William McGonagall's poems are something else. The jarring meter, the banal imagery, the awkward rhymes: they made him a laughing stock in 19th Century Scotland and are still derided to this day. How does someone get that bad at poetry? Or have we been misunderstanding McGonagall all along?

William McGonagall's poems are something else. The jarring meter, the banal imagery, the awkward rhymes: they made him a laughing stock in 19th Century Scotland and are still derided to this day. How does someone get that bad at poetry? Or have we been misunderstanding McGonagall all along?

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 Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo;) 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 Friday.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life 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” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Undercover Economist&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fd2acf28-383a-4874-b266-b33900f48f7c/transcript

In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him. The spirit of a miner who died in a collapse is calling to him. Is the ghostly figure a waking dream, a trick of the light, or something we should take altogether more seriously?  

For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com

Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the Cautionary Club on Patreon.

In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him. The spirit of a miner who died in a collapse is calling to him. Is the ghostly figure a waking dream, a trick of the light, or something we should take altogether more seriously?&nbsp;&nbsp;
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>
Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://patreon.com/cautionaryclub" data-airgap-id="11">Cautionary Club</a> on Patreon.

Why Miners See Ghosts | Halloween Season 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ebb3c9a0-1133-4bd1-9262-b4f10119a10b/transcript

This episode comes to you from Unexplained, the podcast that explores mysterious and haunting true stories.

In 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, eight marines are tasked with occupying an isolated outpost known as The Rock. For those marines, the war is going to become stranger than any of them could have imagined.

Unexplained is available wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode comes to you from Unexplained, the podcast that explores mysterious and haunting true stories.
In 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, eight marines are tasked with occupying an isolated outpost known as The Rock. For those marines, the war is going to become stranger than any of them could have imagined.
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unexplained/id1078112813">Unexplained</a> is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Introducing... Unexplained: Lying in Wait

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d34f4d57-0dc0-4d50-a4bc-b4f0002b279b/transcript

In 1612, a young woman encounters a pedlar in the British countryside. A seemingly trivial quarrel spirals into chaos when the pedlar is struck down by an unknown force, leading to one of Britain's most notorious witch trials.

Justice for Witches Campaign: https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/

For a full list of sources see the show notes at timharford.com

Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the Cautionary Club on Patreon.

In 1612, a young woman encounters a pedlar in the British countryside. A seemingly trivial quarrel spirals into chaos when the pedlar is struck down by an unknown force, leading to one of Britain's most notorious witch trials.
Justice for Witches Campaign:&nbsp;<a href="https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/" data-airgap-id="11">https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/</a>
For a full list of sources see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>
Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://patreon.com/cautionaryclub" data-airgap-id="12">Cautionary Club</a> on Patreon.

The Pedlar and the Witch | Halloween Season

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6ad5895b-d8cf-4caf-a3f1-b4eb00e64f21/transcript

"Genius Still Unrecognised" - The Worst Poet in the World

In 1 playlist(s)

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips