Sideways

Sideways

BBC Radio 4

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

71. Tempting Fate

71. Tempting Fate

Tempting fate is often seen as a fine line between courage and foolishness. It’s rooted in the belief that pushing certain boundaries or showing too much confidence might invite some kind of cosmic retribution.Even those who don’t believe in fate hesitate to take chances, driven by an instinctual fear of what might go wrong. Matthew Syed explores why we’re both drawn to and wary of tempting fate, and why our minds often trick us into a bit of magical thinking.By unpacking the dynamics of hubris,

Feb 19, • 29:27

70. Digital Ghosts

70. Digital Ghosts

Amy Kurzweil’s dad is a famous inventor, futurist and pioneer in the field of AI. In 2015, she discovers his aspiration to make an AI chatbot of her late grandfather, Fred. Fred was a musician who dramatically escaped the Holocaust, but he died before Amy was born. Matthew Syed delves into Amy’s fascinating journey with her father to build the ‘Fredbot’ and have an online conversation with the grandfather she never met. He also hears from Lynne Nieto, who worked with her late husband to make an

Feb 12, • 28:48

69. Memento Mori

69. Memento Mori

The passing of time brings inevitable change - corrosion, disintegration and, eventually, disappearance. While the certainty of this process may seem like cause for despair, Matthew Syed explores the beauty that can be found in the process of decay.American composer William Basinski, watching his old reel-to-reel tapes disintegrate into a masterpiece of ambient music, discovered how even decay can lead to something unexpectedly profound.In Detroit’s abandoned neighbourhoods, the ruins tell a sto

Feb 5, • 29:07

68. Bliss in Suffering

68. Bliss in Suffering

When David Wright went to Iraq as an 18-year-old soldier - he had no idea the battlefield would become a place where he’d enter deep states of bliss. For decades, David remained silent about the intense joy he experienced alongside the horrors of war. Matthew Syed ponders the extraordinary possibility of experiencing joy while suffering and hears more about the remarkable potential of the brain to respond to trauma in unexpected ways. He discovers how others too, like actor Renu Arora, experienc

Jan 29, • 29:24

67. Reality Shifting

67. Reality Shifting

In 2020, a curious trend went viral on social media, especially among teenagers and young adults. As much of the world stayed at home to curb the spread of COVID-19, Reality Shifters began claiming they could move from one reality to another, referencing multiverse theory.Beyond the actual possibility of switching between realities, this craze raised intriguing questions about the fabric of the reality we experience. Philosophers and scientists have long speculated about the existence of multipl

Jan 22, • 29:20

Sideways: Series eleven - coming soon…

Sideways: Series eleven - coming soon…

Sideways returns with seven new stories of seeing the world differently and the ideas that shape our lives. Stories about everything from the ethics of using AI to simulate conversations with the dead to viewing decay as a vehicle for rebirth. Listen to the eleventh series of Sideways first on BBC Sounds.Presenter: Matthew Syed Producers: Julien Manuguerra-Patten, Vishva Samani and Caroline Thornham Series Editors: Georgia Moodie and Max O'Brien Sound Design and Mix: Daniel Kempson and Nicholas

Jan 10, • 2:15

25 Years of the 21st Century: 5. The Age of Artificial Intelligence

25 Years of the 21st Century: 5. The Age of Artificial Intelligence

Geoffrey Hinton's work laid the foundation for today's artificial intelligence systems. His research on neural networks has paved the way for current AI systems like ChatGPT.In artificial intelligence, neural networks are systems that are similar to the human brain in the way they learn and process information. They enable artificial intelligence to learn from experience, as human beings would.But Geoffrey Hinton has warned that machines could one day outsmart humans. He has even warned that aut

Jan 10, • 28:06

25 Years of the 21st Century: 4. The Age of Changing Families

25 Years of the 21st Century: 4. The Age of Changing Families

As we swipe to find love and consult chatbot therapists, Matthew Syed asks how technology has altered the way we approach dating, friendship and community.It’s not all technology, though. Key changes in social trends, medical innovations, demography and economic factors have also played a part in how people live. How have relationships changed in the past 25 years?Contributors Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford and author of several acclai

Jan 9, • 28:36

25 Years of the 21st Century: 3. The Age of Outsourcing

25 Years of the 21st Century: 3. The Age of Outsourcing

Is this the age of outsourcing? This is not a show about call centres in India. Rather, it's a look at a much deeper shift in who we are, how we think, and where value is created. In some ways, it's the most dizzying and philosophical shift of all. In this episode, we attempt to understand outsourcing at the macro level - how corporations have outsourced so much that they’ve become hollow. And we look at the micro level - how we've outsourced our minds and memories to technology. Contributors Ma

Jan 8, • 28:19

The Age of Mistrust

The Age of Mistrust

In this series, we’re remembering some of the big events of this century and asking how they’re shaping us. This programme is all about trust. Have we lost faith in institutions, politicians, even money? Some people say there is an onslaught of misinformation and a battle for truth. So who do we trust now?Matthew is joined by Margaret MacMillan a historian and author, Rachel Botsman the author of three books on trust and Helen Margetts, a Professor of Society and the Internet at the University

Jan 6, • 28:18

The Age of Digital Warfare

The Age of Digital Warfare

In this series, we’re remembering some of the big events of this century and asking how they’re shaping us. This programme is all about war and conflict: from the events of September 11th 2001, to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We're also looking artificial intelligence on the battlefield. Where might that take us? Matthew is joined by historian and writer Margaret MacMillan, former Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Nick Carter and author, Professor Anthony King.Production team Editor: Sara Wadeson P

Jan 6, • 28:22

Appetite for Distraction: 5. The Future of Attention

Appetite for Distraction: 5. The Future of Attention

Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.In this final episode, he considers where our media consumption might be headed. Many are concerned about smartphone addiction and a disintegration of public discourse, but others see a brighter future and our current times as a turning point to a world where the capacities of technology are used to benefit of society.Matthew speaks to a former tech engineer who has become a philosopher and activist on atte

Dec 3, 2024 • 15:26

Appetite for Distraction: 4. Attention Shortfall?

Appetite for Distraction: 4. Attention Shortfall?

Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.In this episode Matthew traces the inexorable rise of shortform video and investigates its success. He asks what the increasing popularity of this type of media might mean for our attention and finds out about the people using for purposes that may have surprised Neil Postman.Apps such as Tik Tok, Youtube and Snapchat are ubiquitous and for many have become the chief way that they consume media. What does w

Dec 3, 2024 • 14:27

Appetite for Distraction: 3. Medium and Metaphor

Appetite for Distraction: 3. Medium and Metaphor

Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention. In this episode, Matthew analyses the medium through which we consume so much our media, the smartphone, and asks how whether it changes the nature of how we read, watch and interpret the world around us.Matthew looks into the culture of smartphone use around the world and finds out what we can interpret from the growing use of the devices, particularly among younger generations. He looks into the technolo

Dec 3, 2024 • 14:58

Appetite for Distraction: 2. Have We Always Been Distracted?

Appetite for Distraction: 2. Have We Always Been Distracted?

Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.In this episode, Matthew looks into history to uncover different approaches to focus. He finds out where the idea of 'attention' came from, whether there has always been a fear that humanity's ability to focus was declining, and what the historical relationship of technology to distraction has been.He hears from the historian of science D Graham Burnett. Burnett has explored different philosophies of attent

Dec 3, 2024 • 14:22

Appetite for Distraction: 1. Postman's Prophecy?

Appetite for Distraction: 1. Postman's Prophecy?

Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.In this first episode, he seeks answers in the work of the media theorist and educator Neil Postman. Forty years ago Postman wrote 'Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business'. Postman feared that the rise of television had created a world where the image became more important than information, and that democracy was in danger to becoming entertainment.Postman cited the author

Dec 3, 2024 • 15:07

Introducing... Uncharted with Hannah Fry Series 2

Introducing... Uncharted with Hannah Fry Series 2

From exposing fraud to finding true love, mathematician Hannah Fry follows the numbers on thrilling adventures of data and discovery. Join her for Series 2 of Uncharted.

Sep 9, 2024 • 17:26

66. One is a Whole

66. One is a Whole

We all know the power of a great love story. In films, literature, television - a “happy ending” is shorthand for the main characters coupling up at the end. But are these romantic aspirations really a key ingredient for a happy and fulfilled life? Matthew Syed explores the idea that you can be long term single, and happy. Social scientist Bella DePaulo always knew that marriage wasn’t for her. At 70 years-old, she is happily single, and always has been. She’s spent her career researching, writi

Aug 28, 2024 • 28:20

65. Divergent Histories

65. Divergent Histories

In the 1960s and 70s, Maisie Barrett and Noel Gordon were two black British children wrongly labelled as “educationally subnormal”. They were sent to schools where children were never taught to read or write.They’re just two examples of a scandal that affected hundreds of children in the UK, one that has never been officially acknowledged.As adults, Noel and Maisie made a surprising discovery - they were both dyslexic. And with that diagnosis came a profound reimagining of themselves and what ha

Aug 21, 2024 • 28:46

64. The Masks We Wear

64. The Masks We Wear

As a teenager, Raven Saunders dreamt of playing basketball, but their physique led them down a different path. Exceptional strength and size destined them for shot put, ultimately earning them a place on the US track and field team.In 2021, amid the pandemic, Raven became known for their choice of distinctive protective masks at competitions. But the day they chose to wear a mask of The Incredible Hulk, they not only captured the world's attention, but they also showed hidden parts of themselves

Aug 14, 2024 • 29:31

63. The Art of Unfinishing

63. The Art of Unfinishing

Jen Simonic and Masey Kaplan have bonded over a mutual love for knitting for decades.In 2022, the pair of avid knitters decided to search for strangers to help finish an incomplete blanket their bereaved friend’s mother had started. It kickstarted a movement of ‘finishers’ - people around the world who complete the half-knitted works left behind by others. Their concept challenges the idea that we are successful only when we finish what we start, an idea entrenched in our present culture.Matthew

Aug 7, 2024 • 28:27

A New Frontier: 4. With the Gods

A New Frontier: 4. With the Gods

When astronauts journeyed to the moon in the early 1970s, few were paying attention to the psychological impact of the experience. Yet many among those who have left the Earth’s boundary say it is extraordinary and life-changing. They experience a cognitive shift known as the "overview effect".Matthew ponders the potential of staring down at Earth for our collective good and charts how, decades on, the overview effect has found its place at the heart of space tourism. He also delves into the unl

Jul 31, 2024 • 28:49

A New Frontier: 3. Life on Mars

A New Frontier: 3. Life on Mars

Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini-series from Sideways examining the ethics of space exploration in a rapidly expanding era of travel and transformation.In this episode, he explores the role and ambitions of the new actors in space exploration. More people than ever before can now aspire to travel into space with private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. This democratisation of space allows those who can afford it to become astronauts and view our world from a diff

Jul 24, 2024 • 28:34

A New Frontier: 2. For All Humankind?

A New Frontier: 2. For All Humankind?

Matthew Syed continues his four-part mini series exploring the ethics of space exploration, by returning to the origins of the space race, which saw America and the USSR battling for supremacy. He takes a hard look into the reasons why we go to space and whether it has really benefited all humankind. When Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in July 1969, humanity as a whole felt like we’d reached a new frontier. The two astronauts left a plaque behind them, at the bottom of their l

Jul 17, 2024 • 29:04

A New Frontier: 1. A Message to Ourselves

A New Frontier: 1. A Message to Ourselves

In this special series from Sideways, called A New Frontier, Matthew Syed explores the most out of this world ethical questions posed by the evolution of human space exploration. He takes us into the cosmos with stories from astronauts who’ve been there and those who can only dream of going, to explore the moral debates that have permeated space exploration since before the moon landings, and are evolving dramatically today in a new era of commercial space flight, of asteroid mining and almost d

Jul 10, 2024 • 28:59

Introducing – A New Frontier

Introducing – A New Frontier

Travel into the cosmos for a four-part series about the ethics of space exploration. Matthew Syed invites you to enter the vast wilderness of the galaxy to explore the moral dilemmas that sit at the heart of space exploration, and why they should matter to you.When the space race began in the 1960s, the United States and the Soviet Union dominated. Today, multiple commercial entities and many more governments vie for space in the skies above us. Now we may go to other planets not in order to bri

Jul 3, 2024 • 2:36

62. Lost and Found

62. Lost and Found

In 1984, on the eve of the Winter Olympics, Joe Boylan gets lost in a blizzard on an Austrian mountainside. Joe will have to fight with everything he has to survive and be reunited with his family. How he does it reveals often typical patterns of behaviour exhibited by lost people in similar situations.Through the story of Joe’s extraordinary 48-hour battle against the wilderness, Matthew Syed examines the fascinating area of study called Lost Person Behaviour, which has changed the way search a

Mar 27, 2024 • 28:54

61. Brain Strain

61. Brain Strain

In 1972, at the liberal Vassar College in New York, 18-year-old Rick Shenkman stood out for his unwavering support of Richard Nixon, especially as the Watergate scandal unfolded. His unconditional allegiance raises a perplexing question - why would a bright, well-educated student overlook the facts and maintain blind faith in the president?In this episode, Matthew Syed delves into one of the most intriguing facets of human psychology - cognitive dissonance. Conceptualised by Leon Festinger in th

Mar 20, 2024 • 29:11

60. For the love of maths

60. For the love of maths

As a child, Kate Ertmann starred in commercials, in soap operas and on Broadway. But acting wasn’t her first love - mathematics was. She considered it to be “a balm" for her brain. And yet societal and teenage pressures made her turn away from maths.Growing up in Sweden, Sebastian Nillson Qvist loathed maths and found it a real struggle. But he still challenged himself to study it as part of a Political Science and Economics degree. It did not go well.But still, maths came back into their lives.

Mar 13, 2024 • 29:05

59. What's Your Name?

59. What's Your Name?

What's your name? You might think you know, but in this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed discovers the answer could be more complicated than you first assume. That's what Hajar found out, after spending her whole life searching for a name to truly call her own.This is the story of our names, and the influence they have over who we are and who we choose to become. With Hajar Woodland, Eva Echo, Emilia Aldrin, David Zhu and Arjee Restar.Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Leigh Meyer Series Editor:

Mar 6, 2024 • 29:07

58. The Keeper of Lost Memories

58. The Keeper of Lost Memories

In 2020, David Gutenmacher began to buy old photographs and videos that he came across in second hand shops. He was sad about the prospect that families had been severed from their treasured memories, and so he founded the Museum of Lost Memories to try and reconnect people with their personal archives. But when he came across a video of a family on a safari holiday he realised that finding out who was in these videos might not be all that straightforward.Matthew Syed considers the role of photo

Feb 28, 2024 • 29:00

57. Grudge Match

57. Grudge Match

Lee and Drew have been like brothers ever since adolescence. So when Drew betrays Lee in the heat of a tumultuous night in Glasgow, the two men find themselves entangled in a bitter grudge that went way beyond what they could imagine, as the violence and bitterness of the wrestling ring, spilled over into the real world.Grudges are typically seen as dangerous, negative emotions. But is there a glimmer of light to be found amid the darkness of resentment? Matthew Syed questions both the hidden v

Feb 21, 2024 • 28:38

Sideways: Season nine - coming soon...

Sideways: Season nine - coming soon...

Matthew Syed kicks off the new season of Sideways with a story of one of the most brutal grudges ever seen in pro wrestling. Matthew asks us to consider when it's time to let go of a grudge and how. The new season starts on Wednesday 21 February 2024, with other episodes exploring the meaning of photo and video memories, the significance of our names and the creativity of mathematics.

Feb 15, 2024 • 1:31

56. A Cinderella Story

56. A Cinderella Story

On a summer's day in 1974, Norwegian actor Knut Risan steps up to the mic for a voiceover job. It's for a Cinderella movie that's just been acquired by the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, from the country known at the time as Czechoslovakia. NRK want him to dub the film into Norwegian. Knut's just having fun. He's doing all the voices, even the young Cinderella. But he's about to become Norway's "Voice of Christmas" when NRK decides to put the film out as part of its festive line up.Tři oříšky pro P

Dec 6, 2023 • 28:40

55. Perfectly Mediocre

55. Perfectly Mediocre

Cornell University is known for it's elite a cappella scene. It was even the inspiration for the hit film Pitch Perfect. But in 2018 a new group arrived on the scene - Mediocre Melodies. This is the story of how one small group of average singers made a huge impact, as Matthew Syed explores the potential benefits of embracing mediocrity and getting comfortable with being average.Featuring Andrew Greene & Maggie Meister of Mediocre Melodies. With Dr Thomas Curran and Dr Leonaura Rhodes.Presen

Nov 29, 2023 • 28:50

54. Copy Cat

54. Copy Cat

David Henty had a talent for art from a young age. He grew up poring over Hogarth drawings. For a long time, it didn’t feel like something that he could easily pursue. But after two prison sentences spent painting as much as he wanted, there was no looking back. David was set on making a living as an artist. The thing is… the only paintings he could manage to sell for any profit, were all forgeries of famous artists like Lowry, Bacon and Picasso. Matthew Syed explores how David's copy cat approa

Nov 22, 2023 • 28:44

53. Stories of a Father

53. Stories of a Father

Violinist and composer Diana Yukawa lost her father, Akihisa Yukawa, in the Japan Air Lines Flight 123 plane crash of August 1985. The crash was just five weeks before she was born. As she grew up, Diana wanted to get to know her father. Matthew Syed, explores the profound relationship that can exist between parent and child separated by a loss of this kind, and the role of storytelling in creating those connections.Writer Ashley Reese’s husband, Rob, died of cancer in 2022. Ashley is planning t

Nov 15, 2023 • 28:59

52. First Loves

52. First Loves

After Kate and Guenther shared their first kiss on Torquay's pier in the summer of 1989, their blossoming love was soon interrupted by the distance between Yorkshire and Bavaria. Two years later, they had to let go of their early romance. In this episode, we explore rekindled loves, for better or worse, and the challenges we can face when the ghost of an old romance resurfaces. As Matthew Syed reminisces about his own experiences, he delves into the reasons why our first loves are unforgettable.

Nov 8, 2023 • 28:55

51. The One Star Chef

51. The One Star Chef

When chef and independent restaurateur Davide Cerretini first opened his restaurant, it was a dream come true. But that dream quickly soured when he came head to head with ever more pushy and demanding customers. And then online reviews came along...In this story of how one man took on his critics, Matthew Syed examines the role of online reviews - good and bad- in modern consumer culture and delves into whether the customer really is "always right".Featuring Davide Cerretini, restaurant critic

Nov 1, 2023 • 28:34

Sideways: Season eight - coming soon...

Sideways: Season eight - coming soon...

First loves, harsh critics and a celebration of mediocrity - Sideways returns with six new stories about seeing the world differently and the ideas that shape our lives. Presented by Matthew Syed.

Oct 30, 2023 • 2:15

Introducing... The Today Podcast

Introducing... The Today Podcast

Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories of the week. With insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme. Listen and subscribe to The Today Podcast on BBC Sounds. New episodes every Thursday. In this episode, Amol and Nick discuss their first mornings on Today and their most memorable interviews. Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email Today@bbc.co.uk

 The Today Podcast is presented by Amol Rajan an

Oct 9, 2023 • 14:56

Introducing… Uncharted with Hannah Fry

Introducing… Uncharted with Hannah Fry

Behind every line on a graph, there lies an extraordinary human story. Mathematician Hannah Fry is here to tell us ten of them.

Oct 2, 2023 • 14:26

50. Take the First Step

50. Take the First Step

In 2014 Angela Maxwell was feeling stuck. She wanted something fresh, something exciting. After a chance encounter she landed upon her goal - she was going to set off on one of the largest adventures imaginable: a walk around the world. She didn't know exactly how the journey would play out, but that was part of the appeal - the whole planet was waiting for her to just take the first step. In this episode, Matthew Syed hears from Angela about her 6 year walk around the world, from the misery of

Aug 9, 2023 • 28:28

49. Inside Marjorie's Parlour

49. Inside Marjorie's Parlour

Every Sunday afternoon for over 30 years now, Marjorie Eliot has played a jazz concert in her Harlem apartment for anyone who comes. It all began on a Sunday morning back in 1992, after she was faced with an unimaginable loss. In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed explores how music has allowed Marjorie Eliot to look for joy within the deepest of losses. And through the history of jazz itself, he tries to understand how music can become such a powerful, even transcendental force.With actress

Aug 2, 2023 • 28:44

48. Love Thy Villain

48. Love Thy Villain

Three different women, who lead three very different lives, but all became villains...or did they? In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed explores what happens when we indulge in the darker, supposedly more "villainous" parts of ourselves. He looks at the TikTok trend for embracing your so-called villain era and what might happen when we shake off expectations and niceties.With comedian Chelsea Birkby, musician Mala Waldron, Amanda Lovett who became part of the hit TV show Traitors, Dr Margre

Jul 26, 2023 • 28:27

47. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 3

47. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 3

In the final episode of this mini series from Sideways, former professional ping pong player, Matthew Syed, tells the story of how ping pong fared in a more open China. After Chairman Mao's death in 1976, his successor Deng Xiaoping introduced privatisation, contracting out, and a host of reforms that freed key parts of the economy from central control. At the same time, China's table tennis team were starting to lose their primacy in the game, with challenging new styles of play emerging from S

Jul 5, 2023 • 29:00

46. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 2

46. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 2

Former England international table tennis player, Matthew Syed, continues this three-part mini series from Sideways, with a moment that changed the course of China-US relations - when the hippie American player Glen Cowan met the world's greatest table tennis star Zhuang Zedong. This event would usher in rapprochement between the two nations and lay the groundwork for both Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon's landmark visits to the once isolated China.In China's Ping Pong Power, Matthew explores

Jul 5, 2023 • 29:18

45. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 1

45. China's Ping Pong Power: Episode 1

Matthew Syed is a former Olympic table tennis player for Great Britain. As Matthew travelled in China, competing against some of the world’s greatest players, he realised that ping pong is a game that has played a huge and fascinating role in the rise of a great power, taking us from the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 to the sporting ambitions of the country today.Matthew begins this three-part mini series from Sideways, with the story of the rise and tragic death of Rong Guo

Jul 5, 2023 • 29:15

Introducing - China's Ping Pong Power

Introducing - China's Ping Pong Power

Matthew Syed is a former Olympic table tennis player for Great Britain. As Matthew travelled in China, competing against some of the world’s greatest players, he realised that ping pong is a game that has played a huge and fascinating role in the rise of a great power. In this three-part mini series from Sideways, Matthew tells the stranger-than-fiction story of how this little sport transformed China’s international standing.Available from Wednesday 5 July 2023.

Jun 28, 2023 • 2:10

44. Matthew’s been telling tales

44. Matthew’s been telling tales

There’s a story Matthew Syed likes to tell. And he’s told it a lot. It’s about a turning point in his life. It’s about learning from a failure and working hard to overcome his shortfalls and come back stronger. Except - he’s realised he’s been getting the story wrong. A key detail in the timeline is off. The turning point he thought was so important, might not be quite as significant after all. And the story just isn’t as neat…In this episode of Sideways, Matthew’s exploring how we use stories t

Mar 22, 2023 • 28:49

43. Do I really sound like that?

43. Do I really sound like that?

Julie Matthias is in the middle of a regular shift at her hairdressing salon when she begins to feel really strange.Julie is taken to hospital with the symptoms of a stroke, but doctors can find no evidence she has had one. Initially, Julie is unable to speak properly at all. But when her voice returns, friends start to notice something strange. Julie’s standard Southern British accent, typical for the Medway area of Kent where she lives, has disappeared. In its place is a new voice, a new accen

Mar 15, 2023 • 29:12

42. The Big Reward

42. The Big Reward

When Kevin Burkart dove into a murky lake to find a lost wedding ring, he did it for nothing. But did he really gain something much more? In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed explores our preoccupation with rewards and their impacts. With author and lecturer Alfie Kohn, Headteacher of Barrowford Primary Rachel Tomlinson, Felicia Schaefer and Kevin Burkart.Presenter: Matthew Syed Producer: Leigh Meyer Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey Sound Design and Mix by Naomi Clarke A Novel production fo

Mar 8, 2023 • 29:18

41. A Small Bowl of Rocket

41. A Small Bowl of Rocket

Lydia Harris has always struggled with food. For as long as she can remember, she has avoided fruit and vegetables - their texture simply disgusts her. But one day, that began to change, with a small bowl of rocket leaves. Eating is one of the greatest pleasures in life for many of us - but, at the same time, it's an arena fraught with choice and decision. No wonder that, as creatures of habit, many of us settle staunchly upon a shopping list of likes, and a mental bank of dislikes. But in this

Mar 1, 2023 • 29:15

40. The Embodiment of Music

40. The Embodiment of Music

A musician is halfway through a public performance when they realise they might not make it to the end. Their body is fighting them, they’re in extreme pain. But stopping is not an option so they push on. No one would know. But boy does the musician know it. When they come off stage, they are in agony. It feels like their career is at an end.In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed explores the connection between the musician and their instrument and what happens when that precious relationship

Feb 22, 2023 • 29:06

39. Please, I beg you.

39. Please, I beg you.

When Ben Taylor receives a Facebook message from a stranger in Liberia, asking in badly spelled English for financial or business assistance, he quickly assumes it’s a scam. But instead of just ignoring the message, he decides to find out about the person behind it. In this episode, Matthew Syed explores what happens when you let your guard down and make a leap of trust. With author and Oxford University trust fellow Rachel Botsman, philosopher Julian Baggini, Ben Taylor and Joel Mentee-Willie.

Feb 15, 2023 • 29:13

38. Past Your Peak

38. Past Your Peak

John Nunn learnt to play chess aged four. Since before he can remember, he’s had an exceptional talent for maths. In 1970, aged just 15, he started a degree in mathematics at the University of Oxford.In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed ventures into the world of child prodigies. Often depicted as freakish talents with pushy parents, Matthew uncovers the falsehoods and fascinations associated with young brilliant minds. Charting John Nunn’s career, from maths lecturer to chess grandmaster,

Feb 8, 2023 • 28:43

Season Six – Coming soon…

Season Six – Coming soon…

Matthew Syed introduces season six, which explores stories about letting your guard down and making a leap of trust, reaching the peaks of our powers, and finding what truly motivates us to do good things.

Feb 1, 2023 • 3:12

37. My Last 5p

37. My Last 5p

It’s December 2013 and Toni Osborne is struggling, emotionally and financially. She’s five pence short of keeping her electricity on over Christmas. As she heads out into the night to ask her local shopkeeper for help, a homeless man appears and asks for some change. This is Jack Richardson, and when she bursts into tears, it prompts him to give Toni his last five pence. This simple act of giving would alter both their lives in profound ways. In this episode, Matthew Syed explores how the effect

Dec 7, 2022 • 29:49

36. All in a Name

36. All in a Name

In the 1970s, Sandra Bundy was working hard at her job at the Department of Corrections in Washington DC. She loved her job, but just turning up to work was becoming unbearable.Sandra’s male supervisors kept propositioning her for sex, asking her out on dates and making inappropriate comments. When she reported the problem to her boss’s boss, he tried to proposition her too. As the situation escalated, the language of sexual violence was used.Sandra knew what she was experiencing was wrong, but

Nov 30, 2022 • 29:55

35. The Riddle

35. The Riddle

In 2113, a riddle will be solved under the Eiffel Tower. Matthew Syed tells the story of a riddle hidden in the video game Trials Evolution (Ubisoft Redlynx) that became a worldwide treasure hunt that’s yet to be solved, as he considers the role of legacy. Matthew asks how thinking beyond our lifetimes could make life in the present more impactful and might also challenge us to consider how we meet the problems of the future.With Antti Ilvessuo, creator of the riddle, co-Founder and ex-creative

Nov 23, 2022 • 29:23

34. It Takes a Village

34. It Takes a Village

In the early 1970s, Al Garthwaite and some friends move in together in Leeds. They’re about to embark on a big experiment.  They’re living communally, sharing clothes, cooking, and housework. But that’s not all. Inspired by that oft repeated phrase, “it takes a village to raise a child”, they’ve decided to share parenting, helping to raise each other's offspring. What follows is an unconventional family but one full of love and care nonetheless. In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed explores

Nov 16, 2022 • 28:52

33. Doc and Jim: A Beautiful Partnership

33. Doc and Jim: A Beautiful Partnership

The story of how Dr William Key and his super smart horse “Beautiful” Jim Key became one of the biggest acts in America, only to disappear into historical obscurity. But not before they made a profound impact on millions of American children, who pledged to always be kind to animals, as a result of witnessing their extraordinary partnership.Dr William Key was a former enslaved man who became a wealthy entrepreneur before turning his hand to patiently training a sickly foal to do maths and spell

Nov 9, 2022 • 29:05

32. The Social Contagion

32. The Social Contagion

On Armistice Day 2015, Mel gets a phone call from her son’s school, asking her to come in. When she arrives, she finds the car park filled with ambulances and police cars, emergency services buzzing around. It began with someone fainting in assembly and then, like dominoes, more teenagers began to collapse. Students were sent back to their classrooms, but the outbreak spread, with more and more people feeling dizzy and sick.In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed tells the story of a strange f

Nov 2, 2022 • 28:43

Sideways Season Five – Coming soon…

Sideways Season Five – Coming soon…

Matthew Syed introduces season five, which looks at being less cynical, family and legacy.

Oct 26, 2022 • 3:23

31. To Absent Friends

31. To Absent Friends

Nicosia, Cyprus, 2018. Kiri Sofocleous sits down to write a Facebook message to a man she has never met. It has been 40 years since Kiri saw her childhood best friend but she has never forgotten her. Could this be the key to reuniting? Matthew Syed tells the story of one woman’s determination to find a beloved friend, lost for four decades due to a move abroad, a political divide and a mislaid address.It prompts him to explore why we make friends and how they influence the rest of our lives, eve

Aug 24, 2022 • 28:31

30. The Woman in the Portrait

30. The Woman in the Portrait

Matthew Syed follows the story of Bernice Bennett, a woman driven to uncover the truth behind a treasured family portrait. When Bernice was growing up, she was always told how much she looked like her grandmother, Mattie Kemp Alexander. Looking at her grandmother’s portrait, she saw her own eyes looking back. This woman’s face was familiar, and yet Bernice knew so little about her. Feeling the call to know more, Bernice set out on a journey to uncover the stories of her family tree.Through the c

Aug 17, 2022 • 28:36

29. Fooling the Opposition

29. Fooling the Opposition

In 1980, underdog English table tennis player John Hilton stunned audiences with his style of play, effortlessly confounding talented European opponents.In this episode of Sideways, Matthew puts his tactics under the microscope to discover how Hilton used deception to fool his opponents, and use their strengths against them. Deception in sport, Matthew argues, is not underhand, so long as it’s within the rules - and it’s everywhere. With the help of sports psychologist Dr Robin Jackson and goalk

Aug 10, 2022 • 28:27

28. Exiting the Bunker

28. Exiting the Bunker

A pigeon sparks a spy hunt. The clock is ticking and the bunker is calling.In this final episode of our four part nuclear series, Matthew Syed examines the current nuclear landscape. In this complex, multiplayer context how do we create a safer world?We begin in Kashmir, the disputed territory between India and Pakistan, where mutual suspicion has led to nuclear expansion and a delicate balance of power. With our sights understandably on the Ukraine crisis, Matthew argues that while our current

Aug 3, 2022 • 28:44

27. A Blip on the Radar

27. A Blip on the Radar

Angie Zelter is on her way to Loch Goil in Scotland. It’s a beautiful summer’s day, and her friends have packed a picnic. But that’s not the real reason they’re there. Angie has an urgent message to deliver to the world about nuclear weapons. And she’s going to deliver it through an act of destruction. In this episode, Matthew Syed looks at the danger that nuclear weapons pose, even if nations never use them in a deliberate act of war. He hears about the moments we came within a hair’s breadth o

Jul 27, 2022 • 29:55

26. War Games in the Pink Tower

26. War Games in the Pink Tower

In 1961, a group of American officials decided to play a game of war. Sitting around a table, they tried imagining a nuclear crisis - and how it could be resolved. The outcome of their thought experiment surprised them all, raising far reaching questions about the strength of America’s nuclear strategy.Once nuclear weapons were unleashed into our world in the 1940s, it was obvious that a completely new set of rules of war had to be designed to prevent nuclear annihilation. In this episode, Matth

Jul 20, 2022 • 29:15

25. A Nuclear Awakening

25. A Nuclear Awakening

It’s a little girl’s eighth birthday. She wakes to a sight that looks like the end of the world. A radioactive mushroom cloud rises 130,000 feet in the air. And the world wakes up to the devastating fallout of nuclear weapons.In this new mini series from Sideways, writer and Times columnist Matthew Syed is calling for a nuclear awakening. Since the end of the Cold War, when relations between two of the world’s nuclear superpowers - the former USSR and the USA - seemed more rosy, Matthew argues

Jul 13, 2022 • 28:28

The Nuclear Reckoning

The Nuclear Reckoning

In this new mini series from Sideways, Matthew Syed is calling for a nuclear awakening. Since the end of the Cold War, when relations between two of the world’s nuclear superpowers - the former USSR and the USA - seemed more rosy, Matthew argues that many of us have slipped into a kind of comfortable amnesia about the presence of these weapons, these destroyers of worlds. The wake up call came when President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February accompanied by veiled nuclea

Jul 6, 2022 • 3:28

24. Sweet Harmony

24. Sweet Harmony

James Campbell's family were unusual. They were the 'singing family'. Everyone on their street knew it - and heard it. They would sing at the drop of a hat and James' father had a barbershop quartet. Every Monday evening James would listen attentively to the sumptuous close harmonies and his father taught him and his siblings to harmonise too. James took this into his adult years. It gave him a lifelong enjoyment and confidence to harmonise with other people, just for fun. One day, when his fath

Dec 22, 2021 • 28:56

23. Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea

23. Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea

Flevoland, the Netherlands, 1968. A new patch of land is being carved out of the sea. Destined initially for agriculture or industry, when nature begins to take over, authorities decide to protect the new Earth as a nature reserve - the Oostvaardersplassen.In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed uses the story of this pioneering nature reserve to reveal our conceptions, and misconceptions of the wild.Rich with reedbeds, the oostvaardersplassen soon becomes a haven for rare birds. But Dutch eco

Dec 15, 2021 • 28:58

22. Inspiring Bill Strickland

22. Inspiring Bill Strickland

Back in the 1960s, Bill Strickland was a listless teenager but life as he knew it was about to change forever. One afternoon, while skipping class, something caught his eye - the door to one of the art rooms was ajar and he could hear the whirring of a potters wheel. Stopping a moment to take a look, Bill beheld a sight that would change the course of his life. At the wheel was a ceramics teacher, Mr Frank Ross, spinning a lump of clay into a beautiful bowl. He was witnessing a profound metaphor

Dec 8, 2021 • 28:47

21. The Woman Who Brought Down the Mob

21. The Woman Who Brought Down the Mob

On a January night in Manhattan, a team of lawyers is working to crack open an organised crime case. And at the centre of it all, is Eunice Carter - the first black woman to graduate from Fordham Law and the first African-American woman to pass the New York state bar. Matthew Syed tells the story of how Carter’s brilliance and meticulous attention to detail blew open a case that would bring down the most notorious mobster - Lucky Luciano - and he explores the experience, the pressure and the rol

Dec 1, 2021 • 28:51

20. An appointment with Dr Leech

20. An appointment with Dr Leech

Boston, Massachusetts, 1985. Dr Joe Upton is struggling to reattach a severed ear onto a little boy. Using incredible skill and the best in modern equipment he re-attaches the arteries, but the veins are proving difficult. Blood keeps getting congested and the little ear is turning black. Just when it looks like all is lost, Joe remembers leeches.Once used to treat every malady imaginable, the vampiric worms fell out of favour when we gained a better understanding of how the body works. But, Mat

Nov 25, 2021 • 29:52

19. Is This What Success Looks Like?

19. Is This What Success Looks Like?

Lee Chambers is an undeniable success. From his parents' single bedroom, with the boiler humming away day and night, he founds an e-commerce video games business that gives him a healthy bank account in seven months. Next comes the car, the house, the fancy holidays with his wife. But all the time, Lee feels like a total failure. Everyone is telling him he’s a success, but he can’t see it. He’s on the verge of being overwhelmed, until his body intervenes to stop him in his tracks.In this episode

Nov 17, 2021 • 29:09

18. Tongue-Tied

18. Tongue-Tied

At a school assembly, 16-year-old Simon Day discovers an acute fear of public speaking. Faced with a crowd of expectant faces, panic begins to set in.Soon, Simon finds that words fail him at almost every turn, threatening his career, relationships and, ultimately, his happiness.Matthew Syed follows Simon’s journey to find his voice, uncovering the science of how we speak and the complex factors that leave us lost for words.With Joe Moran, author of Shrinking Violets: The Secret Life of Shyness;

Nov 10, 2021 • 28:55

17. The Endurance of Arlene Blum

17. The Endurance of Arlene Blum

Arlene Blum has scaled some of the most treacherous peaks in the Himalayas. When she’s not climbing mountains, she’s fighting to get toxic chemicals banned from everyday household goods. Arlene says that her experience leading expeditions has helped her acquire the personal skills and attributes required to push through bold new science policies. Matthew Syed asks whether transferable resilience from one field to another is the secret to reaching the top not just once, but throughout our lives.A

Nov 3, 2021 • 28:37

Series 3 Coming Soon

Series 3 Coming Soon

Matthew Syed introduces the new series, which focuses on endurance, courage & resilience.

Oct 27, 2021 • 2:34

16. Big Head

16. Big Head

Matthew Syed has come to a horrible realisation about himself. He is in danger of becoming a big head. He’s worried that, with a successful podcast and best-selling books, every positive affirmation he receives is only serving to inflate his sense of entitlement. The Greeks had a word for this - hubris.In the final episode of this series, Matthew is on a mission to prevent his tragic downfall by exploring the line between over-confidence and useful pride, asking whether, with the right condition

Aug 11, 2021 • 29:19

15. Best Feet Forward

15. Best Feet Forward

When the Danish men’s football team are called up to replace Yugoslavia in the 1992 European Championships, just 10 days before the start of the tournament, nobody fancied their chances, least of all the players themselves. In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed traces their fairy tale journey towards taking home the trophy and reveals what Denmark's story can teach us about the importance of prioritising team cohesion over individual stardom. For the Danish coach, Richard Møller Nielsen

Aug 4, 2021 • 28:36

14. Let's All Be Batman

14. Let's All Be Batman

When Amrou Al-Kadhi steps into a pair of heels and takes the stage, they step into another world, another persona where they can be whatever they want. In this episode of Sideways, Matthew Syed asks whether creating an alter ego is the key to finding our true self. For Amrou Al-Kadhi, performing as their drag alter-ego, Glamrou started out as an escape. Struggling with mental health issues, feeling like they had to suppress their femininity in some contexts, their Arab identity in others, it was

Jul 28, 2021 • 29:07

13. A Question Of Justice

13. A Question Of Justice

When Ray and Vi Donovan left court after the sentencing of three boys who murdered their 18-year-old son, Christopher, they said they had justice for Chris, but not the truth. They still didn’t know why Christopher was murdered on a May evening in 2001. That was a question the trial didn’t answer and only Christopher’s killers could. Years later, they would meet the three boys, by now men, to ask that question - why? Criminal justice asks what laws have been broken, who broke them, and how the

Jul 21, 2021 • 28:35

12. Brighter than Bagpuss

12. Brighter than Bagpuss

Boston, Massachusetts. 1970. A group of mothers and young children assembles outside the offices of the local TV station. It’s the first phase of a fight to improve kids’ TV that would go all the way to the United States Senate.Matthew Syed looks at how kids' TV got smart, and what we can learn about the developing mind from the programme makers who led the way.In the late 1960s, children’s television in the US was dominated by cheap cartoons and adverts for sugary snacks. Peggy Charren had some

Jul 14, 2021 • 29:11

11. Too Big to Succeed

11. Too Big to Succeed

When a major earthquake hits California, it has to rebuild - but at what cost? A sunny afternoon in October, 1989. In San Francisco's Candlestick Park stadium, a pair of local sporting rivals are about to go head to head - the Oakland Athletics against the San Francisco Giants.But before the first ball is pitched, the game is interrupted - by a major earthquake. A section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge - the major transport connection for the two northern Californian cities - crumbles,

Jul 7, 2021 • 28:55

10. Under the Influence

10. Under the Influence

It's 1990 and Birmingham metal band Judas Priest are on trial in court in Reno, Nevada. The band are accused of influencing the suicide and suicide attempt of two of their young fans by placing subliminal messages in their track Better By You, Better Than Me. What follows is a six week trial - the first to be filmed for Court TV - in which the lives of the boys’ families are devastatingly pulled apart in front of the cameras, junk science is flung around the courtroom. The band will have to pr

Jun 30, 2021 • 29:21

9. Originality Armageddon

9. Originality Armageddon

Bonfire night, November 5th 2015, 9.30pm. An agent fires off an email. An author is accused of plagiarism. His new book lies ready to be pulped.In the first of a new series of Sideways, Matthew Syed asks why we’re doomed to be unoriginal and why it hurts so much to be, well, not that special.In 1998, Hollywood directors Matthew Bay and Mimi Leder went head to head with suspiciously similar disaster movies - Armageddon and Deep Impact. Allegations of late-night spying flew around. But could ther

Jun 23, 2021 • 28:58

Introducing the new series

Introducing the new series

Matthew Syed returns with the new series of Sideways, all about the ideas that shape our lives, with stories of seeing the world differently.

Jun 21, 2021 • 2:46

8. Mental Athletics

8. Mental Athletics

American science journalist Joshua Foer was a perfectly normal guy with a perfectly normal memory. Then he entered the USA National Memory Championships - and ended up giving the country’s brain power prodigies a run for their money. How did he do it? Matthew Syed takes a deep dive into the heady world of brain training - where ordinary people challenge themselves to reach new peaks of mental athleticism.Journeying from the methods of the Ancient Greeks, to the showbiz hacks of the 1960s, to the

Mar 31, 2021 • 29:02

7. Top of the Pops

7. Top of the Pops

You might not have heard of Max Martin, but you've definitely heard the songs he's written. You probably know the words whether you like the songs or not. Martin has written many of the world's biggest pop hits. He has 23 number ones, second only to Paul McCartney and John Lennon.Matthew Syed explores the extraordinary career of the enigmatic pop powerhouse who's one of Sweden's most significant musical exports. Matthew contrasts Martin's songwriting process with the practice of scientific resea

Mar 24, 2021 • 28:44

6. A Recipe for Happiness

6. A Recipe for Happiness

A young entrepreneur builds the ‘happiest company in the world’, an online shoe retailer so profitable that Amazon snaps it up for over a billion dollars. But what if the company’s profits and happiness could be boosted by a radical reimagining of the workplace? No more bosses, no more job titles, just creativity, equality and pure joy. Matthew Syed tells the extraordinary story of Tony Hsieh, a visionary entrepreneur who abandoned social hierarchy in his Las Vegas-based shoe company. Could it b

Mar 17, 2021 • 29:53

5. The Most Selfish People on Earth

5. The Most Selfish People on Earth

On the spacecraft Voyager, hurtling through deep space sits a golden record, filled with the music of planet earth. It is a cultural gift for unknown extraterrestrial life forms. If an alien species discovers this unique double LP, they'll be greeted by the singing of the Mbuti people of the Congo recorded by the anthropologist Colin Turnbull.Matthew Syed examines Turnbull's seemingly utopian experiences in the forest with the Mbuti and contrasts them with his utterly bleak account of the Ik peo

Mar 10, 2021 • 28:22

4. Looping the Loop

4. Looping the Loop

Matthew Syed asks what the world's greatest fighter pilot can tell us about decision making. He discovers a theory that transformed warfare and might have played a key role in Brexit.John Boyd was a rebel. The quintessential cigar-chomping fighter pilot. A legend within the US Air Force, he was known to be able to shoot down any opponent in a dogfight in under 40 seconds.He developed a decision making tool that would take the military by storm – OODA - observe, orient, decide, act. Boyd explaine

Mar 3, 2021 • 28:18

3. The West and the Rest

3. The West and the Rest

Did a shift in our sexual behaviour 2000 years ago lead to the rise of the west as a globally dominant force?Matthew Syed wants to put the western mind in the spotlight. There’s a good reason for doing this. It turns out that 96% of psychological experiments have been carried out on western students. Why is this? Because western students are easy to access for a psychologist working in a university.This might sound convenient, but there’s a problem - it turns out that westerners think in a parti

Feb 24, 2021 • 29:06

2. 1 in 73 Million

2. 1 in 73 Million

Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.In this episode, Matthew tells two stories, both of which raise profound questions about how we think. A group of terrified teenagers discover a disturbing app on social media. A world renowned doctor sets out to uncover hidden crimes.The tragic events Matthew examines lead to a mother getting jailed for killing her two children. The key piece of testimony in her trial hinges on

Feb 10, 2021 • 29:08

1. Siding with the Enemy

1. Siding with the Enemy

Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.A criminal walks into a Swedish bank brandishing a machine gun. He takes a handful of bank workers hostage. The police lock the victims and their captors in the vault and then things start to get weird. Despite being held captive and threatened with violence, the hostages side with the criminals.Stockholm Syndrome is born.In this episode, Matthew Syed re-examines the birth of thi

Feb 10, 2021 • 28:31

See The World Differently

See The World Differently

Join bestselling author Matthew Syed as he explores the ideas that shape our lives. With sound design from Peabody Prize winner Benbrick, Sideways combines big ideas with narrative storytelling, offering a new perspective on the way we live.

Feb 3, 2021 • 2:08

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