Sliced Bread

Latest Episodes:

Sliced Bread - Series 7: Milk Alternatives Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

Which is the cream of the crop for your health and the planet?

The supermarket shelves are fairly bulging with plant-based options for people who either prefer not to drink cow's milk or can't for health reasons like an allergy. Some have been around for a while - like soy, almond and the current best-seller in the UK, oat - but there are newer additions to consider like hazelnut, hemp and a drink made from dried peas.

Listener Sian wants to know if these milk alternatives are better for her health and the environment than cow's milk. Do they give you the same nutritional benefits? And what's the carbon footprint of each, and how do they compare to the production of cow's milk?

If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if there’s any evidence behind it, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807

Presenter: Greg Foot Producer: Simon Hoban

Sliced Bread - Series 7: Fitness Trackers Feb 29, 2024

Show notes

Millions of us use fitness tracker watches to count how many steps we take each day - they also claim to tell us how we're sleeping and how stressed we are, as well as a host of other metrics. But how accurate are they - and are they the best thing since Sliced Bread? We've had loads of requests from you to look into fitness trackers. So with multiple watches on each arm, Greg's being put through his paces at Loughborough University under the watchful eye of Dr James Sanders, senior research associate in digital health for lifestyle.

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Sliced Bread - Series 7: Pots and Pans Feb 22, 2024

Show notes

What cookware is best for your kitchen?

There is a bewildering array of pots and pans on offer: stainless steel saucepans, cast iron skillets, even 10-in-1 cookware systems that use layers of various materials. But do they deliver on their promises to help you reach culinary bliss? Listener Emily wants to know if the ones she's seen live up to the hype or are just marketing BS. What do all the materials do? What about cleaning them? And just what is the much-vaunted 'hot spot' that lights up at a certain temperature?!

There are also lingering concerns about non-stick coatings. Are they safe? And what about the alternatives if you're not sure?

Please do keep your suggestions coming of wonder products for me to investigate. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if there’s any evidence behind it, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807

Presenter: Greg Foot Producer: Simon Hoban

Sliced Bread - Series 7: Dog Dental Chews Feb 15, 2024

Show notes

Gum disease is extremely common in dogs - with some breeds particularly badly affected. So it's no surprise there are all sorts of products on the market offering to clean your pet's teeth - which might be particularly appealing if you don't fancy grabbing a toothbrush and doing the job yourself. As well as chews of many shapes and sizes, there are additives to water - and even seaweed extract to sprinkle on their food. It's a serious business. We've had loads of emails asking us to look into this one - including from listener Sarah, who wants help on behalf of Heidi, her Miniature Schnauzer. To get them some answers, Greg hears from a pet nutritionist and a vet who's an expert in dental care. Are dog dental chews the best thing since sliced bread?

PRESENTER: GREG FOOT PRODUCER: TOM MOSELEY

Sliced Bread - Series 7: Face Creams Feb 08, 2024

Show notes

Are more expensive face creams worth it?

I'm back with a new series of Sliced Bread to investigate more of your suggested wonder products and I'm starting with one of the most-requested so far. Do more expensive moisturisers, serums and oils live up to the hype? Can they result in smoother, brighter, firmer, healthier skin or is it all just marketing BS?

Listener Aristide wants to know whether one of the most expensive products on the market - 'Creme de la Mer' (£80 for 15ml) - has any more evidence to back it up than the cheap moisturiser he uses from the High Street. And listener Fiona is keen to hear about the effectiveness of retinol, one of the most popular ingredients used in creams and serums today.

In this episode I'll get the answers with the help of our expert, consultant dermatologist Dr Emma Wedgeworth.

Once again this series I'm looking for more of your suggestions for wonder products to investigate. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad rproduct promsing to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if there’s any evidence behind it, then email us: sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807

Presenter: Greg Foot Producer: Simon Hoban

Toast - Series 2: Jamie's Italian Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

What went wrong at Jamie Oliver's UK restaurant chain, Jamie's Italian?

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 it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, which was first broadcast in February 2024, Sean and the serial entrepreneur, Sam White, examine the fortunes of Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant chain. It was a big hit when it launched so why couldn't it maintain that success?

Expert commentators - and Jamie Oliver himself - reflect on what made his restaurants so special and what led to their demise.

Tracey MacLeod, formerly of The Independent, was one of the first restaurant critics through the door; Emma Lake, Assistant Editor at The Caterer magazine wrote extensively about Jamie's Italian; Peter Harden, the co-founder of Harden's Restaurant Guide, has trawled through reviews of Jamie's Italian to see what changed from the customers' perspective.

Jamie Oliver's perspective comes through an interview he did with Kirsty Young for the Radio 4 series 'Young Again'.

If you have an idea for a topic with a toast moment then you can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in February. 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.

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Toast - Series 2: Commodore Computers Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Why did the best-selling computer manufacturer, Commodore, go bust?

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 it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, Sean examines the remarkable story behind the man who founded one of the world's best-selling computer manufacturers.

Commodore computers were huge in the 1980s so why couldn't the business adapt to survive in an age when computing became even more popular?

Expert commentators and employees reflect on why the company was so successful and what led to its demise.

Guests include David Pleasance - a former Commodore international executive and later joint managing director of its UK arm; Tim Danton - editor-in-chief of PC Pro magazine; Dan Wood - a Commodore computers enthusiast.

Alongside them is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, to analyse the missteps that changed the brand’s fortunes.

If you have an idea for a topic with a toast moment then you can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Toast - Series 2: Club 18-30 Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Why did the package holiday brand, Club 18-30, disappear?

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 it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, which was first broadcast in January 2024, Sean learns why Club 18-30 fell out of favour.

Its package holidays for young people were a hit for decades so why couldn't it keep going?

Sean speaks to holidaymakers who remember their Club 18-30 experiences well.

A former manager explains how they hoped to keep the brand going and why that proved impossible.

Alongside them all, analysing the business' fortunes is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which we could cover in future episodes

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Toast - Series 2: Sunny Delight Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

Why did sales of the best-selling soft drink, Sunny Delight, suddenly bomb in the 1990s?

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 it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, which was first broadcast in January 2024, Sean learns why sales of Sunny Delight faltered in the UK after an extraordinarily successful launch.

Sean speaks to some of the people who worked on the brand, hearing how it became a hit before a series of unfortunate coincidences undermined its popularity.

The self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, is alongside him, analysing the missteps that changed Sunny Delight's fortunes.

'Sunny D', as it is known today, is still sold in some UK supermarkets. It has different owners and ingredients but it has never matched the incredible sales figures which it achieved in its early days.

CORRECTION: Beta-carotene is not a B vitamin as briefly referenced in this programme. It's turned into vitamin A in the body.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which we could cover in future episodes

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Toast - Series 2: Toys R Us Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Why did Toys R Us have to close all of its UK superstores in 2018?

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 it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this Christmas special, Sean examines the charming story behind one of our best-known toy brands before hearing how it faltered.

Expert commentators and employees reflect on why the business had been so successful and what went wrong.

Alongside them is the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, to analyse the missteps that changed the brand’s fortunes.

Together, they hear how Toys R Us is making a comeback in the UK.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which we could cover in future episodes.

From big tech to high street retail and, of course, food, Toast tackles the business ideas that, one way or another, ended up cooked.

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

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