Sex, Drugs and Empty Homes episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 7, 2026 · 29 MIN

Sex, Drugs and Empty Homes

from More or Less · host BBC Radio 4

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes. In the third episode, we’re searching for answers to these questions:Are there really 700,000 empty homes that could be used to solve the housing crisis?Does the NHS pay less for drugs than health services in other countries?Is violent crime going up or down?Is the UK in the midst of a fertility crisis?Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: [email protected]:Dr Huseyin Naci, Associate Professor and Director the Pharmaceutical Policy Lab at the London School of Economics Professor Jennifer Dowd, deputy director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science at the University of OxfordCredits:Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Lizzy McNeill and Nathan Gower Producers: Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and James Beard Editor: Richard Vadon

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jan 7, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Sex, Drugs and Empty Homes

0:00 29:13

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of More or Less?

This episode is 29 minutes long.

When was this More or Less episode published?

This episode was published on January 7, 2026.

Can I download this More or Less episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!