Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.
Radio 4,·684 episodes
Can you really buy an electric car for everybody in the UK for the cost of HS2?
30 Aug 2023,·28 mins
We ask whether there are any risks posed by the release into the Pacific Ocean.
26 Aug 2023,·9 mins
The world’s butterfly population doesn’t seem to be online – so what is it?
19 Aug 2023,·8 mins
What variables do we look at when we try to predict the outcome of a sports competition?
12 Aug 2023,·9 mins
A look at how accurately media report on the weather – especially recent heatwaves.
05 Aug 2023,·8 mins
The role data plays in climate attribution - and why we don’t always have it
29 Jul 2023,·8 mins
How Russian journalists are using probate records to estimate fatalities
22 Jul 2023,·9 mins
We examine a claim related to the perception of Japan as an ageing society.
15 Jul 2023,·9 mins
The numbers behind water use and denim production.
08 Jul 2023,·9 mins
Who is coming to the UK - and how do we count them?
05 Jul 2023,·28 mins
We look at the numbers around South Korea’s birth rate and the reasons why it’s so low.
01 Jul 2023,·9 mins
Will Rishi Sunak’s pledge to halve inflation happen?
28 Jun 2023,·31 mins
How concerned should we be about how much the US government borrows?
24 Jun 2023,·8 mins
Who will be most affected by mortgage rate increases?
21 Jun 2023,·28 mins
We look at a new UK study that links being breastfed as a baby with academic achievement.
17 Jun 2023,·9 mins
Is the weight of electric vehicles a risk to infrastructure?
14 Jun 2023,·32 mins
Is it true that hunger has worsened in India?
10 Jun 2023,·9 mins
Did 120 people a day in England die last year whilst waiting for an ambulance?
07 Jun 2023,·28 mins
How the evolution of data over centuries has shaped today’s world
03 Jun 2023,·9 mins
Does Britain really have the most affordable food in Europe?
31 May 2023,·30 mins
Why a fall in those waiting longest for treatment in England isn't telling the whole story
24 May 2023,·28 mins
Uncovering fraud, malpractice and incompetence in science
20 May 2023,·10 mins
We examine a social media post that claims to outline rates of divorce across the world.
13 May 2023,·10 mins
We ask why average life expectancy in America is falling so quickly.
06 May 2023,·10 mins
King Charles will be anointed with St Edward’s Crown – but what’s its true value?
29 Apr 2023,·10 mins
Why did Tucker Carlson say far more Ukrainian troops than Russian are dying in the war?
22 Apr 2023,·9 mins
This week we investigate how a baby's due date is calculated
15 Apr 2023,·10 mins
Professor Oliver Johnson discusses the use of statistics in the pandemic and in life.
08 Apr 2023,·10 mins
Two high school students say they’ve discovered a new trigonometric proof for the theorem
01 Apr 2023,·10 mins
We debunk viral claims that incorrectly link covid-19 vaccines with a risk of miscarriage
25 Mar 2023,·9 mins
