Lateral with Tom Scott
Award-winning comedy panel game about weird questions with wonderful answers. Each week, Tom Scott is joined by three guests to ask each other questions with a sideways twist. There's no points or prizes - just reputation and bragging rights on the line. Enquiries and question submissions: https://www.lateralcast.com. Ad-free shows and bonus content: https://www.lateralcast.com/club.
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Recent Episodes
212: The bad hotel
Oct 30, 2026James Smales, Jonny Robins and John Cantrell from 'Here's What You Do' face questions about delicate decorum, bumper beef and tanker transport. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird ques...
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Tom Scott hosts the Lateral podcast with guests from 'Here's What You Do' - James Smales, Johnny Robbins, and John Cantrell. The episode features a series of lateral thinking puzzles covering topics from prohibition-era sandwich eating to Lady Gaga's meat dress, with each guest bringing their own question to challenge the group. The format combines historical trivia with wordplay and clever misdirection.
- The 13 Sandwiches Mystery - Prohibition Era Cover Story
- The Italian Fart Muffler - Renaissance Civility Device
211: A bucket of ears
Oct 23, 2026Ria Lina, Dani Siller and Bill Sunderland face questions about lost links, couple communication and Donald Duck. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers, h...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott is joined by comedians and puzzle enthusiasts Danny Siller, Bill Sunderland, and Ria Lina for a series of intriguing lateral thinking questions. The players tackle mysteries ranging from shredded money souvenirs at the Denver Mint to ancient Greek medical offerings, from Donald Duck's role in patent law to faith healer debunking, and from 18th-century Amsterdam addressing systems to literary clocks. The episode showcases clever deduction, historical knowledge, and plenty of humor as the team works through each puzzle.
- Shredded Money at the Denver Mint
- 18th Century Amsterdam Address System
210: A dry labyrinth
Oct 16, 2026Elle Cordova, Jarvis Johnson and Jordan Adika face questions about sneaky songs, maddening metal and trailer toys. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers,...
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A trivia quiz show where host Tom Scott challenges guests Elle Cordova, Jarvis Johnson, and Jordan Adika to solve lateral thinking puzzles. The episode features questions about trucker superstitions, coffee scoops, theatrical thunder effects, Olympic cycling equipment, darkroom design, and creative filmmaking workarounds, all requiring creative problem-solving rather than straightforward knowledge.
- Trucker Superstitions and Ghost Loads
- The Oversized Coffee Scoop Mystery
209: Suit trimmings
Oct 09, 2026Michelle Wong, Bill Sunderland and Dani Siller face questions about secure safes, silly screenshots and sensible slippers. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful ...
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Tom Scott hosts this long-distance edition of Lateral with Michelle Wong, Bill Sunderland, and Danny Siller joining from Australia. The team tackles lateral thinking puzzles involving historical mishaps, cultural traditions, and linguistic misunderstandings, from bridal shop confusion to Boy Scout drowning advice to windmill mourning signals.
- Bridal Shop Mishearing
- Christopher Walken Walk-In Freezers
208: The final family
Oct 02, 2026Sabrina Cruz, Melissa Fernandes and Taha Khan face questions about party performances, shoddy sedans and a first fact-finder. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderf...
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Tom Scott hosts a lively episode of Lateral with the Answer in Progress team - Sabrina Cruz, Melissa Fernandez, and Taha Khan - tackling fascinating lateral thinking puzzles ranging from internet governance by humming to dogs on spiritual pilgrimages. The trio works through questions about how decisions are made, scientific history, clown cars, and heartwarming Japanese cultural practices, showcasing both their problem-solving skills and entertaining chemistry.
- How Internet Standards Are Decided by Humming
- Preserving the World's Oldest Continuously Inhabited City
207: The gift of wire
Sep 25, 2026Lizzy Skrzypiec, Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman face questions about telltale tunes, tricky trespass and teetering towers. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderf...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott welcomes back improviser Lizzie Skipiak and the Map Men duo Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman for a quiz featuring lateral thinking puzzles. The contestants tackle questions about dog agility competitions, Admiral Grace Hopper's physics demonstrations, airspace laws, architectural safety features, pharmacy labeling systems, and DNA mnemonics. The episode showcases clever wordplay, historical trivia, and scientific concepts wrapped in puzzling scenarios that require creative thinking to solve.
- Dog Agility Course Walkthroughs at Crufts
- The Running of the Balls - PETA's Humane Alternative
206: Chair on a pole
Sep 18, 2026Charlotte McDonnell, Libby Watson and Daniel Peake face questions about frigid food, door duties and collaborative commutes. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderfu...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott is joined by Dan Peake, Libby Watson, and Charlotte MacDonald for a puzzle-solving game that explores fascinating lateral thinking questions. The team tackles questions about advertising tricks, unusual toothbrush habits, ferry jigsaws, puppet theatre props, volcanic eruptions inspiring famous art, and royal dining logistics. The conversation is filled with clever deductions, humorous tangents, and surprising connections that span geography, history, and pop culture.
- Brazilian Car Keys Advertising Puzzle
- The Two Toothbrush Mystery
205: The secure ping pong ball
Sep 11, 2026James Smales, Jonny Robins and John Cantrell from 'Here's What You Do' face questions about binary botany, Olympic overachievers and flipped flyers. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird...
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This episode of Lateral features hosts Tom Scott, James Smales, Johnny Robbins, and John Cantrell tackling quirky trivia questions. The panel explores topics ranging from Victorian office furniture and unusual product failures to Olympic art medals and military aircraft testing. Each guest brings their own questions, creating a mix of lateral thinking puzzles that require creative problem-solving and unexpected connections. The episode showcases clever wordplay, historical oddities, and the kind of counterintuitive answers that make trivia compelling.
- The Victorian Office Chair Revolution
- Harbinger Customers: The People with Terrible Taste
204: An insane village
Sep 04, 2026Ria Lina, Dani Siller and Bill Sunderland face questions about data dichotomies, alcohol apologies and textual T-shirts. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful an...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott challenges three guests—Rialina, Bill Sunderland, and Danny Siller from Escape This Podcast—to solve a series of lateral thinking puzzles. The questions range from emoticon mishaps and tattoo art projects to medieval villagers feigning insanity and Norwegian driving safety tips. The format features collaborative problem-solving with humor, clever wordplay, and surprising historical anecdotes.
- Emoticon Face Mishap
- The Skin Story Tattoo Project
203: Looking for a hot rod
Aug 28, 2026Charlotte Yeung, Iszi Lawrence and Ólafur Waage face questions about Chinese cuisine, Transylvanian turrets and long-term logistics. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with ...
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This episode of Lateral features Tom Scott hosting guests Charlotte Young, Izzy Lawrence, and Oliver Vorge as they solve lateral thinking puzzles involving language puns, historical traditions, military tactics, and cultural misunderstandings. The puzzles range from French chopsticks to German tank crews doing piggyback rides, with questions about Swedish ships, Chinese restaurants, and Transylvanian marriage counseling.
- French Chopsticks and the Baguette Pun
- Swedish Ship and Argentina's Football Colors
202: A sudden square
Aug 21, 2026Sage the Bad Naturalist, Evan Heling and Katelyn Heling face questions about perilous pieces, mysterious Mercedes and culled cookware. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions wit...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott challenges guests Evan and Caitlin (from the Evan and Caitlin YouTube channel) and Sage the Bad Naturalist to solve bizarre trivia questions. The panel tackles puzzles about traffic gridlock in Oslo, urban finches in Mexico City, accidental ASMR videos, Mumbai's honking problem, Steve Jobs' license plate loophole, and dangerous cookware for pet birds. The questions span topics from urban planning to animal behavior to tech industry quirks.
- Oslo's Red Square Bus Gridlock
- Mexico City Finches and Cigarette Butts
201: Vegan art
Aug 14, 2026Matt Gray, Rowan Ellis and Kip Heath face questions about slipper sizing, traffic troubles and acting amateurishness. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answe...
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Tom Scott hosts this episode of Lateral featuring returning guests Kip Heath, Rowan Ellis, and Matt Gray. The panel tackles lateral thinking puzzles ranging from UK government banned letter combinations on license plates to the invention that revolutionized painting. Questions explore creative censorship workarounds, theatrical terminology origins, automotive AI mishaps, and historical innovations that inadvertently advanced veganism and art movements.
- UK License Plate Bans for 2025
- The Origin of 'Winging It'
200: The pink hat
Aug 07, 2026Elle Cordova, Jarvis Johnson and Jordan Adika face questions about Finnish flags, worker wellness and fashion finances. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful ans...
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In this 200th episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott celebrates the milestone with guests Jarvis Johnson, Jordan Adika, and Elle Cordova as they tackle lateral thinking puzzles involving emoji proposals, baseball superfans, railroad construction, bridges, theme park illusions, celebrity endorsements, and license plates. The episode features clever wordplay, cultural trivia, and the guests' collaborative problem-solving across diverse topics.
- The Elephant Test for New Emojis
- Pink Hat Guy: A Baseball Promise
199: Unburned gasoline
Jul 31, 2026VT Physics, VeeVee and Geoff Marshall face questions about banned building blocks, rampant rhinos and software steps. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answe...
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This episode of Lateral features returning guests Geoff Marshall, Vivi (VVTV), and VT (VT Physics) solving lateral thinking puzzles. The panel tackles questions about Mexican banknotes hoarded due to cute axolotls, Melbourne tram safety campaigns featuring rhinos on skateboards, Boris Becker's tongue-revealing tennis serves, medieval bell-making casting pits, deep-sea submarines using gasoline for buoyancy, and Dick Van Dyke's age making him ineligible for Lego's recommended age range.
- Axolotl Banknote Shortage in Mexico
- Melbourne's Rhino Tram Safety Campaign
198: The impossible photograph
Jul 24, 2026Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper and Tom Lum from 'Let's Learn Everything!' face questions about academic admissions, eight-legged equines and five-dollar flights. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast a...
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Tom Scott hosts the Let's Learn Everything team—Ella Hubber, Tom Lum, and Caroline Roper—for a chaotic episode of lateral thinking puzzles. The show opens with an intentionally comedic pratfall before diving into riddles about T9 texting mishaps, video game tricks, creative song-writing methods, sailing life hacks, historic bridge construction, the invention of instant photography, and chess terminology. The trio's chemistry shines through as they work through increasingly bizarre clues with humor and occasional frustration.
- T9 Texting Disaster: Selected vs Rejected
- Golfing Over It: The Alt-F4 Troll
197: Jumping in the fountain
Jul 17, 2026Rosalie Minnitt, Verity Babbs and Bob Hagh face questions about academic admissions, eight-legged equines and five-dollar flights. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wo...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott is joined by comedians Verity Babs and Rosalie Minnett, along with game show enthusiast Bob Haig, to solve a series of curious lateral thinking puzzles. The panel tackles questions about Boston tunnel tiles, 1950s horror movie audience participation, urban exploration tactics, counting systems in South Asian languages, tech support tricks, art theft, and emo hairstyles from the 2000s.
- Boston Tunnel Color Coding System
- William Castle's Interactive Horror Cinema
196: A tiny umbrella
Jul 10, 2026Davina Bentley, Ólafur Waage and Stuart Laws face questions about flatulent felines, careful cetaceans and gnarly gnats. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful an...
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In this comedian special episode of Lateral, Tom Scott hosts Oliver Vorge, Davina Bentley, and Stuart Laws for a series of lateral thinking puzzles. The contestants tackle questions ranging from historical spelling mistakes and medical devices to celebrity disguises and wildlife-assisted sports victories, with Stuart Laws creating memorable tension by gleefully announcing when answers are wrong.
- Goal vs Gaol: The Stonemason's Spelling Error
- Radio Opaque Rings: Medical Tracking Technology
195: Dumped pizza
Jul 03, 2026Annie Rauwerda, Jen the Archaeologist and Emily Graslie face questions about emergent emoji, fiddly film and competitive careers. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with won...
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Tom Scott hosts a puzzle show where Emily Graslie, Annie Rauwerda, and Jen the Archaeologist solve lateral thinking questions. The episode covers fascinating topics including the origin of the Vulcan salute, why certain historic films can only be shown at one UK cinema, how teachers learn music backwards, and various quirky facts about archaeology, Wikipedia editing, and deadly sea creatures. The guests demonstrate impressive knowledge while tackling questions that blend science, pop culture, and unexpected connections.
- The Vulcan Salute's Religious Origins
- Emily's Fish Fact: Freshwater Diversity Paradox
194: Cockpit balls
Jun 26, 2026Charlotte Yeung, Iszi Lawrence and Ólafur Waage face questions about Latin lingo, legal leniency and gaming grass. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about weird questions with wonderful answers,...
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In this episode of Lateral, host Tom Scott is joined by returning guests Izzy Lawrence, Oliver Vorge, and Charlotte Young to solve a series of lateral thinking puzzles. The panel tackles questions ranging from upside-down billboards in Texas to K-pop idols' hand gestures, with topics spanning American injury lawyers, British interrogation techniques, airplane safety protocols, judicial bias in Louisiana, and South Korean election sensitivities.
- Guest Introductions and Updates
- The Upside-Down Billboard Mystery
193: The empty-handed winner
Jun 19, 2026Sabrina Cruz, Melissa Fernandes and Taha Khan from 'Answer in Progress' face questions about Stuttgart spheres, bruising bodies and ornamental opposites. LATERAL is a comedy panel game podcast about ...
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A word-game podcast where host Tom Scott challenges the Answer in Progress team (Sabrina Cruz, Taha Khan, and Melissa Fernandez) with lateral thinking puzzles. The team tackles questions ranging from French horn training techniques to meteor impacts, horse rustling laws, and police-spotting rear-view mirrors, using creative reasoning and collaborative problem-solving to uncover surprising answers.
- French Horn Embouchure Training with Button and String
- Hospital Floors and Rolling Billiard Balls