Lateral with Tom Scott

Verity Babbs, art historian and author, brings art-historical wit. Rowan Ellis, video essayist and culture commentator, explores language and quirky laws. Matt Gray, maker and YouTuber, adds humorous technical takes. They discuss biscuit-tin ballots and same-day marriages, contrasting clothes for deafblind signing, the tonal poem of the Lion-Eating Poet, presidential flag proportions, and Margaret Keane’s courtroom paint-off.

Ben Doyle, quiz regular from Jet Lag: The Game, Adam Chase, producer and cast member, and Sam Denby, content creator and co‑creator of Jet Lag: The Game, join for a whimsical romp. They riff on a mistranslated video game phrase, corals revealing ancient day lengths, a submarine baseball tale, 17th‑century trickery with forceps, and a sneaky Sega trademark workaround.

Geoff Marshall, transport YouTuber known for train and public transit videos. VVTV (Vivi), short-form storyteller and ex-journalist. VT Physics, science communicator famous for debunks. They explore joystick notation for fighting games, Bose noise-cancelling on planes, a fake tortoise marked Made in China, out-of-service vehicle signage, astronaut height tricks, a pediatrics prank, and a shared vowel pattern in song titles.

Sarah Renae Clark, artist and YouTuber known for large colouring projects. Dani Siller, co-host/producer of Escape This Podcast and puzzle enthusiast. Bill Sunderland, podcaster and co-creator of Escape This Podcast. They puzzle over Portman Toe injuries, a popcorn sea spill used for marine cleanup training, Rubik's Cube calendars, backyard ultra pacing and the Fosbury flop's origins.

Sophie Ward, cultural commentator offering sharp observations. Katie Steckles, mathematician and public-engagement writer. Lizzy Skipiak, comedian and performer who talks about her show. They discuss work watch rotations and why dog watches last two hours. They puzzle over cabin pressure readings, quirky rural mailbox solutions, and a supermarket’s X-size signage.

Johnny Robbins, quiz developer and podcaster, and James Smales, podcaster and quiz writer, join the panel. They probe why a striker is nicknamed for months, Norway's odd skateboard-related ban, and how pneumatic tubes moved money and printouts. They also unpack moving ancient buildings like a sliding puzzle and reveal a TV PIN Easter egg.

Caroline Roper — comedian from Let's Learn Everything!; Ella Hubber — science-comedy co-host; Tom Lum — comedic fact-monger. They puzzle over a pinned VW Beetle in a museum. They decode Ankara’s Lion Road ritual stones. They debate subwoofer placement, a giant-footprint hoax, the razor-and-blades business origin, who bought Hollywood sign letters, and the cheeky term Chateau La Pomp.

Rowan Ellis, filmmaker and content creator; Jordan Adika, comedian and podcaster; Jarvis Johnson, YouTuber and cultural commentator. They ponder viral business card pranks, why a bridge between Zambia and Botswana curves, Disney’s ‘go-away’ colours, tiny trademark boxes in cartoons, and a fighter plane that allegedly shot itself down. Quick, funny, and full of lateral thinking.

Iszi Lawrence, children’s author and comic raconteur; Matt Gray, science-and-tech video maker; Abby Cox, fashion historian and cultural storyteller. They tackle a Rosetta Stone charger gag, why tablets were misidentified on live TV, piano safety tricks in Chopin, pressurized tunnel flying risks, porridge-as-mine experiments, lead ammo in 1822 Athens, and when horses were dropped from competitions.

Alexis Dahl, a Michigan YouTuber about history and science; Annie Rauwerda, creator of Depths of Wikipedia; Charlotte Yeung, PhD student and former Miss London. They puzzle over forest canopy mirrors, missing chapters in classic literature, bizarre movie-buying choices, parking-garage memory tricks and a rotating pig that caused wrong meals. Short, playful rounds and lateral thinking.