Covid plasma therapy

Claims about a Covid-19 treatment, breast cancer screening, and 18th century sex workers.

• 28 mins

Schools and coronavirus, test and trace, maths and reality

Evidence on Covid-19 risks in schools, data on contact tracing, and a philosophical query.

• 28 mins

Covid cases rising, a guide to life’s risks, and racing jelly-fish

How worrying is the UK’s jump in cases? Plus balancing risks and the speed of jelly-fish.

• 28 mins

Covid testing capacity, refugee numbers, and mascara

Confusing claims on lab capacity, the UK’s record on asylum, and the volume of eyelashes.

• 28 mins

Covid curve queried, false positives, and the Queen’s head

How fast are coronavirus cases doubling? Plus testing confusion and a royal face-off.

• 28 mins

'Record' Covid cases, Trump on the death count, and ant pheromones

Case counts in perspective, a suspect stat from the US, and life lessons from insects.

• 28 mins

Spreadsheet snafu, ‘Long Covid’ quantified, and the birth of probability

Missing coronavirus case data, long-term symptoms, and a big mathematical moment.

• 28 mins

How effective is one dose of the vaccine?

Is the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine 52% or 90% effective?

• 28 mins

Will the vaccine bring back normal life? GDP and Fishing

If we vaccinate the top four priority groups by February, how much will things change?

• 28 mins

Deaths at Home, Supermarket Infections and the Cobra Effect

Where are people catching Covid-19?

• 28 mins

Teachers, Test & Trace and Butterflies

Are teachers more at risk from Covid-19?

• 28 mins

Brexit exports, cladding and are 1 in 5 disabled?

Are exports to the EU down since Brexit? Plus removing flammable building cladding.

• 28 mins

Comparing death counts, Lock Down drinking and Long Covid

Is the UK’s Covid-19 death count among the worst in the world?

• 28 mins

Wales jab success, Eurovision and living with your parents

How to vaccinate a country quickly, plus the UK’s singing contest woes.

• 28 mins

Bolton vaccines, Yorkshire versus Scotland and the average gamer

Were tens of thousands of people getting their jab in Bolton every single day?

• 28 mins

Third wave fears, smart motorways and bra sizes

Should we worry about Covid-19 cases rising? Plus are smart motorways safe?

• 28 mins

Covid deaths, outdoor swimming and care homes

The global death toll has reached a grim milestone. Plus the UK’s low ranking waters.

• 28 mins

Delta cases, blue tits and that one-in-two cancer claim

Should we worry about the Delta variant? Plus how much do blue tits eat?

• 28 mins

Scotland cases, flood risk and taxing the poor

Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Scotland, plus will your town be under water by 2030?

• 28 mins

The Freedom Day Gamble

Tim Harford and the team try to work out how long Covid cases will continue to rise.

• 28 mins

Covid, HGV driver shortages and protest costs

Has Brexit caused a fall in lorry drivers? Plus policing Extinction Rebellion.

• 28 mins

Vaccine waning, hot dogs and Afghanistan

How worried should we be about antibodies? Plus food that shortens life.

• 28 mins

Death, Tax and Dishwashers

Why is estimating the number of unvaccinated people so tricky? And how deadly is 2021?

• 28 mins

Covid trends, face mask use, and the universal credit cut

Coronavirus checked, mask use measured, and a minister's claim questioned.

• 28 mins

Is it easy being green?

Expensive electricity, inadequate insulation, and a tale of tumbling trees.

• 28 mins

Twenty years of More or Less

A look back at our origins, plus the usual mix of numerical nous and statistical savvy.

• 28 mins

Omicron, pandemic birth rates and boosters

An Omicron update, pandemic birth rates and the booster drive.

• 28 mins

Are women 32% more likely to die after operations by a male surgeon?

Surgery death risks, Test and Trace costs in the UK and Germany, and podcast plans.

• 28 mins

Should you follow the 5 second rule? And does inflation hit the poorest harder?

Does inflation hit poor households harder and how many people have died of Covid?

• 28 mins

Does the UK have the fastest growing economy in the G7?

How fast is our economy growing? And what is happening with Omicron reinfections?

• 28 mins

The prime minister in statistical bother

Boris Johnson has been ticked off for misleading Parliament on jobs and on crime.

• 30 mins

Questioning claims about Covid and children

How likely are children to end up in hospital because of Covid? And how many have died?

• 28 mins

Vaccinating children, lockdowns, and ebikes

Jabs for five- to 11-year-olds, lockdown effectiveness, and being green on two wheels.

• 28 mins

Troop and Casualty Numbers in Ukraine

How reliable are the figures coming out of the conflict in Ukraine?

• 28 mins

Germany’s excess deaths, Eurovision and teacher shortages

Did Germany really fare worse than the UK in the pandemic?

• 28 mins

Jubilee costs, fuel poverty and imperial measures

We debunk a claim the government is spending £38,000 per household on the jubilee.

• 28 mins

Employment puzzle, pyramids and triplets

The UK has a low unemployment rate but lots of people not working – how come?

• 28 mins

Maternity litigation, stars, bees and windowless planes

Are damages for maternity mistakes now more than wages for maternity nurses and doctors?

• 28 mins

Rail strikes, tyre pollution and sex statistics

Do rail workers really earn £13,000 a year more than nurses?

• 28 mins

Covid climb, childcare costs and why can't the French count properly?

How accurately are official figures picking up the new covid wave?

• 28 mins