Sliced Bread

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 fr...

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...

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...

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 th...

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 reall...

Mascara is a crucial element of many a make-up bag - but can mascaras really deliver on their promises of longer, fuller, or curlier lashes? Listener Kath got in touch to ask exactly that. She also wants to know if you pay more for mascara, do you get better results? How should we remove it - and what about waterproof products that are tough to take off? Are we potentially damaging our lashes? Gre...

Do toothpastes promising to repair enamel and help with sensitive teeth really work? We've all been there - you go down the supermarket aisle to grab toothpaste and suddenly you’re faced with an ocean of the stuff, all promising to do different things. Buzz-phrases like ‘protect’ and ‘repair’ all vie for your attention. But just what are the ingredients in all these different toothpastes? And do t...

Sleep is never more important than when you aren’t getting any. And there’s a large range of night time teas, herbal tablets and relaxing oils and sprays that promise to help you get some. But can they really deliver? Listener Corrine got in touch after struggling with her sleep post menopause, wanting to know if there was any evidence to back up the claims of various natural sleep aids. Can they...

We spend a lot of time on them so it’s important to get the right mattress. But buying one can be confusing. Some use springs while others are made out of foam - or there’s a combination of both. Then there’s memory foam, with brands like Tempur claiming to make their mattresses out of ‘proprietary’ material. And can a good mattress help to alleviate back pain? These are the questions keeping list...

After the Sliced Bread episode on shampoo, a number of listeners got in touch to request a follow-up episode on conditioners. So of course, we obliged. Listener Katie wanted to know what they actually do to our hair, if they can deliver on promises for shinier, smoother, or stronger locks – and whether leave-in treatments could be more effective than conditioners you wash off in the shower? Listen...

Listener Isla, 11, wants to know if bottled water from the UK's biggest selling brands such as Evian and Buxton is cleaner, healthier, cheaper and greener than the stuff that comes from the tap. Greg Foot drills down into the subject, investigating the claims made by manufacturers of bottled water. Does it make any difference if water has spent years underground being "filtered by rocks" before be...

When it comes to shop-bought painkillers, there are rows and rows of shelves dedicated to them in supermarkets and pharmacies – ranging from own-brand tablets, to more expensive capsules and caplets, as well as branded packets that promise to work faster, and target specific pain. Listener Hannah got in touch all the way from Tunisia to ask the questions – what’s the difference between paracetamol...

In this episode presenter Greg Foot investigates three products that promise to make washing your laundry better for the planet. Listener Clare wants to know if the Ecoegg she’s using really is a greener alternative to liquid detergent and whether the cleaning pellets inside are harmful to the environment. Another listener, Jane, got in touch about laundry sheets – strips of concentrated detergent...

Petrol is something millions of drivers around the UK rely on, but when faced with the choice of what to fill up with at the pumps, many wonder what is the difference between regular and premium unleaded? That’s exactly what listener Irfan wanted to know, and if premium can really deliver on its promises to make your car more efficient, take you further, and clean out your engine for a higher pric...

Sales of energy drinks are rising and their brightly coloured cans line the shelves of almost every supermarket or grocery store in the UK. But do brands like Monster, Red Bull and Relentless deliver on their promises? Listener Syed is a consultant radiologist and says he needs to be on his A-Game in his demanding job. He wants to know if an energy drink would be any better than his usual cup of c...

Shampoo ranges hugely in price, from own brand bottles to premium products that promise to improve your hair, leaving it in better condition, stronger and shinier. But can they really deliver? Listener Sophie sent in a WhatsApp to ask just that, as well as whether we should use different shampoos depending on our hair type, if sulphates or parabens could be harmful to our hair, and if shampoo bars...

Two products dominate the market for nasal sprays that claim to reduce symptons of a cold - Vicks ‘First Defence’ and Boots ‘Dual Defence’. But do they work? Listener Leah got in touch because she catches lots of colds from her young son and wants to know if they can help her get over them more quickly. She also wants to know if they’re safe to use regularly and how long you should take them for....

In the run up to Christmas, many parents will be checking on their battery supplies ahead of Santa bringing gifts that require them. But do branded batteries, that promise more power and longer life at a higher price point, really deliver it? Listener Peter got in touch asking just that, as well as whether batteries have an expiry date? Greg Foot recruits some year 7 pupils and their teacher to he...

Smelling good can come with a hefty price tag with the price of perfumes often getting into the hundreds of pounds. But what if there was a cheaper alternative? Listener Callum got in touch because his bottle of expensive perfume is about to run out. Presenter Greg Foot turns his nose to the task, testing so-called 'clone' perfumes which claim to get as close the originals as to be indistinguishab...

It’s something most of us will have used at some point, and a product that has been around for decades in various forms. But do all the advertised fancy features, pivoting heads, multiple blades and higher price tags, really make a difference to your shave? Listener Tim got in touch, asking just that, as well as whether all the extras on razors these days also have an impact on the environment? Gr...

It’s one of the most talked-about cosmetic products but what’s the evidence that collagen supplements really do slow the visible signs of the ageing process? Listener Jo got in touch wanting to know if the collagen supplement she’s spending £53 per month on will live up to its claim of reducing wrinkles, while promoting “glossy hair and plump dewy skin.” Other listeners asked whether it can help w...

With shorter days, longer nights, and bad weather leading to the winter blues for many, and for some the more severe Seasonal Affective Disorder, Sliced Bread investigates whether specially designed lights can really help improve how we feel. Listener Ross got in touch on WhatsApp after he’d read claims Wake Up Lights and SAD Lamps can boost our mood, and wanted to know what “medically certified”...

It's getting colder and with the cost of living rising, how best to heat our homes in the most efficient way possible has become a big question. Listener Ken got in touch about a new kind of portable ceramic heater he's seen advertised, promising to heat your room using 30% less energy. Greg Foot teams up with Octopus Energy to run it through the evidence mill and test it against three other types...

The Natural Deodorant market has recently expanded, with plenty of products out there promising to keep you fresh, and dry, without the use of traditional ingredients such as aluminium salts. Listener PC Hollie got in touch on WhatsApp after she’d seen claims that regular deodorants and antiperspirants containing aluminium salts might be bad for our health, and wanted to know if natural deodorants...