Lateral with Tom Scott

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.

Michael Dearsley, film commentator who defends delightfully awful movies. Helena Kirk, nostalgic cult-film expert with sharp takes. Dan Faulkner, revisitor of childhood favourites and film facts. They tackle quirky topics: music gear myths, odd balloon-buying trends, artful sea-level warnings, casino cheating gadgets, Britain’s emptiest map square and a cheeky dinner riddle.

Sarah Renae Clark, YouTuber and artist known for Blender modelling and design; Bill Sunderland, producer and puzzle-minded podcaster; Dani Siller, media creator and lateral puzzle specialist. They tackle a CB code trucker mystery, a siege trick with a prize bull, a Subaru key anecdote, a Market Basket ‘diary vs dairy’ mix-up and why a tiny flightless rail could never be ridden.

Sophie Ward, actor and podcaster, offers quick recommendations and commentary. Katie Steckles, maths communicator and author, brings playful real-world maths thinking. Lizzy Skrzypiec, comedian and improv performer, shares tour tales and role-swapping stories. They tackle meal mix-ups, a literal-text cooking mishap, a knuckle-sandwich tattoo riddle, a private 1881 opera line, fireworks puzzlingly tied to Bohemian Rhapsody, and more.

John Cantrell, quiz writer known for crafted lateral puzzles. Johnny Robbins, TV games developer with a whimsical, film-tinged style. James Smales, quiz producer and format creator. They tackle stories about a signed Popplio card, penguins flown for Batman Returns and why their hold was refrigerated, a catastrophic Yellow Pages typo, a cobalt-60 metal bar with 'drop and run', and Japanese toilet-knock folklore.

Jarvis Johnson, YouTuber and comedic podcaster; Jordan Adika, YouTuber and co-host; Rowan Ellis, video essayist on sociology. They crack jokes and tackle lateral puzzles about mangled magazines and magicians, improvised hairdryer poles used against IEDs, frozen veg tricking thermostats, and why Chilean strawberries bore no fruit. Fast, funny, and full of oddball puzzles.

Iszi Lawrence, a writer and podcaster known for her historical children’s books, Abby Cox, a historian exploring corsets and social history, and Matt Gray, a YouTuber delving into technology and history, join the discussion. They delve into the quirky tale of John Paul I's unique name, explore the Parsi tradition of adding sugar to milk for assimilation, and uncover why Link Wray's hit 'Rumble' faced bans due to its perceived glamorization of violence. Plus, they navigate the fascinating use of nautical directions in text adventures!