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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

Jul 3, 2021 · 8 min
Is Ivermectin a Covid ‘wonder drug’?
What do we know about the efficacy of Ivermectin as a treatment for Covid-19?
Jun 30, 2021 · 28 min
Scotland cases, flood risk and taxing the poor
Covid 19 cases are on the rise in Scotland, plus will your town be under water by 2030?
Jun 26, 2021 · 8 min
Maths and the Mayflower
Are there really 35 million descendants of the Mayflower alive today?
Jun 23, 2021 · 29 min
Delta cases, blue tits and that one-in-two cancer claim
Should we worry about the Delta variant? Plus how much do blue tits eat?
Jun 19, 2021 · 8 min
The origins of Covid
How similar are the Covid strains?
Jun 16, 2021 · 28 min
Covid deaths, outdoor swimming and care homes
The global death toll has reached a grim milestone. Plus the UK’s low ranking waters.
Jun 12, 2021 · 8 min
The doubling of life-expectancy
The story of how data helped extend our lives
Jun 9, 2021 · 28 min
Third wave fears, smart motorways and bra sizes
Should we worry about Covid cases rising? Plus are smart motorways safe?
Jun 2, 2021 · 28 min
Bolton vaccines, Yorkshire versus Scotland and the average gamer
Were tens of thousands of people getting their jab in Bolton every single day?
May 29, 2021 · 8 min
The Seaspiracy “virtually empty ocean” claim
Why it’s unlikely our oceans will be virtually empty by 2048.
May 26, 2021 · 28 min
Wales jab success, Eurovision and living with your parents
How to vaccinate a country quickly, plus the UK’s singing contest woes.
May 22, 2021 · 8 min
The medical trial that proved Trump wrong
The Recovery Trial identified drugs that did and did not help save lives.
May 15, 2021 · 8 min
Explaining maths without Numbers
Tim Harford speaks to mathematician Milo Beckman about the beauty of maths.
May 8, 2021 · 8 min
Finding Mexico City’s real death toll
How two amateur data detectives revealed the pandemic’s impact.
May 2, 2021 · 8 min
Bayes: the clergyman whose maths changed the world
How an obscure theory came into fashion.
Apr 24, 2021 · 8 min
Will 2021 have more Covid deaths than 2020?
We ask if this year’s global death toll will surpass 1.8 million.
Apr 17, 2021 · 8 min
How many swimming pools full of vaccine do we need?
Adding together the doses for everyone on the planet.
Apr 10, 2021 · 8 min
Clot risks: The Pill versus the vaccine
AstraZeneca’s clot controversy turns attention on the contraceptive pill.
Apr 4, 2021 · 9 min
Too fast for Minecraft?
Gamers raise suspicions over speed run times - are they right?
Mar 27, 2021 · 8 min
In praise of Covid Data
How we came to expect dashboards full of statistics.