Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford podcast

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

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.

 

#173

Announcing: The Cautionary Club

Do you want more Cautionary Tales episodes in your life? Do you want access to behind the ... more

6 hrs Ago

02 MINS

02:16

6 hrs Ago


#172

Disaster Favours the Daring: Shipwreck at Honda Point

In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships into America&... more

29 Aug 2025

39 MINS

39:57

29 Aug 2025


#171

Paradise Poisoned: How Utopias Fall Apart

Dore Strauch and Friedrich Ritter make an unconventional couple, united by their contempt ... more

22 Aug 2025

41 MINS

41:00

22 Aug 2025


#170

"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World

William McGonagall's poems are something else. The jarring meter, the banal imagery, the a... more

15 Aug 2025

40 MINS

40:03

15 Aug 2025


#169

Office Hell: The Demise of the Playful Workspace (Classic)

In the early 90s, cutting-edge advertising agency Chiat/Day announced a radical plan, aime... more

08 Aug 2025

38 MINS

38:40

08 Aug 2025


#168

Number Fever: How Pepsi Nearly Went Pop (Classic)

Pepsi twice ended up in court after promotions went disastrously wrong. Other big companie... more

01 Aug 2025

35 MINS

35:30

01 Aug 2025


#167

Fire at The Beverly Hills Supper Club (Update)

It's been five years since Cautionary Tales ran a mini-series about the Covid-19 pandemic,... more

25 Jul 2025

32 MINS

32:20

25 Jul 2025


#166

"Captain Kirk Forgot to put the Machine on Stun"

Lying on the cold metal table, Voyne Ray Cox knew the drill. This was his ninth round of c... more

18 Jul 2025

40 MINS

40:28

18 Jul 2025


#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

11 Jul 2025

45 MINS

45:57

11 Jul 2025


#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