Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Episodes Episode guide
-
![]()
Explosives or Sugar? The Deadly Art of Distraction in Putin鈥檚 Russia - with Helena Merriman
In 1999, a series of bombs explode, killing hundreds and spreading panic...
-
![]()
Embracing the Escape Fire (with Adam Grant)
When the consequences of letting our ideas become part of our identity.
-
![]()
Dr. Brinkley's Miracle Cure For Impotence (with Betwixt The Sheets)
Tim Harford and Dr Kate Lister dive into the bizarre and grisly tale of Dr John Brinkley.
-
![]()
Don't Panic! Douglas Adams' Guide to Tomorrow - with Arvind Ethan David
Tim talks with Arvind Ethan David on Douglas Adams, the future, and a sentient puddle.
-
![]()
Do Nothing, Then Do Less
Sometimes doing less is the better option, as Chuck Yeager learned the hard way.
-
![]()
Disaster Favours the Daring: Shipwreck at Honda Point
In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships...
-
![]()
Derek Bentley Must Hang
The fate of capital punishment lies in the balance and so does Derek Bentley's...
-
![]()
Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons caused a global panic about the dangers of role-playing games.
-
![]()
Darwin's Grandpa and the Art of Sex Appeal
Charles Darwin was stumped by peacocks, due to his theory of evolution.
-
![]()
DANGER: Rocks Ahead!
Why did an oil tanker captain steer his ship toward a reef? It's an error many of us make
-
![]()
Cleared For Take-Off? (Tenerife Air Disaster 1)
The story behind one of the deadliest aviation disasters.
-
![]()
Catching a KiIler Doctor
A doctor who killed hundreds of patients left us clues... but why couldn't we see them?
-
![]()
Captain Coward and the Blame Game
A massive cruise ship is tilting off Italy, but where is the captain?
-
![]()
Can You Make a Sherman Tank Float?
Everyone from Churchill down thought swimming tanks were a great idea... but were they?
-
![]()
Buried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)
The evil heart of the V2 manufacturing program is uncovered in a concentration camp.
-
![]()
Buried by the Wall Street Crash
Two men faced ruin due to thinking they could predict financial futures鈥ne bounced back.
-
![]()
Bowie, Jazz and the Unplayable Piano
At times we do our best work not when things are going well, but outside our comfort zone
-
![]()
Beware Tech Tycoons with Piranha Tanks - with Katie Prescott
Mike Lynch was often lauded as Britain's answer to Bill Gates...
-
![]()
Angels, Gold and Lust: John Dee and the Philosopher's Stone (Part 2)
Part Two: Tudor polymath John Dee meets a man who claims he can speak with angels...
-
![]()
Airships, AI and Alan Cumming: Tim Answers Your Questions
Why does economics get a bad rap?
-
![]()
Adidas v Puma: A Battle of Boots and Brothers
Adi and Rudi Dassler made sports shoes together - until a feud erupted between them.
-
![]()
A Deadly Day at the Races: What Radical Protest Can and Cannot Do
Suffragette Emily Davison鈥檚 bold actions sparked change鈥攄o we know the full story?
-
![]()
鈥淚 love being the person who doesn鈥檛 know anything鈥� - Why Steven Levitt has swapped academia for podcasting
Why Steven Levitt swapped academia for podcasting.
-
![]()
"They fall behind and are slowly crushed" - Board Games and Economics with Richard Garfield
Tim is joined by Richard Garfield for a special Q&A about economics and game design.
-
![]()
"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.
-
![]()
"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World
William McGonagall's poems are something else.
-
![]()
"Dangerously Near to Absolute Perfection"
Two friends in the flourishing Arts and Crafts Movement in London share a vision.
-
![]()
"Captain Kirk Forgot to put the Machine on Stun"
Lying on the cold metal table, Voyne Ray Cox knew the drill...
-
![]()
"And it went click" - Dawn of the Working Dead
Robert Propst wasn't just an inventor; he envisioned the modern office workstation.
