Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Podcast By Pushkin Industries cover art

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

By: Pushkin Industries
Listen for free

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.

2026 2025 Pushkin Industries
Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Sphygmograph Be Damned: The Science of Love
    Feb 13 2026

    Chris McKinlay is a good-looking, smart student at UCLA, but he can't seem to get a girlfriend. He's a computing expert, so why not use his technology prowess to supercharge his search for a soulmate? He starts building an army of bots and unleashes them into the world of online dating. Chris' search for love leads him to some unexpected places, and it might be teaching us all the wrong lessons about love.

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • The Angels, The Stones and The Dead
    Feb 6 2026

    In the final days of the Sixties, The Rolling Stones join forces with other rock legends to plan a free concert at Altamont Speedway that will rival Woodstock. The "bad boys of rock" don't have the warmest relationship with the police, so they choose another option for security: The Hells Angels. They're both anti-establishment, they're both counterculture: what could possibly go wrong?

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show more Show less
    39 mins
  • Powered by Orgasm: The Rise and Fall of a Sex Cult - with Ellen Huet
    Jan 30 2026

    Run by the charismatic Nicole Deadone, OneTaste billed itself as a sexual wellness startup celebrating the power of female orgasm. But behind the celebrity endorsements and promises of healing, lay a darker reality. When Bloomberg journalist Ellen Huet began to dig into the organisation, she uncovered financial, emotional and sexual exploitation of its members, many of whom would call the company a cult. Huet, author of Empire of Orgasm, joins Tim to discuss why we should beware people promising pleasure, and what we can learn from the rise and fall of OneTaste.

    This episode contains explicit content from the beginning, and is not suitable for children.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    Show more Show less
    41 mins

Featured Article: The Best History Podcasts of All Time


If you’re a history buff looking for a new podcast to check out, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the array of options available. There are literally thousands of podcasts focusing on every corner of history. To help you know where to start, we’ve waded through nearly everything out there and selected just a few of the best of the best in history podcasts. And we've divided them by categories and interests. You’re sure to find your next favorite listen in our list.

All stars
Most relevant
thank you so much for such an interesting podcast. everything is so well done, the topics, the quality of the delivery of the ideas is completely awesome, thank you so much.

Beyond amazing!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

as always the podcast does not disappoint I also like the theme music for the podcast

very good podcast.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thank you for this whole podcast. I listen in the car and when I go to bed. I love this. The way you tell a story is so good. Thank you! Can you do one about a story from Maine maybe? Thank you again!!
-Alexis From Maine

Thank you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A data driven look at lessons learned from both notorious and lesser known disasters. A very different way of looking at systems.

Highly Recommended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is one of my favorite podcasts (and I listen to many). Every episode is incredibly well researched and totally fascinating. I highly recommend it!

A fantastic podcast

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews