The Bottom Line
BBC
The definitive business podcast from the BBC.
Each week, the BBC's Evan Davis is joined by bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, to lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it’s like to be in charge.
They discuss a big issue, a big challenge, or a big question facing their industry.
From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product.
And our guests will share their stories of success and failure along the way.
Podcasts are published every Thursday. And as well as being a podcast, we are also available every Thursday afternoon and Tuesday evening on BBC Radio 4.
You can now also listen to The Bottom Line on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Bottom Line”. It works on most smart speakers.
The Bottom Line has published a spin off series - Decisions That Made Me - where Evan asks entrepreneurs and business leaders about the most crucial moments in their lives and careers. You can watch these episodes here: https://t.ly/oJ8lW.
Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with Evan and the team on email at bottomline@bbc.co.uk.
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University and is an EcoAudio certified production.
Location:
United Kingdom
Networks:
BBC
Description:
The definitive business podcast from the BBC. Each week, the BBC's Evan Davis is joined by bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, to lift the lid on how their businesses work, and what it’s like to be in charge. They discuss a big issue, a big challenge, or a big question facing their industry. From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product. And our guests will share their stories of success and failure along the way. Podcasts are published every Thursday. And as well as being a podcast, we are also available every Thursday afternoon and Tuesday evening on BBC Radio 4. You can now also listen to The Bottom Line on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Bottom Line”. It works on most smart speakers. The Bottom Line has published a spin off series - Decisions That Made Me - where Evan asks entrepreneurs and business leaders about the most crucial moments in their lives and careers. You can watch these episodes here: https://t.ly/oJ8lW. Got a question or a comment? Get in touch with Evan and the team on email at bottomline@bbc.co.uk. The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University and is an EcoAudio certified production.
Language:
English
Episodes
Pay: What If You Knew What Your Colleagues Earned?
6/12/2025
Discussing pay is one of society’s big taboos - it’s just not the done thing to ask other people what they earn. And it can be even more hush-hush in the workplace - we’re not told to keep quiet, but somehow everyone does. And yet, most of us would love to know what our colleagues earn.
So would lifting the lid on salaries trigger resentment and frustration, or be a tool for fairness and accountability? Evan Davis explores the pros and cons of pay transparency — from closing gender pay gaps to boosting retention – and speaks to one boss who’s tried a radical approach.
Is it the next frontier in corporate accountability, or does the culture of secrecy still serve a purpose? Evan is joined by: Bob Leung, CEO, Grant Tree; Justine Woolf, Director of Consulting, Innecto; Clare Kelliher, Professor of Work and Organisation, Cranfield University School of Management. Production team: Producer: Osman Iqbal Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Neil Churchill and Pete Wise Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:29:04
Introducing…The Bottom Line
6/9/2025
The definitive business podcast from the BBC. Each week host Evan Davis is joined by company bosses, entrepreneurs and industry experts, who lift the lid on how the world of business really works, and what it’s like to be in charge. From managing AI to managing millennials, from supermarkets to supercharging a new product, the panel tackles the big issues, big challenges, or big questions facing their industry. And they share stories of success and failure along the way, revealing the personalities and human dramas behind some of our best-known brands. The Bottom Line also has a spin-off series – Decisions That Made Me – of one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and business leaders about the pivotal moments in their careers. These shorter episodes take a deep dive into the moments of opportunity, risk, or crisis that have defined some of the UK’s best-known business figures. Podcasts are published every Thursday. The Bottom Line is a BBC Long Form Audio Production for BBC Radio 4.
Duration:00:02:58
Made in China: How To Get A Product Manufactured In The Far East
6/5/2025
President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports have shaken up the global economic order, but why have so many brands turned to China to make their products in the first place, and how exactly do they do it? Evan Davis talks to three company bosses to find out what it’s really like doing business in the Far East and whether it's still as cheap and easy as it used to be. And if high tariffs persist, or get higher, where else in the world could do China's job?
Evan is joined by:
Nick Grey, founder and CEO, Gtech; Kate Sbuttoni, founder, The Ginger Jar Lamp Co.; Jonathan Duck, CEO, Amtico International
Production team:
Producer: Simon Tulett Editor: Matt Willis Sound: Jonny Baker and Nigel Appleton Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:35:01
Decisions That Made Me: Richard Farleigh (former Dragon, entrepreneur)
5/8/2025
Richard Farleigh grew up poverty-stricken in outback Australia as one of eleven children. When he was an infant, he was taken into care and spent the majority of his childhood in a foster home. A love of puzzles, a determination to prove himself, and some teachers who believed in his abilities, helped him gain a scholarship to university. From there he became a successful investment fund manager, eventually retiring at 34 to become an entrepreneur, and later an angel investor. The former dragon talks to Evan Davis about his new book Humble Stumbles, and how some of his early entrepreneurial decisions didn’t work out quite as well as he’d hoped.
Production team: Producers: Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Photo credit: Visual Marvels
Duration:00:15:59
Decisions That Made Me: Erinch Sahan (DEAL, Social Enterprise expert)
5/1/2025
The child of immigrant parents to Australia, Erinch was taught to want a stable life. He was having a successful career at Proctor and Gamble, but one day had a realisation that this was not what he wanted to be doing with his life. Now Erinch is a business and enterprise lead at the Doughnut Economics Action Lab, and designs businesses so they follow a social or ecological purpose. The social enterprise expert talks to Evan Davis about how he dealt with discovering his values were not aligning with his career path and what he did next.
Production team: Producers: Nick Holland and Simon Tulett Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:14:36
Decisions That Made Me: Sophie O’Brien (Pollen Careers, CEO)
4/24/2025
After 14 years of having a successful career in media, Sophie found herself unemployed. She thought with her skills and experience finding a new role would be easy, but it was the opposite. After struggling with applications and repeated denials, Sophie decided she wanted to change the process of applying for a job. The employment specialist talks to Evan Davis about how she’s trying to change the way recruitment works with her business Pollen Careers.
Production team: Producers: Nick Holland Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:13:40
Decisions That Made Me: Sir Kenneth Olisa (technology entrepreneur)
4/17/2025
At a time when coding and IT was in its infancy, Sir Kenneth fortuitously took a computer class to get out of cross country running; that choice would shape the rest of his life. From an internship at IBM, he later went on to a senior position at Wang laboratories, but then was fired after an unsuccessful management buyout. He eventually struck out on his own and founded two merchant banks. The entrepreneur talks to Evan Davis about the moment he was fired after trying to engineer a management buyout, and then what happened next.
Production team: Producers: Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:15:27
Decisions That Made Me: Chris May (Mayden, Founding Director)
4/10/2025
When a family member gets sick, it can mean major changes to our lives. For Chris May, it meant he needed a role that could be done entirely from home. He quit his job, and created his own enterprise doing management consulting. One of the contracts he had after that was to create a report on the standards of north London hospitals. Instead of just a report, Chris created an entire database, and his work snowballed from there. The health technology entrepreneur talks to Evan Davis about how he eventually created the database for the entire NHS.
Production team: Producers: Nick Holland and Simon Tulett Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:14:10
Decisions That Made Me: Claire Daniels (Trio Media, CEO)
4/3/2025
Grief hits everyone differently. For Claire Daniels, it changed her life; she had been working as the head of marketing for a technology firm and believed she’d keep climbing the corporate ladder, but after her brother’s death she found herself needing time out and quit. Later she began working for her sister in law’s business as a stopgap measure while she got herself back on track, but then that ended up becoming permanent. The marketing executive talks to Evan Davis about what it was like to work for family, and how she eventually became CEO of Trio media.
Production team: Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:13:57
Decisions That Made Me: Julian Metcalfe (Itsu and Pret A Manger)
3/27/2025
An early passion for the high street meant Julian Metcalfe was determined to get into retail from the get-go. He and his partner Sinclair Beecham founded Pret A Manger when he was just 26. In 2008 Pret was sold to a private equity firm, and Julian no longer had a say in the company’s future. Now Julian is in charge of Itsu, an Asian-inspired fast-food chain. The food entrepreneur talks to Evan Davis about how he is determined not to lose his decision-making role this time around.
Production team: Producer: Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:15:11
Decisions That Made Me: Sonnaz Nooranvary (House of Sonnaz, upholsterer)
3/20/2025
Sonnaz Nooranvary thought she’d have to be a doctor or a lawyer to please her parents, but struggled academically thanks to a combination of dyslexia and ADHD. Everything changed when she spotted an advert for an upholstery apprenticeship. She dropped out of college to build yachts from scratch. The upholsterer talks to Evan Davis about how she went against her family’s expectations to follow her instincts.
Production team:
Producer: Bob Howard Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Photo credit: Luke David
Duration:00:13:49
Decisions That Made Me: Alan French (Thomas Cook, CEO)
3/13/2025
When high street travel firm Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, it triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, with 150,000 holidaymakers needing to be brought home. Alan French was the Group Strategy and Technology director at the time and had to preside over the disaster. Despite that, he was determined to revive the company and the next year relaunched Thomas Cook as a digital only brand. The travel executive talks to Evan Davis about how he managed to turn his fortunes around and resurrect the Thomas Cook name.
Production team: Producer: Drew Hyndman Editor: Matt Willis Sound: John Scott Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Duration:00:14:46
Running a Business: The Bottom Line Answers Your Questions
3/6/2025
How would you invest £100k? Do entrepreneurs have super-human levels of optimism? How can you keep ownership of a great idea? In a first for The Bottom Line, Evan Davis puts questions like these - sent in by listeners - to a panel of business experts.
Evan is joined by: Sir Kenneth Olisa - chairman, Restoration Partners, and formerly founder and CEO, Interregnum; Richard Farleigh - angel investor and former Dragon's Den 'dragon'; Jessica Spungin - adjunct professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, London Business School.
Production team: Producers: Simon Tulett and Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Sound: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis
Duration:00:35:22
Self-checkouts: Have Shops Reached Peak Self-Scan?
2/27/2025
Self-checkouts have become a staple in supermarkets, fast food chains and other shops, but now some companies are reconsidering their use. Evan Davis explores the technology's role in the retail landscape and asks whether we’ve reached peak self-checkout, or if they’re just a step on the way to an even more digitised shopping future. With insights from industry leaders and experts, he examines the economics behind un-manned tills, generational differences in consumer acceptance, and their links to a recent rise in shoplifting. Plus, is automation actually making our lives easier, and what's lost if the personal touch disappears from shopping?
Guests: Julian Metcalfe, founder, Itsu; Robert Elsey, chief digital and information officer, Co-op Natalie Berg, retail analyst and host of the Retail Disrupted podcast
Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Simon Tulett and Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Sound: Rod Farquhar Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis
Duration:00:29:19
London's Stock Exchange: why aren't companies listing in Britain anymore?
2/20/2025
After a year in which a number of big companies decided to list in New York rather than the UK, Evan Davis asks what can be done to attract firms to the London Stock Exchange. With Julia Hoggett, CEO at the London Stock Exchange, Charles Hall, Head of Research at the investment bank Peel Hunt and Conor Lawlor, Managing Director, Global Banking Markets and International Affairs at UK finance.
Duration:00:37:14
Repairs: Making Money From Fixing Your Stuff?
2/13/2025
With the success of the BBC programme The Repair Shop, Evan Davis examines the business opportunities of companies which offer to repair things from clothes through to electronics. Is it easier to try and fix something yourself or pay for it to be done professionally? Do we still have the skills that previous generations had to do even relatively simple things like sewing on buttons? With Kyle Wiens, CEO of Ifixit, Katharine Beacham, Head of Sustainability, Clothing & Home at Marks and Spencer and upholstery repair expert and Repair Shop presenter Sonnaz Nooranvary.
Duration:00:32:56
DEI: Are Businesses Dumping Workplace Diversity?
2/6/2025
Major US businesses have begun ditching or scaling back their diversity initiatives. Will UK firms be next? Evan Davis is joined by three guests who specialise on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) schemes, as well as environmental and sustainability issues. Do they see signs of UK companies shifting their stance? And to what extent is the DEI industry - and their jobs - under threat?
Guests:
Daniel Fellows, General Manager of Diversio UK and EU Erinch Sahan, busines and enterprise lead at Doughnut Economics Action Lab Chris Turner, Executive Director of B Lab UK
Production team Producers: Farhana Haider, Simon Tulett and Eleanor Harrison-Dengate Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis
Duration:00:29:35
Robots On the Doorstep: Is This The Future Of Food Delivery?
1/30/2025
Evan Davis talks to the Estonian Ahti Heinla, co-founder of robot delivery firm Starship Technologies, which is hoping to expand across the UK. Evan hears about Ahti's early life in Estonia, how he competed in a Nasa competition, the start of the delivery system in Milton Keynes and how he thinks robot deliveries will grow in the future in Britain and worldwide.
Duration:00:34:31
Unbossing: Can We Work Without Managers?
1/23/2025
Can businesses operate without managers? It's an idea Amazon, Meta and Citigroup are exploring. Evan hears from the leaders of three companies who've already tried working that way, but with varying degrees of success.
Guests: Chris May: Founder of Mayden Hazel Brown: CEO of Cornerstone Luke Kyte: Operations Director of Reddico
Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland and Bob Howard Sound: James Beard Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis
Duration:00:35:11
The Four Day Week
1/16/2025
Evan Davis explores if working the traditional five day week could be replaced by working four, eight hour days. Could working more efficiently benefit employees and bosses? With Joe Ryle, director of the 4 Day Week Campaign, Claire Daniels, CEO of Trio Media and Jen Thompson, managing director of the Crate Brewery.
Duration:00:46:37