BBC Radio Podcasts from Sideways
62. Lost and Found
A 48-hour fight to survive, lost in a snowstorm. And the data that helps rescuers find us.
61. Brain Strain
Matthew Syed explores the uncomfortable psychological phenomenon of cognitive dissonance.
60. For the love of maths
Meet the former child star who considers mathematics to be 'a balm' for her brain.
59. What's Your Name?
Matthew Syed explores the importance and influence of something we all have - our name.
58. The Keeper of Lost Memories
One man’s mission to return lost photographs to their original owners.
57. Grudge Match
A wrestling grudge spills out of the ring and into the real world.
Sideways: Season nine - coming soon...
A slamming new season... starting with a pro wrestling grudge that got too real.
56. A Cinderella Story
How a Cinderella film from 1970s Czechoslovakia became a Christmas tradition across Europe
55. Perfectly Mediocre
Matthew Syed asks what happens when we shun excellence and embrace mediocrity.
54. Copy Cat
Matthew Syed hears from a painter who rose to fame by copying the works of others.
53. Stories of a Father
Matthew Syed explores how a daughter found connection with the father she never met.
52. First Loves
Matthew Syed finds out why our first loves can hold a special place in our hearts.
51. The One Star Chef
Is the customer always right? Matthew Syed delves into the world of online reviews.
Sideways: Season eight - coming soon...
First loves, harsh critics and a celebration of mediocrity. Six new Sideways stories.
50. Take the First Step
Matthew makes a case for the impact that even the smallest adventures can have on us all.
49. Inside Marjorie's Parlour
Matthew Syed explores how music can become a powerful, transformational force.
48. Love Thy Villain
Matthew Syed looks at the merits of embracing your inner 'villain'.
47. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 3
Matthew Syed tells the story of China's rise in the 20th century - through ping pong.
46. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 2
Matthew Syed tells the story of China's rise in the 20th century - through ping pong.
45. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 1
Matthew Syed tells the story of China's rise in the 20th century - through ping pong.
Introducing - China's Ping Pong Power
Matthew Syed tells the story of China’s rise in the 20th century through… ping pong.
44. Matthew’s been telling tales
Matthew Syed explores the importance of storytelling for understanding ourselves.
43. Do I really sound like that?
Matthew Syed explores how our accents become part of our identity.
42. The Big Reward
Matthew Syed explores the true cost of rewarding people.
41. A Small Bowl of Rocket
Matthew Syed sticks his fork into the world of food to think about how taste is formed.
40. The Embodiment of Music
Matthew Syed explores the passion and the pain of music.
39. Please, I beg you.
Matthew Syed tells the story of how a leap of trust altered two strangers’ lives.
38. Past Your Peak
Matthew Syed unpicks the relationship between age and innovation.
Season Six – Coming soon…
Matthew Syed introduces season six, which explores leaps of trust and child prodigies.
37. My Last 5p
Matthew Syed explores how one act of generosity can have profound consequences.
36. All in a Name
Matthew Syed explores how finding the right words can help us tackle big wrongs.
35. The Riddle
Matthew Syed unravels a riddle set in the future, to consider the importance of legacy.
34. It Takes a Village
Matthew Syed thinks about how we can get more of the good stuff out of family life.
33. Doc and Jim: A Beautiful Partnership
How Dr William Key and his super smart horse 'Beautiful' Jim Key made America kinder.
32. The Social Contagion
Matthew Syed examines the strange spread of illness in a school in Yorkshire.
Sideways Season Five – Coming soon…
Matthew Syed introduces season five, which looks at being less cynical, family and legacy.
31. To Absent Friends
Matthew Syed explores why we make friends and the lifelong influence they have over us.
30. The Woman in the Portrait
How can understanding our ancestors make us feel whole?
29. Fooling the Opposition
Matthew delves into deception in sport and how it gives us the upperhand.
28. Exiting the Bunker
Matthew examines the routes to a safer nuclear future.
27. A Blip on the Radar
Matthew Syed explores how we might deal with the extreme risks that nuclear weapons pose.
26. War Games in the Pink Tower
Matthew Syed goes inside a wargame to explore the evolution of deterrence.
25. A Nuclear Awakening
Matthew Syed explores urgent intellectual questions posed by nuclear weapons.
The Nuclear Reckoning
Matthew Syed is calling for a nuclear awakening. Series starts 13th July 2022.
24. Sweet Harmony
Matthew Syed asks whether thinking musically could bring us more harmony in our lives.
23. Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea
Matthew Syed explores ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.
22. Inspiring Bill Strickland
Matthew Syed explores how inspiring teachers can change the world, one student at a time.
21. The Woman Who Brought Down the Mob
Matthew Syed tells the story of a pioneering lawyer who took on a notorious mobster.
20. An appointment with Dr Leech
Matthew Syed explores how knowledge is lost and found.
19. Is This What Success Looks Like?
Matthew Syed reveals the real secrets to success.
18. Tongue-Tied
Matthew Syed explores why words fail us and how we can find them again.
17. The Endurance of Arlene Blum
Matthew Syed reveals how to get to the top of the mountains in our lives.
Series 3 Coming Soon
Matthew Syed introduces the new series, which focuses on endurance, courage & resilience.
16. Big Head
Matthew Syed ponders how he can stop himself from becoming self-entitled.
15. Best Feet Forward
Matthew Syed reveals how teams can become greater than their individual parts.
14. Let's All Be Batman
Matthew Syed asks whether adopting an alter ego can unleash the best versions of ourself.
13. A Question Of Justice
Matthew Syed asks, how do you repair the greatest of harms?
12. Brighter than Bagpuss
Insights into the developing mind, from the pioneers who revolutionised kids’ TV.
11. Too Big to Succeed
Matthew Syed asks why major projects often fail spectacularly - spectacularly predictably.
10. Under the Influence
Matthew Syed examines the appeal of the myth of subliminal influence.
9. Originality Armageddon
Matthew Syed asks if we are all doomed to be deeply unoriginal.
Introducing the new series
Matthew returns with a new series of Sideways, all about the ideas that shape our lives.
8. Mental Athletics
Matthew Syed asks whether anyone can become a mental athlete.
7. Top of the Pops
Matthew Syed asks what a Swedish pop music maestro can teach us about collaboration.
6. A Recipe for Happiness
Matthew Syed asks whether the secret to happiness lies in abandoning social hierarchy.
5. The Most Selfish People on Earth
Matthew Syed examines the work of the controversial anthropologist Colin Turnbull.
4. Looping the Loop
What can the world's greatest fighter pilot tell us about decision making?
3. The West and the Rest
Matthew Syed asks whether an ancient shift in our sexual behaviour transformed the west.
2. 1 in 73 Million
Matthew Syed explores a tragic court battle which rests upon one crucial statistic.
1. Siding with the Enemy
Matthew Syed re-examines the origins of the Stockholm Syndrome.
See The World Differently
Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives.