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BBC Radio 4

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

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1,133 episodes
Updated Saturday

Episodes1133

Newest first

Jan 13, 2024 · 8 min
Do we see 10,000 adverts per day?
We investigate the claim that each of us sees thousands of adverts every single day
Jan 10, 2024 · 28 min
Deaths, taxes and missing cats
We investigate claims about gun crime, the UK tax burden, and the number of missing cats
Jan 6, 2024 · 8 min
How much money do the ‘Ndrangheta mafia make?
We investigate whether one criminal group could have a turnover of billions of dollars
Dec 30, 2023 · 13 min
Numbers of the year 2023
Hand-picked stats that tell you something interesting about the world
Dec 23, 2023 · 8 min
Can chocolate be better than salad?
We investigate a nutritional conundrum – can chocolate ever be better for you than salad?
Dec 16, 2023 · 8 min
China’s missing numbers
How the Chinese state make inconvenient statistics disappear
Dec 9, 2023 · 8 min
Does endurance sport harm your heart?
We investigate the connection between high levels of exercise and arrhythmia
Dec 2, 2023 · 9 min
Will there be a billion climate refugees?
We investigate if floods, droughts and storms will cause mass international migration
Nov 25, 2023 · 8 min
A boy meets girl meets stats story
A data scientist takes on rom com films to see how women in STEM are represented.
Nov 18, 2023 · 8 min
Are women in the UK the biggest binge drinkers in the world?
Checking out stats on boozing Brits and fishing fleets in the South China Sea
Nov 11, 2023 · 10 min
Can maths prove the existence of aliens?
We look a famous equation which tries to explain whether life exists in outer space
Nov 4, 2023 · 8 min
Do Indian women own 11% of the world’s gold?
The cultural importance of gold is well known – but how much do Indians actually own?
Oct 28, 2023 · 9 min
The Overlooked Mathematicians of History
Exploring the global history of mathematics
Oct 21, 2023 · 8 min
What do windscreen splats tell us about insect decline?
We ask whether the ‘windscreen phenomenon’ suggests falling numbers of insects
Oct 14, 2023 · 12 min
Greedy jobs and the gender pay gap
Tim Harford discusses the work of Nobel Economics prize winner Claudia Goldin
Oct 7, 2023 · 9 min
Are half the words in English from French?
We ask whether almost half the words in the English language are of French origin.
Oct 4, 2023 · 28 min
Vaccine claims, Alzheimer's treatment and Tim's Parkrun times
We debunk claims about excess deaths and the covid vaccine made by YouTuber John Campbell
Sep 30, 2023 · 8 min
Is the UK really ahead in cutting carbon emissions?
As the UK changes course in its path to net zero, how does it compare with other nations?
Sep 27, 2023 · 30 min
NHS consultant pay, Net Zero claims and Scotland's ferry woes
Are consultants in England really paid an average of £120,000 a year?
Sep 23, 2023 · 9 min
Which city has the longest canals?
We dive into the world of waterways after a listener asked who has the longest canals.