
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 Frida... more
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 240 | Founded | 6 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Society & CultureHistory | |||

Tim is running the London Marathon on the 26th of April. To give him a week off to finish training, we're playing this running-themed classic from the archives. If you would like to donate to Teenage Cancer Trust, Tim's fundraising page is at tinyurl... more
In 1860, police officer Robert O'Hara Burke plans an expedition to map the mysterious blank in the centre of Australia. Joining him is scientist William Wills, and a ragtag team of hires. Burke falls out with virtually everyone around him, and demons... more
Millionaire-making tech start-ups are most often associated with Silicon Valley. But this software revolution begins on a woman’s kitchen table in rural Britain in the 1960s. Steve Shirley faced extraordinary odds. After escaping Nazi Germany as a ch... more
As the Victorian era dawns, modernisation erodes the old ways of life and poverty rises. In the unrest, an unlikely hero emerges, capturing the imagination of the countryside's working class. He claims to be the new Messiah, and promises a better fut... more
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I needed a few new podcasts to take over the ones that aren't cutting it anymore. I like true crime podcasts like Dateline, 20/20, Casefile True Crime, etc., interesting story podcasts like Heavyweight, This American Life, Radio Lab, and Snap Judgement. Tim Harford's Cautionary Tales is now in my top 5. The episodes are presented at the right speed and content always one step ahead providing me a captivating story that keeps my interest to and from work.... I'm excited to get in my car for the... more
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Advertising for ai now.. I hate it here.
A variety of interesting topics, delivered in a thoughtful way that makes you think beyond the basics / headlines.
Imagine being a show entirely dedicated to learning from the catastrophic bad ideas of the past, but then shilling for ai companies in your ads. The show is lost.
Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Spotify | #43 | |
Apple Podcasts | #26 | |
Spotify | #25 | |
Apple Podcasts | #212 | |
Apple Podcasts | #218 | |
Apple Podcasts | #8 |
Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.
Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.
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The podcast provides a compelling blend of storytelling and education by examining true stories of human error, disasters, and intriguing historical events. Each episode features a unique narrative that highlights fascinating characters, analytical insights, and the often unintended consequences of people's actions. With a focus on cautionary tales, it seeks to unpack complex themes related to society and culture, addressing the lessons that can be drawn from misadventures, failures, and even humor from real-life scenarios. This blend of history and narrative craft makes it a rich resource for listeners interested in learning from the past in an entertaining manner.
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.
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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.
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1. Revisionist History
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4. Freakonomics Radio
5. More or Less
Cautionary Tales launched 6 years ago and published 240 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Cautionary Tales include:
1. Ian Breckon
2. Peter Mahn
3. Gordon Vettie
4. Peter Mulgrew
5. Martha McPhee
6. Helena Merriman
7. Ellen Huet
8. Ed Thorpe
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