Sideways

BBC Radio 4

Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.

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23 episodes
weekly
Avg 27 min
English

Episodes 23

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Wednesday · 29 min
The Stranger
The remarkable power in all of us to help complete strangers.
August 19 · 28 min
Stolen Notes
A priceless instrument goes missing and changes the path of a musician’s career.
August 12 · 28 min
Good Vibes Only
When tragedy strikes, why do we so often respond with positivity?
August 5 · 28 min
Brainless
Meet the highly intelligent, bright yellow blob that doesn’t have a brain.
July 29 · 28 min
Stick to the Script
Throwing away the script to unlock the brain’s creative potential.
July 22 · 29 min
Small Giants
Shrinking down the things that matter most, to something we can hold in our hand.
July 8 · 3 min
Returning Soon
Sideways returns with eight new stories of seeing the world differently.
April 1 · 28 min
The Talent Trap
A conductor walks away from a life built on decades of honing her talent.
March 25 · 29 min
The Hands of Forgiveness
An act of forgiveness sets off a chain of events that alters the life of one woman.
March 18 · 28 min
Absurdity on Toast
A young man is arrested in his home, and his ordinary life turns absurd.
March 11 · 28 min
Dangerous Ideas
Matthew Syed considers whether some ideas are simply too dangerous to explore.
March 3 · 29 min
Scream Queen
A metal singer reveals how letting out her scream transformed her life.
February 25 · 29 min
The Story My Sister Told Me
How one childhood story helped change the course of many lives.
February 18 · 28 min
Broody Men
Matthew Syed challenges assumptions about male desire to have a baby.
February 11 · 28 min
The Scientist and the Miracle
Matthew Syed considers whether miracles can be compatible with scientific thinking.
Sep 10, 2025 · 28 min
Hide and Seek
What’s the real appeal of secret societies? Mystery, belonging or something else entirely?
Sep 3, 2025 · 28 min
Crazy Cat Lady
Why does a childless woman with cats cause such cultural panic? Matthew Syed investigates.
Aug 27, 2025 · 28 min
When Time Slows Down
Matthew Syed asks if slow-motion experiences suggest the way we think of time is illusory.
Aug 20, 2025 · 28 min
Me, Myself and Mine
What does it mean to own your body - and is that even the right question to ask?
Aug 13, 2025 · 29 min
Inventing a Language
Matthew Syed explores our extraordinary capacity to invent new systems of communication.

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes