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Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

Radio 4,1822 episodes

Episodes

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How much luck do you need to win the World Cup?
Investigating the role of random chance in football
18 Jul 2026,9 mins
Does playing tennis make you live 9.7 years longer?
Should we all take up tennis? We delve into the evidence on its life-extending powers.
11 Jul 2026,9 mins
Does the average teacher really earn £54,000?
Tim Harford investigates teacher pay, Russian soldier deaths and card-shuffling maths.
08 Jul 2026,28 mins
Does a full moon make crime rates go up?
Holding the moon to account for its role in crime rates
04 Jul 2026,9 mins
Examining the numbers behind Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchester Miracle’
Tim Harford examines ‘Manchesterism’, hot cities, whales and CO2, and prime numbers.
01 Jul 2026,28 mins
The messy history behind the modern calendar
Why is May, May? We explain the genesis of the modern calendar
27 Jun 2026,9 mins
Benefits v minimum wage: Which pays more?
Tim Harford examines benefits v work, dangerous temperatures and the World Cup draw.
24 Jun 2026,28 mins
Benefits vs minimum wage: Which pays more?
Tim Harford examines benefits vs work, dangerous temperatures and the World Cup draw
24 Jun 2026,28 mins
Is the US worse than North Korea for malnutrition deaths?
Why have malnutrition deaths shot up in the US since 2012?
20 Jun 2026,9 mins
Is the US worse than North Korea for malnutrition deaths?
Why have malnutrition deaths shot up in the US since 2012?
20 Jun 2026,8 mins
Does Europe suffer more heat deaths than the US?
Tim Harford investigates heat deaths, the carbon footprint of eggs, and ironing out Wales.
17 Jun 2026,28 mins
Does Europe suffer more heat deaths than the US?
Tim Harford investigates heat deaths, the carbon footprint of eggs, and ironing out Wales
17 Jun 2026,28 mins
Andrew Ross Sorkin: What can the Great Crash of 1929 tell us about today?
The financial journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin on the numbers behind the 1929 crash
13 Jun 2026,8 mins
Andrew Ross Sorkin: What can the Great Crash of 1929 tell us about today?
The financial journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin on the numbers behind the 1929 crash
13 Jun 2026,9 mins
Education, Education, Education (and Immigration)
Tim Harford investigates migrants and jobs, VAT and private schools, and a hard maths exam
10 Jun 2026,28 mins
Education, Education, Education (and immigration)
Tim Harford investigates migrants and jobs, VAT and private schools, and a hard maths exam
10 Jun 2026,28 mins
Factchecking claims that 400 churches were burned to the ground in France
Looking into the numbers behind claims of attacks on churches
06 Jun 2026,9 mins
Factchecking claims that 400 churches were burned to the ground in France
Looking into the numbers behind claims of attacks on churches
06 Jun 2026,8 mins
Debunking the claim that migrants will get half of new homes
Tim Harford investigates migration and housing, Welsh literacy, and bond market drama
03 Jun 2026,28 mins
Debunking the claim that migrants will get half of new homes
Tim Harford investigates migration and housing, Welsh literacy, and bond market drama.
03 Jun 2026,28 mins
The known unknowns of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The data race to find out how fast Ebola is spreading
30 May 2026,9 mins
The known unknowns of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The data race to find out how fast Ebola is spreading
30 May 2026,8 mins
Does a fall in the UK's healthy life expectancy mean what you think it means?
Tim Harford explores healthy life expectancy, HS2 costs, VAT cuts and his marathon time
27 May 2026,28 mins
Does a fall in the UK's healthy life expectancy mean what you think it means?
Tim Harford explores healthy life expectancy, HS2 costs, VAT cuts and his marathon time.
27 May 2026,28 mins
Is the ‘loneliness epidemic’ real?
We investigate if loneliness is increasing at epidemic rates
23 May 2026,8 mins
Is the ‘loneliness epidemic’ real?
We investigate if loneliness is increasing at epidemic rates
23 May 2026,9 mins
Are refugees more likely to commit crime?
Asylum seekers and crime, nuclear fish, the Quiet Revival and Sir David Attenborough.
20 May 2026,28 mins
Are refugees more likely to commit crime?
Asylum seekers, nuclear power plants and fish, Sir David Attenborough and blue tit chicks
20 May 2026,28 mins
Erdos Problem 1196: Can AI now solve maths that no human can?
How a 23-year-old mathematician used AI to crack an unsolved maths problem
16 May 2026,9 mins
Erdos Problem 1196: Can AI now solve maths that no human can?
How a 23-year-old mathematician used AI to crack an unsolved maths problem
16 May 2026,8 mins