The Bottom Line
BBC Radio 4
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 4, 2025 • 13min
Decisions That Made Me: Mark Dixon (IWG)
Mark Dixon left school at 16 and began selling hot dogs before building a bread roll business. In 1989 he founded Regus, spotting the need for flexible offices after watching people hold meetings in coffee shops. From a single site in Brussels, he grew the business into IWG — now the world’s largest provider of flexible workspace, with thousands of locations in more than 120 countries. Along the way he faced fierce competition and survived the dotcom crash. Mark speaks to Evan Davis about his journey from hot dog stands to global boardrooms, the setbacks that nearly ended it all, and how he built a company now worth billions.Producer: Osman Iqbal
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Aug 28, 2025 • 19min
Decisions That Made Me: Thomas Beahon (Castore Co-Founder)
Tom Beahon played youth football for Tranmere Rovers from the age of eight, but when he realised he’d never make the very top, he walked away to chase a new dream: building a sportswear brand with his brother, frustrated by the lack of quality kit on the market. Today, Castore is valued at almost a billion. Tom joins Evan Davis to discuss giving up football, starting a business from scratch, and how they persuaded stars like Andy Murray to invest in the brand.Image used with permission by copyright holder Castore
Aug 21, 2025 • 16min
Decisions That Made Me: Anthony Eskinazi (JustPark Founder)
When he finished university Anthony Eskinazi was destined for a graduate scheme with a top accountancy firm, but he couldn’t resist a business idea he’d had while trying to get to a baseball game during his gap year. The tech entrepreneur tells Evan Davis how he gave up job security, and a promising career path, to try to connect drivers with under-used parking spaces. Producers: Simon Tulett and Georgiana Tudor
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Gareth Jones
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison (Image: Anthony Eskinazi Credit: Simon Tulett/BBC)
Aug 14, 2025 • 17min
Decisions That Made Me: Joanna Jensen (Childs Farm Founder)
When an investor pulled the plug on a £3m cash injection for Joanna Jensen’s fledgling business, it could not have come at a worse time. The Childs Farm founder was just about to launch in two of the UK’s biggest high street stores, and was also going through a divorce and moving out of the family home with her two young daughters. Joanna tells Evan Davis how the last-minute let-down taught her who she could trust in business and what she needed to look for in a future financial partner.Producer: Georgiana Tudor
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Gareth Jones and Matt Cadman
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison(Image: Photographer: Emily Patrick. Copyright: Joanna Jensen)
Aug 7, 2025 • 17min
Decisions That Made Me: Nick Grey (Gtech, Founder and CEO)
When Nick Grey started his cordless vacuum business 20 years ago he took a big risk by handing a lot of control to a much bigger rival. The entrepreneur, who’d designed and built prototypes in his garage, tells Evan Davis about that decision and the moment he knew it had really paid off. Production team: Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Gareth Jones and Jonny Baker
Production co-ordinator: Katie MorrisonImage: Photographer: Jack Pope. Copyright: Gtech
Jul 31, 2025 • 18min
Decisions That Made Me: Zak Brown (McLaren Racing, CEO)
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, shares his extraordinary journey from a troubled teenager to a motorsport executive. He reflects on winning Cartier watches from a teen Wheel of Fortune, which he sold to fund his go-karting passion. Brown discusses the pressures of managing a storied racing team through financial challenges and the pandemic. He highlights how effective leadership and strategic changes revitalized the brand, all while navigating the complexities of modern Formula 1.
Jul 24, 2025 • 32min
The Bottom Line Business Awards 2025
Which business leader, or company, has had the most outstanding 12 months? What's been the biggest disaster or blunder? Evan Davis and guests look back over the business highs and lows of the last year.Evan is joined by:Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chairman, S4 Capital;
Greg Jackson, founder and CEO, Octopus Energy;
Joanna Jensen, founder, Childs Farm.Production team:Producers: Georgiana Tudor and Osman Iqbal
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Neil Churchill and Matt Cadman
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Jul 17, 2025 • 33min
Car Parks: Who's Making Money From Your Ticket?
It's an industry that has few fans, but how does it really work, and will there be enough spaces in future for the UK's growing fleet of cars?Evan Davis looks under the bonnet of a much-maligned industry to find out where the money goes and why motorists have to pay in the first place. The government has been clamping down on 'cowboy' operators - can this, along with technology like Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, make car parks fairer?With changing travel patterns post-pandemic, and growing restrictions on cars in towns and cities, we ask whether car parks can stay profitable. And, if more of them are repurposed into flats or other uses, will motorists face even more competition for spaces, and higher prices, in future? Evan is joined by:Adam Bidder, managing director, Q-Park UK and Ireland;
Ashley Bijster, managing Director, Modaxo;
Anthony Eskinazi, founder and president, JustPark.Production team:Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Jul 10, 2025 • 32min
Scaling Up: What Turns a Start-Up into a Success?
What does it take to grow a new enterprise? Evan Davis hears about the decisions behind creating a multi million-pound business.
Founders share the challenges of shifting from solo entrepreneur to CEO, and navigating the make-or-break moments: when to invest, when to take risks, and when to hold back.
Plus, the realities of failure, internal setbacks, and the strategic role of social media in driving growth.
Evan is joined by:
Charlie Bowes-Lyon, Co-Founder, Wild;
Charlotte Figg, Co-Founder, Purdy & Figg;
Suneet Sachdeva, Founder & CEO, Bubble CiTea
Production team:
Producer: Osman Iqbal
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: David Crackles
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Jul 3, 2025 • 34min
Care Homes: How Will They Cope Without Migrant Workers?
Care homes are to be barred from recruiting overseas staff, as part of government plans to cut net migration, but will the sector be able to tempt enough British workers to take their place?Evan Davis asks two providers how they plan to adapt, why it's so hard to recruit and retain local staff, and what the care home sector might look like in the future.Also, if low pay really is one of the biggest obstacles to new hires, what would a fairer, more attractive level be? Evan is joined by:Raina Summerson, group CEO, Agincare;
Haris Khan, CEO, Curaa Group;
William Laing, founder and executive chairman, LaingBuisson Production team:Producer: Georgiana Tudor
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Neil Churchill and Jack Graysmark
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
