Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Pushkin
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

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We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO · BONUS • PUSHKIN+ ONLY

    Pushkin+ Exclusive: True Lies and Genuine Fakes

    This episode is available exclusively to Pushkin+ subscribers. To learn more about Pushkin+ offerings, like ad-free episodes, exclusive content and early access, visit pushkin.fm or the show page on Apple. In 1998, an art gallery gets a mysterious phone call. The caller claims they have been fooled by a master forger and that many of their prized paintings are fakes. Or are they? This is the story of the life and lies of the notorious Eric Hebborn. What did he do, and what does that teach us about how we can root out deepfakes without undermining our trust in reality? For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com

    41 min
  2. How Trump is Getting the Game Theory Wrong from Risky Business

    2 DAYS AGO

    How Trump is Getting the Game Theory Wrong from Risky Business

    Today we’re sharing an episode from another Pushkin Industries show that we think you’ll enjoy: How Trump is Getting the Game Theory Wrong from Risky Business. This week, Nate and Maria discuss Trump’s tariffs and analyze his strategy from a game theory perspective. They get into the difference between zero-sum and cooperative games, speculate on how Trump would act in the dictator game, and discuss the rationality of revenge. Then, they talk about the reboot of the infamous Fyre Festival, and why con artists so rarely reform. For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters: The Leap from Maria Konnikova Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 min

  3. 6 DAYS AGO

    Would You Trust a Gangster Nanny? - Cautionary Questions with Rachel Botsman

    Do we trust our fitness trackers too much? How do fraudsters gain our faith? Why do people trust podcasters? And would you trust a drug dealing nanny with a tambourine? Tim Harford is joined by trust expert Rachel Botsman to answer your questions. Rachel lectures in trust at Oxford University and her new audiobook How To Trust and Be Trusted is available via Pushkin.fm and wherever audiobooks are sold.We love hearing from you, so please keep your questions coming: tales@pushkin.fm. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 min

  4. 28 FEB

    Lights, Camera, Tax Break

    When Ernest Borgnine gets his big break in Hollywood, he can hardly believe his luck. But soon he discovers his supposed star vehicle, Marty, is not the dream gig he thought it was. In this episode of Cautionary Tales, recorded live at the Bristol Festival of Economics, Tim Harford examines what happens when the murky world of tax avoidance collides with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  5. 21 FEB

    The Nursery Rhyme That Ruined a Rock Band

    "Down Under" was huge. This jokey ode to legendary Australian wanderlust helped Men at Work win a Grammy and was a key part of the band's creative legacy. By 2007, it had been earning Men At Work a steady stream of royalties for nearly 30 years. That was when a quiz show pointed out the song's subtle connection with an Australian nursery rhyme... Tim Harford examines one of the most controversial copyright battles in music history. Where does inspiration end and infringement begin? For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    38 min

  6. 19 FEB · BONUS

    The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne (with Ben Walter)

    Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and the host of "The Unshakeables" podcast, to explore the story of the trailblazing Widow Clicquot. Her namesake brand Veuve Clicquot revolutionized the champagne industry in the 19th century. Tim and Ben look at how she defied expectations and built one of the most iconic businesses in history.  This episode is sponsored by Chase for Business. For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    21 min

  7. 14 FEB

    The Thrill and the Drop: A First Date Rollercoaster

    Leah Washington and her new boyfriend Joe Pugh are on their first day out together. They're at Alton Towers theme park, where they've chosen to ride the "Smiler" rollercoaster: a terrifying tangle of track that loops and swoops through a world-record 14 inversions. Leah and Joe are seated right at the front of the train and, as they reach the highest point of the ride, they steel themselves for the drop. But then, quite suddenly, the ride stops. Down on the ground, the computer system that controls the rollercoaster is warning that another carriage is out on the track, right in the path of Leah and Joe's train. The engineers are certain the computer is wrong... Algorithms are often faster and cleverer than humans, and they can help us avoid accidents. But computers can make mistakes. When should we trust our own heads, instead of the machine? For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 min

  8. 11 FEB · BONUS • PUSHKIN+ ONLY

    Pushkin+ Exclusive: Disaster Favours the Daring - Shipwreck at Honda Point

    This episode is available exclusively to Pushkin+ subscribers. To learn more about Pushkin+ offering, like ad-free episodes, exclusive content, and early access, visit pushkin.fm or the show page on Apple. In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships into America's worst peacetime naval disaster. The mission was supposed to be a speed trial: a display of the squadron's skill. But it ended in a maritime pile-up, with some destroyers stranded on rocks, others sinking fast, and deadly oil leaking into the Pacific Ocean. What went wrong? For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

    40 min
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Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Information

  • Channel
    Pushkin
  • Creator
    Pushkin Industries
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
  • Show Website
    Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
  • Provider

    Pushkin Industries Inc. has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 5-9 Union Square West New York New York 10003 United States Phone Number +1 6094235184 Email feeds@pushkin.fm

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