Sideways

Matthew Syed

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Booking Overview

This is a host-led narrative interview and documentary series exploring psychology, philosophy, culture, and the ideas that shape how people see the world, typically featuring several expert or subject contributions within each episode. Credible pitches would include academics, authors, artists, psychologists, cultural specialists, and people with distinctive first-hand stories or perspectives; booking is likely high difficulty because the show has a tightly curated BBC editorial format and selects authoritative, original voices.

Metrics

Episodes: 112

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 4.7/5.0

Estimated listeners: 10k-100k

Gender skew: Neutral

Location: United Kingdom

Contact Information

podcast.support@bbc.co.uk

For verified host and producer emails, sign up to view.

Host

Matthew Syed - British journalist, bestselling author, broadcaster, and former international table tennis player whose work explores performance, psychology, education, and the ideas shaping society.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

high
Typical Credentials:  
Academic experts, authors, psychologists, philosophers, artists, cultural specialists, and individuals with unusual first-hand experiences that illuminate a broader intellectual or social question.
Required Achievements:  
University professorships or senior research roles, Published books or significant scholarly work, Established careers in the arts or other specialist fields, International professional recognition, Distinctive personal experiences that support a broader, evidence-based insight

Recent Guest Discussions

Lambros Malafouris - Material Objects, Cognition, Archaeology, And How Objects Can Convey Meaning And Emotion.

Jack Davy - The Cultural And Emotional Significance Of Miniature Objects And Museum Artifacts.

David McGurk - Miniature Objects, Creativity, Memory, Grief, And The Meanings People Attach To Small Things.

Elizabeth Anderson - Talent, Obligation, Autonomy, And The Social Expectations Placed On Gifted People.

Pippa Grange - Talent, Performance Pressure, Giftedness, And The Psychological Costs Of Fulfilling Expectations.

Recent Topics

Psychology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Cognition, Human Behavior

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on
Sideways
:

Brainless

August 05, 2026

Matthew Syed follows the extraordinary journey of a French scientist who found signs of learning, problem-solving and remembering - in a blob of slime. Not the Ghostbusters kind, but in a slime mould. It's a single celled, brainless organism that has become a bit of a star in France for its unexpected capabilities. In this episode, Matthew considers the intelligence that lies in unexpected places, beyond the confines of a brain.With contributions from Audrey Dussutour (Research Director at th...

Stick to the Script

July 29, 2026

Rob Broderick aka ‘Abandoman’ grew up surrounded by classic comedies like Laurel and Hardy, and with a teacher mother who inspired his fascination with wordplay. When Rob discovers freestyle rap as a teenager, all these influences coalesce to inspire him to step into the world of stand up comedy. Only Rob doesn’t want to hone a rigid ‘tight ten’ of material. In fact, Rob doesn’t want to prepare anything at all - he steps out on stage and improvises everything - no script whatsoever. Matthew ...

Small Giants

July 22, 2026

David McGurk had a childhood love of action figures. Something that he and Matthew Syed, and probably most of us, share. But David and his brother went a step further - they started making their own makeshift figures from soap and cheap glue. But it wasn’t until family tragedy struck as an adult that the memory of his brother’s creativity returned and inspired David to become a professional miniature figure-maker, with a quirky eye for his subject matter.From miniature busts of emperors, to t...

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