More or Less Podcast
Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.
Episodes to download
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Numbers of the year 2026
Sat 3 Jan 2026
From passenger numbers to world cup travel, we cast our eye forwards into 2026
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Numbers of the year 2026
Sat 3 Jan 2026
From passenger numbers to world cup travel, we cast our eye forwards into 2026
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Numbers of the year 2025
Sat 27 Dec 2025
From tariffs to comets, we look back at the numbers of 2025 across the world
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Numbers of the year 2025
Sat 27 Dec 2025
From tariffs to comets, we look back at the numbers of 2025 across the world
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Were there really Three Wise Men?
Christmas Eve 2025
From counting people to measuring housework - we explore.
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The shocking world of US health costs
Sat 20 Dec 2025
Can the same pill cost $3 in a pharmacy and $750 in a hospital?
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The shocking world of US health costs
Sat 20 Dec 2025
Can the same pill cost $3 in a pharmacy and $750 in a hospital?
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Do we really have ‘superflu’?
Wed 17 Dec 2025
The NHS is warning of an unprecedented flu season - we check.
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RCP 8.5: Why did the climate change model get it wrong?
Sat 13 Dec 2025
How an important climate model was too pessimistic about the future
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RCP 8.5: Why did the climate change model get it wrong?
Sat 13 Dec 2025
How an important climate model was too pessimistic about the future
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Is RFK right about US sperm counts?
Sat 6 Dec 2025
Do US teens have 50% lower sperm and testosterone counts than 65 year old men?
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Is RFK right about US sperm counts?
Sat 6 Dec 2025
Do US teens have 50% lower sperm and testosterone counts than 65 year old men?
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Richard Thaler and The Winner’s Curse
Sat 29 Nov 2025
Richard Thaler on two of his most famous observations in behavioural economics
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Richard Thaler and The Winner’s Curse
Sat 29 Nov 2025
Richard Thaler on two of his most famous observations in behavioural economics
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Is there a stock market crash coming?
Sat 22 Nov 2025
Can data tell us if a stock market crash is coming?
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Is there a stock market crash coming?
Sat 22 Nov 2025
Can data tell us if a stock market crash is coming?
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Has there been a $50 trillion wealth transfer to the richest Americans?
Sat 15 Nov 2025
Bernie Sanders says vast riches have moved to the wealthiest in the US. Is he right?
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Is RFK Jr right about China's diabetes rate?
Sat 8 Nov 2025
Investigating if 50% of people in China really have diabetes.
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Is RFK Jr right about China's diabetes rate?
Sat 8 Nov 2025
Investigating if 50% of people in China really have diabetes
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Halloween special: How many people did the real Dracula impale?
Sat 1 Nov 2025
Looking at the math's behind the myth
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Halloween special: How many people did the real Dracula impale?
Fri 31 Oct 2025
Looking at the math's behind the myth
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Is your housework split sexist?
Sat 25 Oct 2025
Corinne Low explains the economics of women, men and housework
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Is your housework split sexist?
Sat 25 Oct 2025
Corinne Low explains the economics of women, men and housework
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Nobel economics prize 2025: What's the big idea?
Sat 18 Oct 2025
Tim Harford explains the ideas behind the winners of the economics Nobel Prize
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Nobel economics prize 2025: What's the big idea?
Sat 18 Oct 2025
Tim Harford explains the ideas behind the winners of the economics Nobel Prize.
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Are millions of people getting Motability cars for anxiety and ADHD?
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Farm tax, ADHD benefits, Movember claim and Tim’s marathon
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Are 72% of prison inmates in Switzerland foreign?
Sat 11 Oct 2025
Donald Trump says three quarters of Swiss prisoners are not Swiss. Is he right?
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Are 72% of prison inmates in Switzerland foreign?
Sat 11 Oct 2025
Donald Trump says three quarters of Swiss prisoners are not Swiss. Is he right?
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Does half the UK get more in benefits than they pay in tax?
Wed 8 Oct 2025
UK benefits, Zack Polanski’s billionaire claim and Gen Z job interviews
Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU
Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.
When can you trust statistics?
BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.
