Cautionary Tales (podcast)

Cautionary Tales is a podcast produced by Pushkin Industries and hosted by economic journalist Tim Harford. Each episode presents a story of historical failure and analyzes it for patterns and lessons useful in the current day.

Cautionary Tales
Presentation
Hosted byTim Harford
GenreEducational
Production
No. of seasons3
Publication
Original releaseNovember 15, 2019
ProviderPushkin Industries
Related
Websitewww.pushkin.fm/podcasts/cautionary-tales

Background

Prior to his work on Cautionary Tales, Harford authored books on economics and wrote a long-running Financial Times column called the Undercover Economist.[1]

Pushkin is a podcast company specializing in social science and the arts, founded by author Malcolm Gladwell and media executive Jacob Weisberg in 2018.[2] In addition to Cautionary Tales, the company produces Gladwell's podcast Revisionist History and author Michael Lewis's Against the Rules.[3]

The podcast launched on Pushkin on November 15, 2019. “We’ve always warned children by telling them unsettling fairy tales. But my Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups. And my Cautionary Tales are all true,” Harford said of the new show. “Together we weave stories of human error, of tragic catastrophes and hilarious fiascos."[1]

In November 2022, Harford presented an episode live at the Bristol Festival of Ideas.[4]

Format

Episodes of the podcast have covered failed scientific breakthroughs and inventions, redundant safety features, human error and other examples of oversights, mistakes and catastrophe.[5][6][7] Harford's analysis draws on disciplines such as economics, psychology and sociology.[8]

It often features voice actors who portray historical figures discussed in episodes; cast members have included British actors Alan Cumming, Russell Tovey and Rufus Wright.[9]

Seasons
Season Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 14 November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15) July 17, 2020 (2020-07-17)
2 16 February 26, 2021 (2021-02-26) October 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
3 March 25, 2022 (2022-03-25) continuing

References
  1. White, Peter (2019-11-04). "Alan Cumming, Archie Panjabi & Russell Tovey To Feature In 'Cautionary Tales' Podcast From Malcolm Gladwell's Pushkin Industries". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  2. Zilber, Ariel (2023-09-29). "Malcolm Gladwell's Pushkin Industries lays off 30% of staff". New York Post. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  3. "Seeking Scale, Pushkin Industries Aligns With iHeart For Podcast Production, Sales". Insideradio.com. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  4. "Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford". Bristol Ideas. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  5. Wickham, Edward (30 June 2023). "Radio review: Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford, and This Cultural Life". Church Times. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  6. Davies, Hannah J.; Verdier, Hannah; Sanderson, Max (2020-06-19). "Why human beings are so irrational, and never learn – podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  7. Hernandez, Frank (April 23, 2021). "Endless Thread Presents: Cautionary Tales". WBUR. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  8. "Podcasts of the week: painful mistakes and extraordinary people". The Week (magazine). 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  9. Meyer, Dan (November 5, 2019). "Alan Cumming and Russell Tovey to Re-Enact Pivotal Historical Moments on New Podcast". Playbill. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
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