Does the average teacher really earn £54,000?

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

(00:32) A government minister has informed the nation that average teacher pay in England is around £54,000. Radio 4 listeners are howling at the radio in disbelief. Surely someone from the IFS would be able to explain all this? We interview someone from the IFS to explain all this.

(06:32) A headline in the Independent suggests that Russian soldiers survive an average of 20 minutes when they get to the front line, citing a historian, citing Russian bloggers. Is the number a good one? We take a peek into the murky information ecosystem that surrounds the war in Ukraine.

(15:00) A loyal listener has resent a burning question that - mortifyingly - he first asked us nearly three years ago: why is air travel cheaper than rail travel? We push our guilt deep, deep down then make it worse by challenging the premise of the question.

(21:18) Is every shuffle of a deck of cards an unprecedented event in the history of the universe? It’s a bold claim, but maths YouTuber and comedian Matt Parker has done his homework. We invite him into the studio to make his case - and show off his shuffling skills.

More or Less is the programme that looks at numbers and statistics in news and in life. We’re always looking for questions from listeners - you can contact us on moreorless@bbc.co.uk.

Guests: Luke Sibieta - Research Economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Andrey Vladov - BBC Monitoring Mark Galeotti - author of Forged in War - A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today Simon Calder - Travel Correspondent at the Daily Telegraph Matt Parker - Mathematician, comedian and YouTuber (Stand-up Maths)

Presenter: Tim Harford Series Producer: Tom Colls Reporter: Josh McMinn Producers: Nathan Gower, Lizzy McNeill Editor: Richard Vadon Programme Coordinator: Siobhan Reed Sound Engineer: James Beard