Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Pushkin IndustriesWe 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 Frida... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 266 | Founded | 7 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | HistorySociety & Culture | |||
Listen to this Podcast
Latest Episodes
Evel Knievel, the world-famous daredevil, is planning his greatest ever stunt. In 1974, he wants to leap over Snake River Canyon in Idaho. The chasm is almost a third of a mile wide, much bigger than any jump he's done before. To make it work, he'll ... more
In 1942, eight men are sent from Nazi Germany to infiltrate America. Their mission: to sabotage critical infrastructure. Their problem: they're idiots. Operation Pastorius soon devolves into one of the most baffling failures of World War II.
For a ... more
This is a special crossover episode with Business History.
John DeLorean was a visionary who wanted to create a futuristic new sports car - a stainless steel marvel with distinctive gull-wing doors. The British Government agreed to finance the proj... more
How does a story on Cautionary Tales come to life? In this episode of our subscriber-exclusive series, Proceed with Caution, sound designer Pascal Wyse shows Tim how the audio magic happens. He explains how he picks the music in an episode, why it's ... more
Key Facts
Similar Podcasts
People also subscribe to these shows.
Recent Guests
Host
Reviews
- New Here
And absolutely loving it so far. Informative and at times riveting. Slowly working my way through. Please keep it up.
Apple Podcasts5Poptongue
United Arab Emirates18 days ago - A wonderful podcast
This is truly an amazing podcast a great pastime and listen 🎧 I have to say sometimes when a guest is on my interest wanes slightly otherwise a truly fantastic podcast
Apple Podcasts4Raincity boat
Canada23 days ago - Over dramatized
Topics are interesting but I think they lost the plot of this podcast. I’ve heard earlier episode that were though provoking and engaging but I cannot deal with the over dramatization anymore. Feels like a children’s story reading of very real happenings. A million ads in between. I’m done with this show.
Apple Podcasts2Imagination666
United Statesa month ago - Timeline Eskew
The drug you were referring called Phen-Phen was created in 1990. I’d love your show, but this was a big mistake. Maybe you meant amphetamine. Had to go from Nashville to Kentucky, where they were allowed to sell it.
Apple Podcasts5J ClamUnited Statesa month ago - Annoying
Clearly written for an American audience. Even British stories, when money is mentioned it’s always in dollars. Pounds instead of stones or kilos, US phrasiolology always used. So annoying I can’t listen. What a shame
Apple Podcasts1Don’t understand knicknames
United Kingdoma month ago
Listeners Say
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Spotify | #36 | United States/History |
Apple Podcasts | #32 | United States/History |
Spotify | #19 | United Kingdom/History |
Apple Podcasts | #232 | United Kingdom/Top Podcasts |
Apple Podcasts | #245 | Canada/Top Podcasts |
Apple Podcasts | #17 | Canada/History |
Talking Points
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Audience Metrics
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
| Listeners per Episode | |
|---|---|
| Gender Skew | |
| Location | |
| Interests | |
| Professions | |
| Age Range | |
| Household Income | |
| Social Media Reach |
Frequently Asked Questions About Cautionary Tales
What is Cautionary Tales about and what kind of topics does it cover?
Cautionary Tales combines rigorous storytelling with historical and behavioral analysis to unpack how humans bungled, misread, or manipulated systems—often with outsized consequences. Episodes weave archival voices, expert interviews, and careful research to explore disasters, hoaxes, technological missteps, and the social psychology behind risk. A standout feature is the tight narration and production that turn complex cases into accessible, morally cheeky narratives that stay with you after the credits, while maintaining a scholarly undercurrent. The show often pairs historical events with modern implications, making it appealing for listeners who enjoy learning from mistakes and understanding how institutions fail and adapt.
Noteworthy ... more
Where can I find podcast stats for Cautionary Tales?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Cautionary Tales. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Cautionary Tales and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does Cautionary Tales get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Cautionary Tales, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for Cautionary Tales?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Cautionary Tales, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does Cautionary Tales have?
To see how many followers or subscribers Cautionary Tales has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to Cautionary Tales?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Cautionary Tales:
1. Revisionist History: The Staten Island Problem
2. 99% Invisible
3. The Last Archive
4. Business History
5. Against the Rules with Michael Lewis
How many episodes of Cautionary Tales are there?
Cautionary Tales launched 7 years ago and published 266 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact Cautionary Tales?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for Cautionary Tales?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Cautionary Tales from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Cautionary Tales?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Cautionary Tales. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on Cautionary Tales?
Recent guests on Cautionary Tales include:
1. Robert Smith
2. Jacob Goldstein
3. Pascal Wyse
4. Maddy Pelling
5. Tom Toohey
6. Lorna Rainbow / Arnold
7. Sir William Penny
8. Bill Penney
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.