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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 8, 2021 · 8 min
Numbers of the year: Part two
Tim Harford showcases statistics from 2020
Jan 8, 2021 · 8 min
Numbers of the year: Part one
Tim Harford showcases statistics from 2020
Dec 19, 2020 · 8 min
The economics of a Covid Christmas
What to consider when buying presents this year
Dec 12, 2020 · 8 min
QAnon: Child runaways and trafficking numbers debunked
Tackling statistics spread by conspiracy theorists.
Dec 5, 2020 · 8 min
Vaccines: how safe and who gets it?
Is it too soon to approve a vaccine for use? Plus choosing who goes first.
Nov 28, 2020 · 9 min
Tracking Covid 19
Which countries are doing well at keeping track of the virus? And which are not?
Nov 21, 2020 · 9 min
Inviting Covid for Dinner
If you go to a gathering of 25 people, what are the chances one of you has coronavirus?
Nov 14, 2020 · 8 min
Vaccine numbers
How much protection will a new Covid 19 vaccine give?
Nov 7, 2020 · 8 min
How deadly is Covid 19?
Why there isn’t one single death rate.
Oct 31, 2020 · 8 min
Asymptomatic Covid19 Cases
How many Covid19 cases are truly asymptomatic?
Oct 24, 2020 · 8 min
US election: facts or fiction
Tim Harford hears about the sheer volume of false claims made in the campaign.
Oct 24, 2020 · 8 min
US election: facts or fiction
Tim Harford hears about the sheer volume of false claims made in the campaign.
Oct 17, 2020 · 8 min
Auction Theory - Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson
This year’s Nobel memorial prize winners for economics and their work on auction theory.
Oct 10, 2020 · 8 min
A short history of probability
Gamblers, millionaires and annuities
Oct 7, 2020 · 21 min
Spreadsheet snafu, ‘Long Covid’ quantified, and the birth of probability
Missing coronavirus case data, long-term symptoms, and a big mathematical moment.
Sep 30, 2020 · 28 min
“Record” Covid cases, Trump on the death count, and ant pheromones
Case counts in perspective, a suspect stat from the US, and life lessons from insects.
Sep 23, 2020 · 29 min
Covid curve queried, false positives, and the Queen’s head
How fast are coronavirus cases doubling? Plus testing confusion and a royal face-off.
Sep 19, 2020 · 8 min
The magical maths of pool testing
Could pool testing hold the key to ramping up Covid-19 testing?
Sep 16, 2020 · 28 min
Covid testing capacity, refugee numbers, and mascara
Confusing claims on lab capacity, the UK’s record on asylum, and the volume of eyelashes.
Sep 9, 2020 · 28 min
Covid cases rising, a guide to life’s risks, and racing jelly-fish
How worrying is the UK’s jump in cases? Plus balancing risks and the speed of jelly-fish.