Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
by Pushkin Industries
Is this your podcast?Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
- history enthusiasts
- society and culture
Podcast Focus
- true stories of failures
- lessons from catastrophes
Publishing Consistency
- weekly episodes
- active for six years
Platform Reach
- available on major platforms
- Pushkin Industries production
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Most discussed topics
Brands & references
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 49 chart positions in 49 markets.
By chart position
- 🇦🇺AU · History#12300K to 1M
- 🇨🇦CA · History#14300K to 1M
- 🇬🇧GB · History#20300K to 1M
- 🇺🇸US · History#29100K to 300K
- 🇩🇪DE · History#9630K to 100K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
452K to 1.5M🎙 Daily cadence·232 episodes·Last published yesterday - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
1.5M to 5.0M🇦🇺20%🇨🇦20%🇬🇧20%+46 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
829K to 2.7M
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
—
* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
From 25 epsHost
Recent guests
Recent episodes
Talent, Time and Money: The Curse of General Magic
Sep 11, 2026
38m 36s
Evel Knievel Faces the Abyss
Sep 4, 2026
40m 22s
Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida
Aug 28, 2026
39m 19s
The DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drugs and Marty McFly's Car - with Business History
Aug 21, 2026
49m 04s
Proceed with Caution - Pascal's Guide to Podcasts
Aug 14, 2026
25m 42s
Social Links & Contact
Official channels & resources
Official Website
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| Date | Episode | Topics | Guests | Brands | Places | Keywords | Sponsor | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/11/26 | Talent, Time and Money: The Curse of General Magic | It's 1990. A new company called General Magic is going to build its vision of the future: the smart phone. They have talent, almost unlimited cash, and a 15 year head start on the iPhone. What could go wrong? This episode was based, with permission, on David Epstein's book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make us Better. For a list of sources, see the show notes. Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 38m 36s | ||||||
| 9/4/26 | Evel Knievel Faces the Abyss | 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 need a custom-made rocket-powered "Skycycle," TV camera crews and - most importantly - a very positive attitude. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 40m 22s | ||||||
| 8/28/26 | Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida | 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 list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 39m 19s | ||||||
| 8/21/26 | The DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drugs and Marty McFly's Car - with Business History | 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 project, provided he built his factory in a troubled part of Northern Ireland. Production stumbled, sales fizzled and DeLorean liked to fiddle with the numbers. As the company approached ruin, a neighbour offered DeLorean a lifeline, if he'd only come in on a cocaine deal. See the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 49m 04s | ||||||
| 8/14/26 | Proceed with Caution - Pascal's Guide to Podcasts | 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 best to avoid 'Mickey Mousing', and how to sound design some of the stranger moments of Cautionary Tales. To subscribe to the Cautionary Club and hear more like this, go to patreon.com/cautionaryclub. Dumm und Dümmer : Hitler Invades Florida is available now on Patreon, or will be released on this feed on August 28th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 25m 42s | ||||||
| 8/7/26 | The Weight of Fame: A Hollywood Tragedy | Talented and beautiful, Molly O'Day is a rising star in 1920s Hollywood. But when Molly's teenage body starts to change and she can no longer fit into the dress she wore when she was 16, the studio wants nothing to do with her. As the scripts dry up and the money runs out, Molly faces a difficult but painfully familiar choice. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 41m 39s | ||||||
| 7/31/26 | Arsenic and Lace: The Trial of the Yorkshire Witch - with Maddy Pelling | Mary Bateman lived in Yorkshire in the late 18th Century, an age that prized rational thought. Many people still longed to believe in the old ways and Bateman used this to her advantage, selling spells and enchantments to the desperate. Dr Maddy Pelling, co-host of the After Dark podcast and author of Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment, joins Tim to tell the tale of the villainous Yorkshire Witch, and just how far she was willing to go. For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 43m 31s | ||||||
| 7/24/26 | The Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise | The Herald of Free Enterprise is a new class of ferry that allows cars to drive directly into the ship. The doors must be closed before every departure, or the ship sails with a gaping hole at one end. One black night in 1987, on the freezing waters off Zebrugge, Belgium, a single crew member falls asleep at the worst possible time. For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. | 37m 48s | ||||||
| 7/17/26 | nuclear energyhistory+3 | — | Cautionary Tales | BritainNorthern England | Windscalenuclear accident+3 | — | 40m 32s | ||
| 7/10/26 | radio historynonconformity+3 | — | WOR | New York | Jean ShepherdWOR radio+5 | — | 40m 43s | ||
| 7/3/26 | AIautomation+4 | Sarah O'Connor | Pushkin IndustriesFT+1 | — | Ludditesautomation+5 | — | 41m 40s | ||
| 6/26/26 | disasterhistory+3 | — | Pushkin IndustriesCautionary Tales | North End, Boston | Boston Molasses DisasterArthur Jell+3 | — | 41m 14s | ||
| 6/19/26 | Irish Crown Jewelstheft+4 | — | Dublin Castletimharford.com | Ireland | Irish Crown Jewelstheft+5 | — | 42m 24s | ||
| 6/12/26 | amnesiainsurance fraud+4 | — | Pushkin Industries | London | John Darwinamnesia+5 | — | 40m 19s | ||
| 6/11/26 | Plantagenet DynastyMiddle Ages+4 | Dan Jones | This is HistoryCautionary Club+2 | — | PlantagenetTudor+7 | — | 33m 23s | ||
| 6/5/26 | civilization collapsehistory+4 | Paul Cooper | Fall of Civilizations PodcastFall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline | BritanniaRoman Empire+2 | civilizationscollapse+6 | — | 42m 07s | ||
| 5/29/26 | D-Daymilitary history+4 | — | Sherman tanksHitler’s Atlantic Wall | Nazi-occupied FranceOmaha Beach | D-DaySherman tanks+5 | — | 39m 32s | ||
| 5/22/26 | inventionenvironment+3 | — | Pushkin Industries | — | Thomas Midgleyinventions+4 | — | 36m 38s | ||
| 5/19/26 | climate changeinvestigative journalism+3 | Amy Westervelt | DrilledPushkin Industries+1 | BrazilNorth Dakota+1 | climate denialdisinformation+3 | — | 28m 06s | ||
| 5/15/26 | John Deephilosopher's stone+4 | — | Pushkin Industries | French town | John Deephilosopher's stone+5 | — | 46m 52s | ||
| 5/8/26 | astrologyTudor England+4 | — | — | Tudor England | John Deeastrology+4 | — | 43m 14s | ||
| 5/1/26 | tech entrepreneurshipfraud scandals+4 | Katie Prescott | Hewlett PackardAutonomy+1 | — | Mike LynchBill Gates+5 | — | 40m 42s | ||
| 4/24/26 | businessentrepreneurship+4 | — | McDonald's | — | burgersRay Kroc+3 | — | 40m 30s | ||
| 4/17/26 | marathonwomen in sports+1 | — | Teenage Cancer Trust | — | Kathrine SwitzerBoston Marathon+1 | — | 36m 48s | ||
| 4/10/26 | explorationdecision making+1 | — | The Lovestruck Explorer's Deadly Guessing Game | Australia | AustraliaBurke and Wills+2 | — | 39m 11s | ||
Showing 25 of 229
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Distribution & Reach
About the show, platforms, and key insights.
Distribution & Reach
About the show, platforms, and key insights.
Key insights
What the show covers
- true stories of failures
- lessons from catastrophes
- humorous fiascos
- education for adults
Audience interests
- history enthusiasts
- society and culture
- human error stories
- true cautionary tales
Platform reach
- available on major platforms
- Pushkin Industries production
- growing listener base
- no specific platforms listed
Publishing consistency
- weekly episodes
- active for six years
- new episodes every Friday
- consistent release schedule
Chart history for Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Peaked at #6 in PH, top 10 in 4 of 49 tracked markets, currently #6 in PH.
| Market | Genre | Peak | Current | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PH | — | #6 | #6 | — |
| South Africa | — | #8 | #8 | — |
| SG | — | #10 | #10 | — |
| MY | — | #10 | #10 | — |
| Australia | — | #12 | #12 | — |
| Canada | — | #14 | #14 | — |
| New Zealand | — | #15 | #15 | — |
| HK | — | #15 | #15 | — |
| KE | — | #19 | #19 | — |
| United Kingdom | — | #20 | #20 | — |
| Ireland | — | #21 | #21 | — |
| IL | — | #21 | #21 | — |
| PT | — | #22 | #22 | — |
| GR | — | #24 | #24 | — |
| Brazil | — | #28 | #28 | — |
| United States | — | #29 | #29 | — |
| Norway | — | #29 | #29 | — |
| India | — | #35 | #35 | — |
| NG | — | #38 | #38 | — |
| Denmark | — | #40 | #40 | — |
Chart Positions
49 placements across 49 markets.
Chart Positions
49 placements across 49 markets.