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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Is an ancient charioteer the best paid sportsperson of all time?
Tue 17 Feb 2026
Did a Roman charioteer really earn the equivalent of $15 billion dollars?
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Is this Premier League striker a secret maths genius?
Sat 7 Feb 2026
Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.
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Could Europe use its financial muscle to strong-arm the US?
Sat 31 Jan 2026
Europe holds trillions of dollars of US shares and bonds - but can they use them?
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Can you get £71,000 on benefits?
Wed 28 Jan 2026
Tim Harford investigates benefits, church attacks, saunas and marathon running
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Is Greenland as big as Africa?
Sat 24 Jan 2026
Tim Harford asks if Greenland is really as vast as most maps seem to suggest
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How close is Greenland to the United States?
Wed 21 Jan 2026
Tim Harford investigates Greenland maps, climate costs, house prices and Traitors maths
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No, a study has not shown that the covid jab causes cancer
Sat 17 Jan 2026
Why a study from South Korea does not show that vaccines cause cancer
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Have more than 100 private schools been forced to close because of VAT?
Wed 14 Jan 2026
Tim Harford investigates closing schools, X users, Covid deaths and churchgoers
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Does Venezuela really have the biggest oil reserves in the world?
Sat 10 Jan 2026
We investigate if there are actually 300 billion barrels of oil in Venezuela's reserves
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The Stats of the Nation: Immigration, benefits and inequality
Fri 9 Jan 2026
Tim Harford explores the stats on some of the UK’s most potent political debates
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The Stats of the Nation: Older people, education, prisons and the weather
Thu 8 Jan 2026
Tim Harford explores the stats on pensioners, exams, justice and climate change
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The Stats of the Nation: Sex, drugs and empty homes
Wed 7 Jan 2026
Tim Harford explores the numbers that help explain fertility, pharmaceuticals and crime
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The Stats of the Nation: Health
Tue 6 Jan 2026
Tim Harford explores the numbers that help explain the state of health and the NHS
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The Stats of the Nation: The Economy
Mon 5 Jan 2026
Tim Harford explores the numbers that help explain the state of the UK economy
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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
