy. Who can win in a battle of wit and brawn? In concocting a special prompt for this Claude-powered episode Ryan inserted one simple line: "GameMaster must stay in character at all times. The character you must personify is a cockney gangsta with a perchance for the dramatic." Well, boy was he dramatic! ChatGPT rival Claude by Anthropic has been causing waves since the release of Claude 3.5. Claiming to be the fastest and most intelligent model we've been putting it through its paces. It certainly seems to have a different flavour than regular playthroughs. Let us know what you think. Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 pastmaster.ai to unlock goodies

S3E8: Does AI believe in Aliens? The Truth behind Area 51 (ft Sunil Patel) [1988 CE]

2024-06-2440:55

Aliens. Living amongst us. Possibly. What does GameMaster think? Surely with access to all the knowledge on the internet, our AI-powered guide has parsed the data, found the patterns and come up with a convincing theory? Comedian and actor Sunil Patel (Alice & Jack (C4) The Witchfinder (BBC), This Time with Alan Partridge (BBC), Stath Lets Flats (C4)) joins us again to explore the murky goings-on inside Area 51. Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E7: Infiltrating Pablo Escobar's Cartel. "El contacto y las tartas" [1973 CE]

2024-06-1741:29

This week Keon takes the reins to explore 1970s Medellín, Colombia. The mission: Become Pablo Escobar’s right-hand man with a 50/50 split of all the takings. Ambitious as ever, but Keon has… a unique plan to get his way. First, how do you prove your worth to the biggest cartel leader in history? A lavish party may be in order... Nick Horseman joins us once again to lend his voice to GameMaster, which returns to ChatGPT after our crazy diversion to Claude last week. Get in touch with us: Tell us what you think of this week's episode. Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E6: Move over ChatGPT, Clever Claude is the new GameMaster (ft Nick Horseman) [~1350 CE]

2024-06-1041:17

GameMaster - the AI-powered narrator of PastMaster adventures - gets a makeover in today's episode. ChatGPT has been benched and replaced by a competing tool known as Claude.ai We've given Claude the same starting prompt we usually feed to ChattyG. So how will it compare? Well, it turns out Claude brings a unique energy to the proceedings! Friend of the show Nick Horseman returns to the hot seat for another crack at the past, only this time he's being guided by a radically different (possibly insane) GameMaster. Heading back to the medieval times to try his hand at a spot of falconry and alchemy. What could possibly go wrong? Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E5: Pheasants & Phlatulence. The best drama. Period. (ft Kim and Alice from Fetch the Smelling Salts) [1813 CE]

2024-06-0401:05:01

Brace yourself. We're heading to rural Derbyshire in 1813 with Alice Nagle and Kim Marsh from ⁠@fetchsmellingsalts⁠ for a romp through Regency England's high society. While all eyes are on the debutantes and bachelors, it is the wily elder generation calling the shots. Alice and Kim take on the roles of pushy aunts with a mission – can they find an eligible bachelor for their nieces? Expect a full helping of dashing bachelors, an ensemble of blushing debutantes and lashings of devious matriarchs as two rival families seek to snare the most eligible young men in the county. Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E4: Sunil Patel's Roman Rampage [~150 BCE]

2024-05-2746:18

Comedian and actor Sunil Patel (Alice & Jack (C4) The Witchfinder (BBC), This Time with Alan Partridge (BBC), Stath Lets Flats (C4) is back in the hot seat for another blast through the past. As our first guest back in Season 1 Sunil is a veteran of exploring the markets and brothels of history’s muddy waters. This time he’s headed back to Rome to make a name for himself amongst the Roman elite. But will GameMaster allow him to wander around punching senators without consequences? And what game-changing invention can possibly top the enigmatic "Patel's Box" from Season 1? If you were stuck in the past what item would you bring? Sunil reckons a camera phone. But the battery would die pretty quick. No, the best thing to bring back would surely be Tan's suggestion of the Ultimate Guide To Rebuilding Civilisation Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E3: AgathAI ChristiGPT – Can we make a compelling murder mystery drama? [1928 CE]

2024-05-2034:47

First Sherlock Holmes then Hercule Poirot and now Inspector Klaus. Keon pits himself against the greatest crime-solving detectives in a special MurderMysteryMaster edition of PastMaster. We've powered up GameMaster to deliver a veritable Cluedo feast of a whodunnit. But will we ever find out who delivered the fate of the recently deceased Lord Jasper Cavendish Brown? Tune in and find out Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E2: “A Whole New (smoke-free) World” - Saving Walt Disney (ft Verbal Diorama’s Em McGowan)

2024-05-1341:06

Disney's "Dark Ages" typically encompasses the late 1960s to the late 1980s. During this time the quality and success of Disney animated films suffered and it wasn’t until 1989’s The Little Mermaid that things turned around. But what happened? Why was one of the most successful studios of all time in decline? The answer likely lies with the man himself, Walt Disney, whose untimely death at 65 left the company struggling to find creative leadership that could fill his shoes. It turns out that Mr Disney liked a cigarette or three and probably didn’t live the healthiest lifestyle. What would have happened had Walt not died? Would things be different? Would the Dark Ages of Disney never come to be? Today’s guest, Em McGowan from the film-history podcast Verbal Diorama, is on a mission to find out. Can she stop Walt Disney from smoking and encourage a healthier lifestyle? Will Disney be saved? Tune in and find out [NOTE. Apologies for some slight technical issues with the video of this episode] Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S3E1: Hard Mode 2.0 – Can Tan become a god in Ancient Sparta? [~500 BCE]

2024-05-0647:14

We're back with Season 3 of PastMaster! This week's episode is PastHard with a Vengeance as Ryan tries to turn the tables on Tan with his version of a harder, stricter game. Tan gets sent back to Ancient Sparta against his wishes and has to survive amongst the muscle-bound warriors with only the movie 300 starring Gerard Butler as his reference point material. Will he survive? Or will he be smited and ridiculed? Tune in and find out. Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

Season 3 Trailer – Past Hard with a Vengeance

2024-05-0304:59

The PastMaster crew are back with Season 3. And it's promising to be more Past-ery and more AI-y than ever before. Featuring upgraded GameMasters, Murder Mystery solving, Regency period dramas, Walt Disney, Samurais, Area 51, Cockneys, Drug Lords and so much more. We've also got a whole slew of guests this season including fellow podcasters Verbal Diorama and Fetch the Smelling salts. Plus comedians Sunil Patel, Nick Horseman and more. You can also see our lovely faces as we attempt to film each episode to varying degrees of success! So buckle up and get ready for more PastMaster adventures - Ryan, Tan and Keon Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S2E13: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - Season 2 Finale

2024-02-1938:42

Looking back on highlights of season 2, Ryan, Keon and Tan pick out the good, the bad and the tremendously ugly. Phallic AI art and GameMaster’s double standards feature prominently, alongside successes such as ‘hard mode’, the mission to dismantle the Berlin Conference and improvements in AI over the course of the series. ‘King George’ makes his debut as the voice of GameMaster, and we also hear stories of chilli disaster from our hosts. Also includes as a teaser for what is coming up in season 3. Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies Get in touch with us:

S2E12: The Mary Celeste - Mystery Solved (kinda) [1872 CE]

2024-02-0546:44

The PastMaster team joins the fateful final voyage of the Mary Celeste, the merchant ship whose crew vanished without a trace in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872. Determined to find out the truth behind one of the world’s great unsolved mysteries, ‘Third Mate Tan’ joins the crew and bears witness to the events leading up to the abandonment of the ship. Everything from mutiny and insurance fraud to a giant squid, calm or stormy weather and even aliens has been proposed as a possible cause of the ship’s abandonment. But what truth will GameMaster reveal? And will Tan, as he stands mute with his hands in his pockets, unwittingly influence the fate of the ship and its passengers? Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies Get in touch with us:

S2E11: The Sausage of World Peace (Dinner Party Master Special)

2024-01-2937:44

This week the team head to the Palace of Versailles to host a fantasy dinner party attended by the good (Jesus and Gandhi), the bad (Hitler, Stalin and Mao) prominent historical female leaders (Elizabeth I and Cleopatra) and wild card Liz Truss. Roleplaying the Hostess with the Mostest, Tan unveils a tempting but symbolic menu for the assembled guests, trying to get them to see eye to eye. Breaking the ice with a question about wrestling, Tan gets the party off to a good start, but with such divisive and disparate personalities at the table, how will he keep control of proceedings? And will Liz Truss be able to follow what is happening? The book Tan mentioned about ultra running is [The Rise of the Ultra Runners](https://www.adharanandfinn.com/the-rise-of-the-ultra-runners) by Adharanand Finn. Well worth a read. Good luck with your alpine adventure, Ryan! ### Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod] (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S2E10: Two Mad Dogs, a Swan Burger and a Fighting Bear [1613 CE] (ft. special guest Marc Zakian)

2024-01-2201:24:31

In the ultimate battle of man vs machine, we pit our human guide against artificial intelligence for an adventure through time. But who will emerge as more insightful and knowledgeable? In the human corner we have the excellent Marc Zakian from Extraordinary Stories of Britain podcast, and in the machine corner we have our trusty AI GameMaster. Marc is a Blue Badge Guide and runs regular tours in the British Museum and the Tower of London and counts Shakespeare among his specialities. For this PastMaster adventure Marc takes Tan and Ryan on a tour of Jacobean London in 1613 for a day of eating, drinking, gambling, blood sports and even a cultured trip to the Globe Theatre. What could possibly go wrong? Famed fighting bear Sackerson, the notorious Winchester Geese, and potent beverages such as Mad Dog and By The Wall feature in this rip-roaring and pungent tour of historical London. Find Extraordinary Stories of Britain at storiesofbritain.com Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies Get in touch with us:

S2E9: Harder, faster, Past-ier – Royal Rumble in the American Revolution [1773 CE]

2024-01-0840:00

Besieged by PastMaster fans asking for the game to be made harder, Tan updates the rules of the game, giving us all new ‘hard mode’. This is an attempt to revert to the original concept of the game: to test whether you could truly survive and thrive in the past armed just with the knowledge in your head and the shirt on your back. Ryan sets out to test this new game with his unique brand of death-wish chaos. Jumping into Boston 1773, with the colony itching to break free from the English crown, Ryan uses every trick in the book to try and cheat his way to victory. But will the Bostonian revolutionaries put up with his nonsense? And more to the point, will our AI GameMaster? Also Keon eats his first mince pie (spoiler alert: he gives mince pies a paltry 3.5 out of 10. Which is mental). Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S2E8: Operation: Save Jesus [~30 CE] (ft. special guest Nick Horseman)

2023-12-1831:10

Returning to PastMaster for another crack at the past is rapper and comedian Nick Horseman. Nick (AKA Cat R Pillar) and Keon (AKA Colin Winkleforth) face off in a two-player competition to save Jesus from being arrested and crucified by the Romans. Our AI Game Master, perhaps predictably, struggles to run a game with two players in the same scenario, instead creating two co-existing realities. But to spice things up our heroes try to sabotage each other’s efforts. Keon reverts to type and uses his signature move of a smear campaign, slinging mud at Nick to discredit him, while Nick uses his sleight of hand to undo Keon’s belt so his trousers fall down. Keon tries to create a great escape with Jesus strapped to the underside of a chariot while belting out slogans through a papyrus megaphone, while Nick tunnels up through the streets of Jerusalem to bear Jesus away below ground. But who will Game Master crown the winner? PastMaster is the time-travel role-playing adventure show where Ryan, Keon and Tan explore a different era of history in each episode with the help of our maverick AI GameMaster. Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies Get in touch with us:

S2E7: FutureMaster – We've been to the year 3000. Can confirm, they don't live underwater [2985 CE]

2023-12-1101:07:41

Keon flexes his muscles and updates his Insta profile pic before jumping into the time machine and darting off to the 30th century. Landing in a year when data is apparently more valuable than gold, Keon must find a way to stop the ‘Great Data Breach’ before it can happen. (TBF the Great Data Breach sounds like something very plausible at Northamptonshire County Council in the 21st century.) Egged on by his sci-fi-friendly teammates Tan and Ryan, Keon heads to a local cybernetic cafe to find out what a dive bar looks like in the future. Will it be more Star Wars, Bladerunner or 20th century internet cafe? And will Keon impress the regulars by drinking like a Viking? Time is running out though - can Keon forge valuable friendships quickly, can he track down notorious hacker Zeta 9, and will he fall in love? Only GameMaster will tell. BTW this is the greatest ever nightclub movie mash up scene, as mentioned in the episode. Of course this episode is partly inspired by Busted’s greatest hit. Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies Get in touch with us:

S2E6: Stop the Conference! Berlin 1884 (ft. Chinny Ukata & Astrid Madimba from It's a Continent)

2023-12-0458:34

Special guests Chinny Ukata and Astrid Madimba from It’s a Continent podcast join the PastMaster crew for a mission at the Berlin Conference of 1884. Taking aim at the event widely regarded as the point when European nations gave themselves the green light to seize Africa for themselves, Chinny and Astrid plunge into the heart of the action. Aiming to disrupt the conference and put a stop to the European colonisation of Africa, our heroines must first think of a way to get inside without arousing suspicion and then find a way to sow doubt about colonial expansion in the minds of assembled diplomats. Will they succeed? And how will their fashion choices affect the outcome of their mission? And what object from the future will GameMaster allow them to take back with them? Order a copy of Chinny and Astrid’s book It’s a Continent here. Get in touch with us: Instagram 👉 @PastMasterPod (check out our AI-generated art illustrating what our adventures might have looked like) Twitter 👉 @PastMasterAI TikTok 👉 @PastMasterAI Gmail 👉 pastmasterpod@gmail.com Sign up to our newsletter 👉 https://pastmaster.beehiiv.com/subscribe to unlock goodies

S2E5: Solving the Mystery of Stonehenge [~3000 BCE]

2023-11-2754:04

Keon’s always wanted to know who built ⁠Stonehenge⁠ and why. So Ryan used PastMaster to find out (of course). In what is possibly the trippiest episode of PastMaster yet, our AI GameMaster concocts a Neolithic adventure for the ages. It all goes pear-shaped when Ryan encounters a mysterious man called Elron (alarm bells already ringing). It turns out the secrets of Stonehenge are much bigger than anybody ever realised. Alliances will be forged, secrets will be revealed, and crystal toilets will be pooped in... Is the AI’s Stonehenge story convincing? Tune in to find out.

#box-pro-ellipsis-172618942321465{-webkit-line-clamp:2;}PastMaster: Reshaping History With AI