Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

4.7 (4.6K)
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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.

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4.7

out of 5

4,612 Ratings

The best

3d ago

Goldenhar

I have been listening for years and I’ve shared many episodes with friends and family. We always learn so much. Oh, and we enjoy Tim‘s voice!
Harford Fan

4d ago

jdubjay

Tim Harford has an amazing voice and well-researched, fascinating stories. Some stories are heavy; some are lighter fare, but I always learn something new. Always anticipating the next episode.
The best

Jun 4

Curious Lo

This is my favorite non fiction podcast. Tim is always highly informative yet endlessly entertaining. The best.
Missing the cautionary part?

Jun 9

KNJ321

I’ve noticed that recent episodes have been well-written, interesting stories about people or events. But what happened to the “cautionary tale” aspect? The broader lesson and its applicability to current events/the human experience/whatever is missing. For me, that’s what used to make this podcast so compelling and satisfying and unique. I really miss it.

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.

Channel

Pushkin
Creator

Pushkin Industries
Years Active

2019 - 2025
Episodes

182
Rating

Clean
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.