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...
Kodak made photography mainstream so why did it falter in a digital age? The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, discovers how Kodak rose to become a massive global enterprise best known for its cameras and film. Alongside him is the serial entrepreneur, Sam White, ready to offer her opinions on the business's fortunes.Kodak is still trading profitably but is now a much smaller business than it once was. Sean and Sam hear from expert guests including: Kamal Munir - Professor of Strategy & Policy at Cambridge Judge Business School which is part of the University of CambridgeDon Strickland - Kodak's former Vice President of Digital ImagingPaul O'Sullivan - who runs a film processing business in LondonAndrew Long - who worked in Kodak's consumer products division in the UK.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.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in December, where Greg Foot investigates 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.
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25:02
Toast - Reader's Digest UK
Why did we lose Reader's Digest magazine when it is still going in America?The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, discovers what happened to the brand which started over a hundred years ago and became the most widely read magazine in the world. Alongside him is the serial entrepreneur, Sam White, ready to offer her opinions on the business's fortunes. How did a magazine which pinched articles from other publications become so successful? And why did it end up toast in the UK? Sean speaks to:
- Sir Alexander McCall Smith, the best-selling author of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency who also wrote for The Reader's Digest
- Richard Junger, Professor of Communication at Western Michigan State University
- Tom Browne, a former editor of Reader's Digest UK
- Gary Hopkins, a former owner of the business's UK division
- Jason Buhrmester, Chief Content Officer for Magazines & Books at Trusted Media Brands which owns the Reader's Digest brand, still publishes it in America and licenses it for publicaiton in other parts of the world. 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. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in December, where Greg Foot investigates 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.
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27:49
Coffee Pods
Listener Liz has recently switched to a coffee pod machine, that promises to deliver her a quick, convenient and delicious cup of coffee when she wants at the touch of a button. But she started to wonder about how the pods can be recycled, and whether her decision to swap to them had a greater impact on the environment?Greg Foot ‘filters’ through the research on coffee’s carbon footprint alongside two experts, to find out where pods fall. He tastes the difference between a few different brewing methods, finds out how easy it is to recycle our pods, and what effect recycling them (or not) can have on their environmental impact. (The information in this episode was accurate at the time of recording.)All 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 306807. PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: KATE HOLDSWORTH
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28:24
Cleaning Sprays
Do we really need all those cleaning sprays?Have a peek in anyone’s cupboard under the sink (ask first or it can get a bit weird) and you’re bound to find a clutch of cleaning sprays and products. The marketing often says they’re designed for certain rooms and do specific jobs.But listener Alice wants to know if we really need different sprays for our bathrooms and kitchens. Will soap and water do the same job, and what about supermarket own-brand products? She’s also keen to know about the cleaning properties of natural products like vinegar…and what about the concentrated versions that allow you to add your own water?Greg and Alice are joined by Dr Sally Bloomfield from the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, as well as TV’s ‘Queen of Clean’, Lynsey Crombie, to run the science through the evidence mill.All 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 voicenote to our WhatsApp number 07543 306807PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCER: SIMON HOBAN
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30:21
Longevity Supplements - 100th Episode
Can taking special supplements help us to live longer? It's the 100th episode of Sliced Bread and to mark the occasion we're investigating the pills and supplements that claim to help us live longer - and more healthy - lives.
Listener Soly has heard about so-called 'biohackers' such as Bryan Johnson in the US, who are trying to turn back the clock on their biological age and reverse the process that makes their bodies vulnerable to illness and disease. Each day they're taking a special blend of compounds and chemicals which they claim slow down or even reverse the hallmarks of ageing.Increasingly these supplements and diet plans are available to buy - but are they worth the money? Can they really extend our lives beyond the current normal human lifespan? What does the evidence say so far about their effectiveness?Greg is joined in the studio by Dr Andrew Steele, author of 'Ageless: The New Science of Getting Older Without Getting Old' to try to unlock the secrets of staying young and run the studies through the evidence mill.We could not have made it to 100 episodes of Sliced Bread without YOUR suggestions for wonder products to investigate. Please do keep them coming! If you have seen something claiming to make you happier, healthier or greener, and want to know if it is SB or BS, then please do send it over on email to [email protected] or drop us a message or voice note on WhatsApp to 07543 306807.PRESENTER: GREG FOOT
PRODUCERS: 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 5 December, 2024. 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, a week earlier than anywhere else, on BBC Sounds first.Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.
UK