Sideways Podcast
Best-selling author Matthew Syed explores the ideas that shape our lives with stories of seeing the world differently.
Episodes to download
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Episode 2—China's Ping Pong Power
Wed 12 Jul 2023
Matthew Syed tells the story of China's rise in the 20th century - through ping pong.
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Episode 1—China's Ping Pong Power
Wed 5 Jul 2023
Matthew Syed tells the story of China's rise in the 20th century - through ping pong.
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Trailer—China's Ping Pong Power
Wed 28 Jun 2023
Matthew Syed tells the story of China’s rise in the 20th century through… ping pong.
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Matthew’s Been Telling Tales
Wed 22 Mar 2023
Matthew Syed explores the importance of storytelling for understanding ourselves.
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A Small Bowl of Rocket
Wed 1 Mar 2023
Matthew Syed sticks his fork into the world of food to think about how taste is formed.
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Please, I Beg You
Wed 15 Feb 2023
Matthew Syed tells the story of how a leap of trust altered two strangers’ lives.
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Do I Really Sound Like That?
Wed 14 Dec 2022
Matthew Syed explores how our accents become part of our identity.
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My Last 5p
Wed 7 Dec 2022
Matthew Syed explores how one act of generosity can have profound consequences.
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All in a Name
Wed 30 Nov 2022
Matthew Syed explores how finding the right words can help us tackle big wrongs.
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The Riddle
Wed 23 Nov 2022
Matthew Syed unravels a riddle set in the future, to consider the importance of legacy.
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It Takes A Village
Wed 16 Nov 2022
Matthew Syed thinks about how we can get more of the good stuff out of family life.
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Doc and Jim: A Beautiful Partnership
Wed 9 Nov 2022
How Dr William Key and his super smart horse “Beautiful” Jim Key made America kinder.
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The Social Contagion
Wed 2 Nov 2022
Matthew Syed examines the strange spread of illness in a school in Yorkshire.
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To Absent Friends
Wed 24 Aug 2022
Matthew Syed explores why we make friends and the lifelong influence they have over us.
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Fooling the Opposition
Wed 10 Aug 2022
Matthew delves into deception in sport and how it gives us the upperhand.
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4. Exiting the Bunker—The Nuclear Reckoning
Wed 3 Aug 2022
Matthew examines the routes to a safer nuclear future.
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3. A Blip on the Radar—The Nuclear Reckoning
Wed 27 Jul 2022
Matthew Syed explores how we might deal with the extreme risks that nuclear weapons pose.
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2. War Games in the Pink Tower—The Nuclear Reckoning
Wed 20 Jul 2022
Matthew Syed goes inside a wargame to explore the evolution of deterrence.
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1. A Nuclear Awakening—The Nuclear Reckoning
Wed 13 Jul 2022
Matthew Syed explores urgent intellectual questions posed by nuclear weapons.
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Sweet Harmony
Wed 22 Dec 2021
Matthew Syed asks whether thinking musically could bring us more harmony in our lives.
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Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea
Wed 15 Dec 2021
Matthew Syed explores ideas that shape our lives, making us see the world differently.
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Inspiring Bill Strickland
Wed 8 Dec 2021
Matthew Syed explores how inspiring teachers can change the world, one student at a time.
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Sideways - Articles
Features on some of the fascinating topics from Sideways with Matthew Syed.
My last 5p: How one homeless man’s generosity led to him marrying the love of his life
How one act of generosity can have profound consequences.
Why we all need an alter ego
Matthew Syed looks at how adopting an alter ego can help us all to access confidence.
What's the secret of making a smash hit pop song?
Exploring the success of Max Martin, the behind-the-scenes genius behind 22 No.1 hits.
