More or Less

BBC Radio 4

Tim Harford explains - and sometimes debunks - the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life.

Play

Open in

30 episodes
weekly
Avg 16 min
English

Episodes 30

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

Yesterday · 8 min
Are carrots becoming less nutritious?
Have crops lost nutrients since the 1950s? We dig into the evidence.
Wednesday · 28 min
Are bad teeth the number one reason kids go to A&E?
Tim Harford investigates kids’ teeth, Israeli drugs, NEETs and the chances AI kills us all
September 12 · 8 min
Could this be the strongest El Niño in 1,000 Years?
Climate scientist Zeke Hausfather on a potentially record-breaking El Niño.
September 9 · 28 min
Why are so many ex-prisoners being sent back to prison?
Tim Harford on prison recalls, UK millionaires, European wildfires and thieving seagulls.
September 5 · 8 min
Is every card shuffle unique?
Why every card shuffle is an unprecedented event in the history of the universe
September 4 · 6 min
Bonus podcast: Norman Numbers
Six snack-sized synopses of Bayeux Tapestry-related stats
August 29 · 8 min
Do Germans really take 19.5 days of sick leave per year?
Investigating how much sick leave is taken on average around the world
August 22 · 8 min
How much of the world isn’t owned by anyone?
Explaining the story behind the un-owned parts of the land and sea
August 15 · 8 min
14 million deaths or zero deaths? The impact of the USAID cuts
The complexities of calculating lives saved and lives lost.
August 8 · 8 min
How much of all the money in the world does Elon Musk have?
Calculating Elon Musk’s personal share of total global wealth
August 1 · 8 min
Would you take £50,000 or a 50/50 chance of £1m?
How to understand risk-averse financial decision making.
July 30 · 29 min
The mistake in Trump’s tariff formula
Also, counting bobbies, freezing tax and electrocuting redheads
July 25 · 8 min
Is crime in London ‘through the roof’?
How does violent crime in London compare to other global cities?
July 18 · 8 min
How much luck do you need to win the World Cup?
Investigating the role of random chance in football
July 11 · 8 min
Does playing tennis make you live 9.7 years longer?
Should we all take up tennis? We delve into the evidence on its life-extending powers.
July 8 · 28 min
Does the average teacher really earn £54,000?
Tim Harford investigates teacher pay, Russian soldier deaths and card-shuffling maths.
July 4 · 8 min
Does a full moon make crime rates go up?
Holding the moon to account for its role in crime rates
July 1 · 28 min
Examining the numbers behind Andy Burnham’s ‘Manchester Miracle’
Tim Harford examines ‘Manchesterism’, hot cities, whales and CO2, and prime numbers.
June 24 · 28 min
Benefits v minimum wage: Which pays more?
Tim Harford examines benefits v work, dangerous temperatures and the World Cup draw.
June 20 · 8 min
Is the US worse than North Korea for malnutrition deaths?
Why have malnutrition deaths shot up in the US since 2012?

Showing 1–20 of 30 episodes