Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

By: Pushkin Industries
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    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
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Episodes
  • Buried by the Wall Street Crash (Classic)

    Buried by the Wall Street Crash (Classic)
    Apr 25 2025

    Cautionary Tales returns with a new episode on May 2nd.

    Both of the world’s greatest economists, Irving Fisher and John Maynard Keynes, thought they could see into the future and make a killing on the stock market - and then both were wiped out by the Wall Street Crash. One died a pauper, the other millionaire. What does it take to bounce back from ruin? Oh... and UFOs.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    36 mins
  • Presenting: You Must Remember This - Alfred Hitchcock

    Presenting: You Must Remember This - Alfred Hitchcock
    Apr 18 2025

    Here's a special episode from our friends at You Must Remember This. Hitchcock’s most iconic decade— a decade of Technicolor grandeur and peril inflicted on famous blondes—came to an end in 1964 with Marnie, a critical and box office flop which wounded Hitchcock’s ego and left him unsure how to move forward in a changing world. His four final films—Torn Curtain, Topaz, Frenzy, Family Plot—are the result of his efforts to mix up his formula for an era in which he felt ripped off by James Bond and mourned the decline of the Golden Age stars.

    Listen to You Must Remember This wherever you get your podcasts.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • “I love being the person who doesn’t know anything” - Why Steven Levitt has swapped academia for podcasting

    “I love being the person who doesn’t know anything” - Why Steven Levitt has swapped academia for podcasting
    Apr 11 2025

    20 years ago, a book called Freakonomics became an instant bestseller and worldwide sensation. Tim Harford got his hands on the first copy that Steve Levitt ever signed... and promptly sold it on eBay. In this Cautionary Conversation, the pair are reunited to discuss the Freakonomics phenomenon, why Levitt left the hostile world of academia, and how simple changes could revolutionise everything from education to organ donation.

    *Cautionary Tales has been nominated for a Webby Award*

    To vote for us, head to: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2025/podcasts/features/original-music-score-sound-design

    For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.

    Get ad-free episodes, plus an exclusive monthly bonus episode, to Cautionary Tales by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or Pushkin.fm. Pushkin+ subscribers can access ad-free episodes, full audiobooks exclusive binges, and bonus content for all Pushkin shows.

    Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin
    Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.fm/plus

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    40 mins

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Love it

I really enjoy how the tales are told and the lessons that we are presented in that story format. It's a fantastic podcast that I binged every episode and wish there was more to hear.

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