Freeserve rapidly became the UK's number one internet service provider within months of its launch in 1998, yet the brand disappeared almost as quickly. So, what happened? The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates. Alongside him is the entrepreneur, Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions, based only on what she has heard and her own business acumen.Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including:- Rory Cellan-Jones OBE - the BBC's former technology correspondent who covered Freeserve's rise and later dedicated a chapter to it in his book 'Dot Bomb - the Rise and Fall of Dot Com Britain'.- Ajaz Ahmed - a 'Freeserve founder' who badgered bosses to start an ISP while working as a store manager at PC World in Leeds. He later became Freeserve's Business Development Manager.- Mark Danby - a former Chief Operating Officer at Freeserve.Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.You can email the programme at [email protected] free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.
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25:12
Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
You may have heard health warnings around too much red or processed meat, and considered trying a plant based meat alternative as one of your midweek meals instead. But after looking at the ingredients on the packet and spotting salt, additives and flavourings, wondered if they really are the healthier choice?That?s exactly what listener Graham did, as he hunted for an alternative to his beloved sausage ? and found that the plant based versions all seemed to be heavily processed. He's asking, are they really better for us? And are they better for the environment too? The information and prices in this episode were correct at the time of recording.All our episodes start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at [email protected] OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807 PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH AND GREG FOOT RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
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24:54
Home Allergy Tests
Can home tests tell you if you have an allergy or a food intolerance?We're back with a new batch of investigations and kicking off this series is one of our most popular requests: home allergy tests. The companies that make them claim they can help you work out if you have an allergy or intolerance to certain foods. The idea is the information can help you decide what to eliminate from your diet. But do they work? Greg is joined by consultant allergist Professor Adam Fox to do a deep-dive and separate out the science fact from the marketing fiction.As ever this series we're looking for YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at [email protected] OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT
RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
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35:47
Dough - Game Consoles
Game consoles have come a long way since the 1970s but could their days now be numbered?The entrepreneur, Sam White, returns with a new series of Dough - the BBC Radio 4 show which looks at the business behind profitable everyday products and where the smart money might take them next. In each episode, Sam, and the futurist, Tom Cheesewright, are joined by product manufacturers and industry experts whose inside knowledge gives a new appreciation for the everyday things that we often take for granted. Together they look back on a product?s earliest (sometimes ridiculous!) iterations, discuss how a product has evolved and the trends which have driven its profitability. In this episode on video game consoles, the pair hear from expert guests including:Seamus Blackley - the original creator of Microsoft's XboxKeza MacDonald - video games editor at the GuardianJames McWhirter - a senior analyst specialising in video games for the research firm, Omdia. They trade opinions on the game console's 'game-changing' innovations and its most pointless, or least effective, ones too, before Tom steps in, drawing on his expertise as a futurist, to imagine where consoles might end up in the decades to come. Dough is produced by Jon Douglas and is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in the spring when Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.In the meantime, Dough is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds
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25:24
Cooking Oils
Which cooking oils are best for your health?Listener Sarah got in touch after seeing claims on social media that more expensive oils are better for you than regular vegetable, or rapeseed oil. And listener Kamal sent us a voicenote asking about coconut and avocado oil - both touted as healthier alternatives to other types of oil. Are they worth the extra cost? And what about health concerns if certain oils are overheated? To get the answers Greg is joined by Professor of Population Health and Nutrition at the University of Cambridge, Nita Forouhi. Together they deep-dive into the studies and evidence, finding out what compounds constitute a healthy oil and giving advice on what we should be looking out for on the bottle. All of our investigations start with YOUR suggestions. If you?ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at [email protected] OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807PRESENTER: GREG FOOTPRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND PHIL SANSOM
While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of brands which had promised so much to consumers. In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist Sean Farrington examines one big idea. What did it promise? Why did people back it? Why did they get burnt? Some of the world’s most successful businesses have also brought us some of the world’s most remarkable failures. So, what led them to be toast? And what can we learn from their stories today?
Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition. He learns about the tremendous success of a brand before hearing how it faltered, with help from expert commentators and people who were directly involved. How do they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently? The self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, is alongside him, analysing the missteps that changed a brand’s fortunes and reaching her own, often instructive, conclusions. From big tech to high street retail and, of course, food, Toast tackles the business ideas that, one way or another, ended up cooked. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations on 3 July, 2025. In the new series, Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds. For this brand new series of Toast, episodes will be released weekly on Thursdays wherever you get your podcasts. But if you’re in the UK, you can listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds first, a week earlier than anywhere else.Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.
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