Sliced Bread

What works to help with the symptoms of hay fever?The better weather’s here but for the millions who have hay fever that just means a runny nose and itchy, streaming eyes. And for some people it’s seriously debilitating – listener Richard got in touch because his wife can’t go out and play with the kids in the spring and summer months. In this episode I’m investigating the treatments that claim to help. I speak to an expert from Allergy UK to find out what works and whether - as listener Lisa wonders - the generic or own-brand versions work as well as the more expensive branded ones. And could a hay fever injection be the one-shot solution Richard’s wife is looking for?Also, you might have heard about the gut microbiome…but did you know there’s a nasal microbiome too?! I’m finding out about some new research which shows probiotics could play a role in treating hay fever.This series we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products, so if you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Simon Hoban

Sales of alcohol-free beer in the UK have more than tripled in the past five years, and you'll find more types of no and low-alcohol beer on sale in your local supermarket. But what does 'alcohol-free' really mean? And are these drinks always better for your health? Various listeners got in touch with us about this one, so we enlisted the help of two experts to answer their questions. Laura Willoughby knows a lot about no/low alcohol beer as co-founder of Club Soda which says it exists "to help people drink more mindfully and live well”. Kerry Torrens is a registered nutritionist who has been working in the food and drink sector for two decades. Once again this series we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products, so f you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Jon Douglas

Discover the truth behind snoring products and their effectiveness in reducing snoring. From throat sprays to chinstraps, explore the science behind these solutions. Experts reveal insights on anatomical factors, muscle relaxation, and lifestyle changes that impact snoring. Dive into the world of anti-snoring products and the importance of proper fitting for optimal results.

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses which had promised so much to consumers.You can contact us at toast@bbc.co.ukIn each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea which ended up toast, examining the reasons behind the failure and discovering what can we learn from its story today.Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition, speaking to expert commentators to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently.Sean is assisted by the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, as together they try to work out what went wrong.This week, Sean and Sam look into the Sinclair C5 - an electric vehicle from the 1980s which promised to revolutionize personal transport. They get a first-hand account of what happened from the former Managing Director of Sinclair Vehicles Ltd, Barrie Wills, and hear how the Isle of Cumbrae became a hotbed for the Sinclair C5....until the little vehicles started breaking down all over the island. They also speak to Grant Sinclair - nephew of the C5's inventor, Sir Clive Sinclair - and hear how he has devised a new and very different take on the C5 which he plans to launch soon. Presenter: Sean Farrington Producer: Jon DouglasToast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses which had promised so much to consumers.You can contact us at toast@bbc.co.uk In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea which ended up toast, examining the reasons behind the failure and discovering what can we learn from its story today.Sean unpicks all the early optimism, hype and ambition, speaking to expert commentators to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently.Sean is assisted by the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, as together they try to work out what went wrong.This week, Sean and Sam look into a hugely successful website from a time when most people in the UK were slowly getting used to the internet. Friends Reunited provided a unique way for users to reconnect with old school friends.It made a fortune for its founders but was closed for good in 2016. Could it still have been successful today? Toast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.The producers are Jay Unger and Jon Douglas.

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses 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 speaks to expert commentators and to people involved with doomed wonder products to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently.Along the way he discovers charming and surprising stories from people who took to these products but lived to regret it and, with the help of self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur Sam White, tries to work out where they went wrong.This week, Sean and Sam examine the game and movie rental chain, Blockbuster. Its first store opened in 1985 in Dallas, Texas. At its peak in 2004, it had around 9,000 stores globally, was earning nearly $5.9 billion in revenue and employed over 84,000 people worldwide.How did it lose its way? Spoiler alert - it wasn't just down to the rise of streaming services like Netflix. Toast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread.Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of wonder products and businesses 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 speaks to expert commentators and to people involved with doomed wonder products to discover how they view things now and what, if anything, could have been done differently. Along the way he discovers charming and surprising stories from people who took to these products but lived to regret it and, with the help of self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur Sam White, tries to work out where they went wrong. This week, Sean and Sam look into a fat substitute called Olestra which promised to make savoury snacks healthier. With none of the fat and far fewer calories, Olestra sounded like a dieter's dream..... but it didn't turn out that way. Toast is a spin-off from Sliced Bread, the series in which Greg Foot investigates the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread. Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in May. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds. Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4.

From the team behind the hit series, Sliced Bread. Sean Farrington investigates wonder products and businesses which promised so much to consumers.... but ultimately ended up toast. Sean is joined by the self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, to conclude what went wrong. Together they look at why a product or business failed, and what we can learn from their stories today. In this episode, Sean talks about wearable tech and Google Glass. These futuristic looking spectacles, with a heads-up display which showed text messages and street directions and allowed users to record video footage of what was happening around them, were named in Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2012. There was plenty of hype. Google even demonstrated them by live-streaming a sky dive using Google Glass.But by 2015, just two years after their release, Google announced that Google Glass Explorer, the consumer version of the glasses, was going to be shelved, and the version used by businesses has since been ditched too. Sean and Sam speak to the BBC's former technology correspondent, Rory Cellan Jones, and the 'godfather' of wearable technology, Professor Sandy Pentland from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), to discover how Google Glass went from being the best thing since sliced bread, to toast.Presenter: Sean Farrington Producer: Jay Unger

Greg Foot introduces a new series from the team that brought you Sliced Bread.In Toast, Sean Farrington examines the wonder products and businesses that promised so much at launch but ultimately crashed and burned. With the help of industry experts, he asks what went wrong and what - if anything - they could have done differently.Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Is sourdough the best thing since Sliced Bread?It’s the last episode in the current series so I thought it was about time I investigated this! Listener Janet got in touch wanting to know whether sourdough really does live up to the hype. Is it better for our digestive health than other breads? Is it made with fewer additives? And do the cheaper sourdough loaves we can buy in the supermarket really cut it - or are they just ‘sourfaux’?To find out, I went to a baking school to make a sourdough loaf from scratch, learning about the process and ingredients that go to make the sort of sourdough you’d find at an artisan or traditional bakers - and might cost over five pounds.And I speak to one of the world’s leading nutritional experts on bread to find out which types we should eat for our health.This series, we’re testing and investigating your suggested wonder-products. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or fad, and wonder if there’s any evidence to back up a claim, drop us an email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a voice note to our WhatsApp number: 07543 306807.PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCER: Simon Hoban