Sliced Bread4 Touko 2023

Toast - Series 1: Sinclair C5

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 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 Douglas

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.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(215)

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Laundry Detergents

Pods, liquids and powders: which laundry detergent really cleans up?A trip down the laundry aisle can leave you faced with a welter of confusing marketing claims. From stain-busting formulas and lower...

20 Elo 32min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Pillows

What makes the perfect pillow? Nothing saying ‘waking up on the wrong side of the bed’ like a crick in your neck. With up to 70% of us experiencing neck pain at some point in our lives, sleeping in a ...

13 Elo 26min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Air Conditioning

What's the best way to keep your home cool?As heatwave after heatwave pushes temperatures higher across the UK and Europe, air conditioning has become a serious topic. Listener Rachel is one of many p...

6 Elo 31min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Language Learning Apps

Can you really learn a new language from apps like Duolingo? Sliced Bread listener Nathan Phelps has been teaching himself Japanese. He’s tried textbooks, tutors, and crucially, language apps on hi...

30 Heinä 26min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Kitchen Sponges, Cloths and Brushes

Which is the most hygienic for cleaning your kitchen?Most of us will be familiar with the cheap packs of coloured kitchen sponges with the abrasive tops, used for washing dishes and wiping surfaces. B...

23 Heinä 25min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Robotic Lawnmowers

Can robotic lawnmowers save you time without hassling hedgehogs?Listener Pat has seen adverts for robotic lawnmowers and has lots of questions: Do they cut effectively? How do they manage with edges a...

16 Heinä 29min

Sliced Bread - Series 17: Gut Microbiome Tests

Can a test tell you what's living inside your gut - and what to do about it?That's what listener Pete Mace asked us, kicking off a brand new series of Sliced Bread! He's seen 'gut microbiome tests' a...

10 Heinä 27min

Toast - Series 7: Orange

Orange was once one of the most recognisable brands in Britain — a mobile network with its iconic slogan “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange”, it helped turn mobile phones from elite business to...

2 Heinä 24min