Why are so many ex-prisoners being sent back to prison?

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news. This week:

(00:38) The number of people being recalled to prison after early release in England and Wales is rising sharply. Why?

(07:37) Is the UK millionaire an endangered species? We ask Duncan Weldon - he’s like David Attenborough, but for economics.

(14:21) A viral graph seems to show that Europe is having a record low year for wildfires. How can we reconcile this with this summer’s shocking coverage of fires in France and Spain?

(21:36) We all know seagulls are low-life thieves - but can they really be responsible for £171m worth of robbery? Prepare for five minutes of public service journalism at its finest.

Guests:

Cassia Rowland, Senior Researcher at the Institute for Government

Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor at Our World in Data

Duncan Weldon, economist and author of Blood and Treasure

Presenter: Tim Harford

Series Producer: Tom Colls

Reporter: Lizzy McNeill