Podcast Episodes

FIFA World Cup Extravaganza

The World Cup starts this week and the More or Less team is marking the event by looking at the data behind all the World Cups since 1966 (our data shows that this was the best world cup because Engl…

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

WS More or Less: How Many Animals are Born Every Day?

From penguins to nematodes, is it possible to count how many animals are born around the world every day?

That’s the question one 10-year-old listener wants answered, and so reporter Kate Lamble sets …

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

Infant Mortality, How to Reduce Exam Revision With Maths, London’s Murder Rate

(0.24) Infant mortality is on the rise in England and Wales – but is this change down to social issues such as obesity and deprivation, as claimed, or the way doctors count very premature babies?

(9.…

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

Counting Rough Sleepers

How do you count the number of people sleeping rough? According to the latest official figures around 4700 people were sleeping in the streets in the autumn of 2017. And that got us thinking. These s…

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

The High Street, Home Births and Harry Potter Wizardry

Is WH Smith really the worst shop on the High Street? Harry Potter fans want to know how many wizards there are – we try to work it out. Is giving birth at home as safe as giving birth in hospital?

(P…

Published on 7 years, 6 months ago

WS More or Less: Australia Calling

This week we tackle some of our listeners’ questions from Australia: do one in seven businessmen throw out their pants after wearing them once? This is a claim made by an expert talking about clothes…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

Forecasting rain, teabags and voter ID trials

(00.28) Reading the BBC weather app – we explain the numbers on the forecast (06:55) University of Oxford Admissions: how diverse is its intake? (11:37) Voter idea trial at the local elections – cou…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

WS More or Less: James Comey - Basketball Superstar?

Former FBI Director James Comey is very, very tall – over two metres tall, or 6’8” - and many media outlets commented on his height during his recent run-in with President Trump.

But to what extent d…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

Poverty, Progress 8 and how green is grass?

(0.22) Are more children from working families in poverty? (6.50) Progress 8 – explaining the new school league tables for England (12.51) Can a garden product really make your grass 6 times greener?…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago

WS More or Less: Tulipmania mythology

The story goes that Amsterdam in the 1630’s was gripped by a mania for Tulip flowers. But then there was a crash in the market. People ended up bankrupt and threw themselves into canals. This story i…

Published on 7 years, 7 months ago