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A new one every Thursday morning.

All 48 episodes
  1. 47No. 47
    Brass band playing on a village green

    Brass bands and the Saturday sound

    Why every village once had one, and why Hugh still cannot read a score.

    Nov 5, 2026 · 47 min

    Nov 5, 202647 min
  2. 46No. 46
    Hands flicking through a crate of records

    A crate of strangers

    Nasreen buys ten records unheard from a shop that is closing. Hugh listens to all of them.

    Oct 29, 2026 · 58 min

    Oct 29, 202658 min
  3. 45No. 45
    Seaside pier lit at dusk

    The pier at the end of the line

    Arcades, bulbs and a very long walk in the rain along one seaside pier.

    Oct 22, 2026 · 44 min

    Oct 22, 202644 min
  4. 44No. 44
    Old reading room with green lamps and an open book

    Quiet, please

    The great reading rooms of England and the people who still turn up at nine.

    Oct 15, 2026 · 50 min

    Oct 15, 202650 min
  5. 43No. 43
    Spotlit empty stage with one chair and a red curtain

    One chair, one light

    A small theatre, a bare stage and what a rehearsal room sounds like at ten at night.

    Oct 8, 2026 · 49 min

    Oct 8, 202649 min
  6. Earlier: No. 42, Your worst favourite film · No. 41, Seven days of one town

    The whole archive

We are Nasreen and Hugh

We met in a Sheffield bookshop queue in 2013 and have been arguing about films, records, plays and the odd bus route ever since. Sidelong started in a cupboard with one borrowed microphone.

Every Thursday we pick one thing, a film, a record, a painting, a town, and look at it sideways for about fifty minutes. Sometimes we agree.

Nasreen and Hugh laughing at their microphones in the studio
  • Close portrait of Nasreen beside a studio microphone

    Co-host

    Nasreen Qureshi

    Nasreen chooses the records, keeps the time and has never once been on time.

  • Close portrait of Hugh with headphones around his neck

    Co-host

    Hugh Pemberton-Lowe

    Hugh reads the mailbag, remembers every plot and forgets every name.

Audience seen from behind at a live podcast recording

Live shows

Twice a year, in a room full of you

Every spring and autumn we record an episode in front of an audience in a converted chapel. The list hears about the date and the tickets first.

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Our sponsors

The people who keep the lamps on this season.

  • Larkhill Coffee Roasters

  • Thornbury Bookbinders

  • Harbour Street Picture House

  • Kestrel Print Co.

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Two things, both made by us.

  • The Sidelong episode guide

    £7
    PDF · Every episode, with notes

    Every episode with the notes we made, the things we got wrong and the reading lists. Print it or keep it on your phone.

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    A soft cotton tee, printed to order.

  • Headphone line mug

    $18
    Mug · printed to order

    An 11 oz glossy mug, dishwasher safe.

  • Mic pal hoodie

    $54
    Hoodie · printed to order

    A heavy, warm hoodie, printed to order.

Questions

How often do you publish?

Every Thursday morning, about fifty minutes.

Can we suggest a topic?

Yes. Write to us from the form and we read every message.

Where can we hear you live?

Twice a year in a converted chapel, announced to the list first.

Write to us

Suggest a topic, sponsor an episode or book us for a live show.

Join the list

One email on Thursdays, a few minutes before the episode lands.

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