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
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
Jun 26, 2025 • 30min
Presentations: How to Avoid 'Death By PowerPoint'
Few things in working life are as familiar or as dreaded as presentations, but done well they can persuade and even inspire. So what are the tricks to getting them right?From nerves to narrative, Evan Davis explores how structure, delivery and storytelling shape the way ideas land, and why clarity and connection matter more than ever.And is there still a role for the much-maligned PowerPoint slide?Evan is joined by:Abi Eniola, practitioner, RADA Business;
Rory Sutherland, vice chairman, Ogilvy UK;
Simon Gallagher, UK CEO, Euronext.Production team:Producer: Osman Iqbal
Series Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Neil Churchill and Pat Sissons
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Jun 19, 2025 • 40min
Cyber Attacks: On The Front Line Of A Hack
Cyber criminals have seriously damaged some household names recently - M&S, Co-op, North Face, Harrods - but what really happens behind the scenes when a business is hacked?Evan Davis speaks to the former head of information security at Royal Mail about the major attack it suffered in 2023 - from the initial alert and the eye-watering ransom demand, to the media leak and the long, slow rebuild.Plus, how should you negotiate with hackers, how sophisticated have they become, and how do they choose their victims?Evan is joined by:Jon Staniforth, former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Royal Mail;
Lisa Forte, founder and partner, Red Goat.Production team:Producer: Simon Tulett
Editor: Matt Willis
Sound: Nathan Chamberlain and James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Sophie Hill and Janet Staples
Jun 12, 2025 • 29min
Pay: What If You Knew What Your Colleagues Earned?
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
Jun 9, 2025 • 3min
Introducing… The Bottom Line
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.
