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Sideways

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

Radio 4,107 episodes

Episodes

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78. Hide and Seek
What’s the real appeal of secret societies? Mystery, belonging or something else entirely?
03 Sep 2025,28 mins
77. Crazy Cat Lady
Why does a childless woman with cats cause such cultural panic? Matthew Syed investigates.
27 Aug 2025,28 mins
76. When Time Slows Down
Matthew Syed asks if slow-motion experiences suggest the way we think of time is illusory.
20 Aug 2025,28 mins
75. Me, Myself and Mine
What does it mean to own your body - and is that even the right question to ask?
13 Aug 2025,28 mins
74. Inventing a Language
Matthew Syed explores our extraordinary capacity to invent new systems of communication.
06 Aug 2025,29 mins
Chasing Peace
3. Peace Reimagined
Matthew Syed explores the case for radically non-violent solutions to conflict.
30 Jul 2025,28 mins
Chasing Peace
2. A Peace that Lasts
The path to peace is hard to find. We meet people with radical ideas on how to get there.
23 Jul 2025,28 mins
Chasing Peace
1. Wired for War?
Our long struggle with peace raises the question - are humans wired for war or for peace?
16 Jul 2025,28 mins
Chasing Peace
Introducing – Chasing Peace
Is true peace actually possible?
09 Jul 2025,4 mins
73. Reliving History
Matthew Syed explores the power and potential of re-enacting the past.
26 Feb 2025,29 mins
72. Limitless Love
Matthew Syed explores the human capacity for limitless love.
19 Feb 2025,28 mins
71. Tempting Fate
Matthew Syed questions the consequences of tempting fate.
12 Feb 2025,29 mins
70. Digital Ghosts
Matthew Syed explores the ethical boundaries around using AI to create digital ghosts.
05 Feb 2025,28 mins
69. Memento Mori
Matthew Syed confronts the passage of time and the inexorability of decay.
29 Jan 2025,29 mins
68. Bliss in Suffering
Matthew Syed ponders the possibility of experiencing bliss in the midst of suffering.
22 Jan 2025,29 mins
67. Reality Shifting
Matthew Syed explores the nature of reality and the possibility of its hidden layers.
15 Jan 2025,29 mins
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 1. The Age of Digital Warfare
Matthew and his guests look back at some of the big events of the past 25 years.
06 Jan 2025,28 mins
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 2. The Age of Mistrust
Have we lost faith in institutions, politicians - and even money?
07 Jan 2025,28 mins
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 3. The Age of Outsourcing
Have we outsourced our memories to our phones?
08 Jan 2025,28 mins
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 4. The Age of Changing Families
What is technology doing to something as human as forming relationships?
09 Jan 2025,28 mins
25 Years of the 21st Century
25 Years of the 21st Century: 5. The Age of Artificial Intelligence
Matthew interviews the 'Godfather of AI', Geoffrey Hinton.
10 Jan 2025,28 mins
Sideways: Series eleven - coming soon…
Sideways returns with seven new stories of seeing the world differently.
10 Jan 2025,2 mins
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.
22 Nov 2024,15 mins
Appetite for Distraction
4. Attention Shortfall?
Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.
21 Nov 2024,14 mins
Appetite for Distraction
3. Medium and Metaphor
Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.
20 Nov 2024,14 mins
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.
19 Nov 2024,14 mins
Appetite for Distraction
1. Postman’s Prophecy?
Matthew Syed asks what it means to be distracted in a media world vying for our attention.
18 Nov 2024,15 mins
66. One is a Whole
Matthew Syed explores whether you can find joy and fulfillment in the single life.
28 Aug 2024,28 mins
65. Divergent Histories
Two people, with a shared painful history, learn to understand themselves in a new light.
21 Aug 2024,28 mins
64. The Masks We Wear
Matthew Syed explores the revealing power of masks.
14 Aug 2024,29 mins