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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast

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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

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  Pushkin Industries  

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

 

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Release Date

#165

"I get in trouble when I say things like this" - Michael Lewis on Sam Bankman-Fried

Acclaimed author Michael Lewis discusses his time with Sam Bankman-Fried and why he thinks... more

Yesterday

45 MINS

45:57

Yesterday

#164

Grand Theft Automated: How to Save a Trillion Lives

A radical thought experiment transforms the lives of a new breed of philanthropists, as th... more

04 Jul 2025

38 MINS

38:48

04 Jul 2025

#163

The Man who Solved Kindness

George Price is on a mission to prove that human kindness is real. He's seen the latest re... more

27 Jun 2025

37 MINS

37:42

27 Jun 2025

#162

The Shark That Ate Hollywood: Jaws at 50

Steven Spielberg thought his career was finished. He was behind schedule, his actors were ... more

20 Jun 2025

38 MINS

38:40

20 Jun 2025

#161

Le Mans 55: The Deadliest Race

The annual Le Mans 24 Hour race brings in hundreds of thousands of spectators to watch the... more

13 Jun 2025

39 MINS

39:35

13 Jun 2025

#160

The Nazis, the Bomb, and the Woman that Science Forgot

Lise Meitner has fought for her entire life to be seen as a scientist, slowly building a c... more

06 Jun 2025

40 MINS

40:35

06 Jun 2025

#159

Give Politicians a Raise, Smuggle Smartphones into School, and go Full Donk! Cautionary Questions wi...

Can game theory be used to win a world cup? Can you pay the way out of political corruptio... more

30 May 2025

43 MINS

43:54

30 May 2025

#158

Roosevelt and the Renegade (Panama Disaster 2)

Sixteen years have passed since Ferdinand De Lesseps' catastrophic failure in Panama and t... more

23 May 2025

40 MINS

40:33

23 May 2025

#157

The Great Frenchman's Folly (Panama Disaster 1)

Ferdinand De Lesseps, "the Great Frenchman", is convinced that he is the man to build the ... more

16 May 2025

39 MINS

39:08

16 May 2025

#156

Lab Leak: Could Smallpox Come Back?

In 1978 the world is on the brink of declaring victory over smallpox. No cases have been s... more

09 May 2025

37 MINS

37:53

09 May 2025

#155

"Dangerously Near to Absolute Perfection"

In 1900, two friends in the flourishing Arts and Crafts Movement in London share a vision:... more

02 May 2025

38 MINS

38:37

02 May 2025

#154

Buried by the Wall Street Crash (Classic)

Cautionary Tales returns with a new episode on May 2nd. Both of the world’s greatest... more

25 Apr 2025

35 MINS

35:59

25 Apr 2025

#153

Presenting: You Must Remember This - Alfred Hitchcock

Here's a special episode from our friends at You Must Remember This. Hitchcock’s mos... more

18 Apr 2025

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:13

18 Apr 2025

#152

“I love being the person who doesn’t know anything” - Why Steven Levitt has swapped academia for pod...

20 years ago, a book called Freakonomics became an instant bestseller and worldwide sensat... more

11 Apr 2025

39 MINS

39:39

11 Apr 2025

#151

The Old Man and the Wrecking Crew

When Britain entered its first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, many found comfort in evok... more

04 Apr 2025

38 MINS

38:00

04 Apr 2025

#150

Houdini: The Phone Call from the Coffin (Part 3)

Fearing for his life, Harry Houdini leaves secret codes with his loved ones, promising to ... more

28 Mar 2025

40 MINS

40:54

28 Mar 2025

#149

Houdini's Detective and her 1500 Dead Husbands (Part 2)

Harry Houdini finds an ally in his fight against spiritualism, a brilliant detective calle... more

21 Mar 2025

41 MINS

41:49

21 Mar 2025

#148

Houdini: A Message from the Spirits (Part 1)

Harry Houdini is remembered today for his legendary escapes and illusions, but he also had... more

14 Mar 2025

43 MINS

43:00

14 Mar 2025

#147

Would You Trust a Gangster Nanny? - Cautionary Questions with Rachel Botsman

Do we trust our fitness trackers too much? How do fraudsters gain our faith? Why do people... more

07 Mar 2025

41 MINS

41:04

07 Mar 2025

#146

Lights, Camera, Tax Break

When Ernest Borgnine gets his big break in Hollywood, he can hardly believe his luck. But ... more

28 Feb 2025

39 MINS

39:25

28 Feb 2025

#145

The Nursery Rhyme That Ruined a Rock Band

"Down Under" was huge. This jokeyode to legendary Australian wanderlust helped Men at Work... more

21 Feb 2025

38 MINS

38:17

21 Feb 2025

#144

The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne (with Ben Walter)

Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and the host of "The Unshak... more

19 Feb 2025

20 MINS

20:58

19 Feb 2025

#143

The Thrill and the Drop: A First Date Rollercoaster

Leah Washington and her new boyfriend Joe Pugh are on their first day out together. They'r... more

14 Feb 2025

39 MINS

39:05

14 Feb 2025

#142

Dr. Brinkley's Miracle Cure For Impotence (with Betwixt The Sheets)

Cautionary Conversation: In the 1920s, a conman convinced America that goat testicles were... more

07 Feb 2025

38 MINS

38:25

07 Feb 2025

#141

The Night of the Mugger

Winston Trew has just been arrested for mugging. It's 1972 and the crime has recently made... more

31 Jan 2025

42 MINS

42:19

31 Jan 2025