Drones: Small machines, big business

Hear how business leaders react when confronted with unforeseen and awkward crises at work. Presenter Evan Davis reveals three fictional scenarios to his guests. None of them know anything of problems they are about to face. Tackling the dilemmas will involve making tough and unpopular choices. What do they do and can they agree on the best course of action?Guests: Nicola Shaw: Outgoing CEO of Yorkshire Water Will Butler-Adams: CEO of Brompton Jessica Spungin: Adjunct Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Sally Abrahams, Nick Holland & Phoebe Keane Sound: Dave O'Neill & Sam Dickinson Production Coordinator: Kate Morrison Editor: Matt Willis

Post-prison businesses. From the board room to a jail cell... and back again? How easy is it to re-build a career after serving time for financial offences? Riordan Maynard was CEO of mobile phone company Touchbase which he grew from a small business selling mobile phones to a multi-national company with offices in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the USA. After the financial crisis of 2008, though, the company lost hundreds of millions of pounds worth of deals and what Riordan did next landed him in a US jail for five and a half years. His experience in prison, witnessing brutal violence and struggling with his mental health, sparked an idea for a new business. Sushovan Hussain was CFO of Autonomy, founded by the late Mike Lynch. He helped the business grow into one of Britain’s biggest technology companies. But after the company was sold on, he was convicted of fraud in the US and in 2019 he was sentenced to 5 years in jail. Leaving prison and struggling with getting insurance and bank accounts inspired him to set up a new business helping ex-offendors get back into work. Producers: Sally Abraham, Nick Holland, Phoebe Keane Editor: Matt Willis:

'Good economic growth in every postcode' is the ambitious slogan being used by the prime minister, Andy Burnham. His big idea is to devolve decision making and spending powers away from Westminster so towns and cities can, in his words “do more, and in doing more build a new economy.” He’s also talked of re-industrialisation. Previous governments have talked of northern powerhouses, and levelling-up. There has been some success notably in Greater Manchester, but when it comes to the imbalanced economic geography of the UK, despite all that talk, little has changed. Overall productivity across the North of England is still lower than in London and the South East. It’s argued that for too long there’s been underinvestment, regional inequality and a lack of opportunity for many communities. If Andy Burnham marks a renaissance for regeneration, then what’s the plan? How do you get good growth in every postcode in the North of England? Evan Davis looks for answers by speaking to business leaders representing less well-connected parts of the region.Guests: Susan Hinchcliffe: Former Labour leader of Bradford Council Finbarr Dowling: Chairman of The Humber Freeport Henri Murison: Chief Executive at The Northern Powerhouse Partnership Dave Fishwick: Entrepreneur and Founder of Burnley Savings and LoansPresenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland & Sally Abrahams Sound: Dave O'Neill & James Beard Production Coordinator: Kate Morrison Editor: Matt Willis

Why buy when you can subscribe? From food boxes to fashion, businesses are increasingly keen to sign us up for regular payments. The attraction is clear – predictable income for companies and convenience for consumers. But what happens when we forget to cancel, keep paying for things we barely use or find it harder to leave than join? Evan Davis and guests explore the appeal and the pitfalls of the subscription economy. Guests: Murray Lambell, chief customer officer, Gousto; Mark Ralea, general manager, Fabletics Europe; Kate Nightingale, psychologist and founder, Humanising Brands; and Lisa Webb, consumer law expert at Which?Production team: Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland and Sally Abrahams Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Sound engineers: James Beard and Dave O’Neill Editor: Matt Willis

What is going wrong with the largest economy in Europe? It accounts for roughly one-third of the continent's total manufacturing output but since 2020 there's been very little growth. Some people suggest the problems facing the country have been brewing for decades. It's argued Germany has been slow to adapt to modern ways of doing business and hasn't kept up with industrial competition from abroad. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of experts to understand how much trouble the German economy is in, why it's struggling and what it can do to revive itself.Guests: Verena Pausder: Chair of the German Start-Up Association Nicola Pinder: Business expansion consultant for the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg Marcel Fratzscher: President of the German Institute for Economic Research Wolfgang Munchau: Journalist and Author of Kaput, The End of the German MiraclePresenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland & Sally Abrahams Sound: Dave O'Neill & Donald MacDonald Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Matt Willis

If there’s one business that’s ingrained in popular culture, you could argue it's the buying and selling of antiques. You only have to count the number of TV shows where people find and flog something hoping for a profit to recognise the appeal. But how does the business really operate? Is it accurately portrayed on television and how do antiques come up for sale in the first place? Evan Davis is joined by a panel of experts to get some answers and asks whether anything we manufacture today will last long enough to be auctioned off in a hundred years-time.Guests: Catherine Southon: Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers, TV expert on Flog It!, Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip Mark Hill: Dealer, Author, Lecturer and TV expert on Antiques Road Show and Antiques Road Trip Conor Hannah: Founder of SellingAntiques.co.ukPresenter: Evan Davis Producers: Nick Holland & Sally Abrahams Sound: Dave O'Neill & Neil Churchill Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor Matt Willis

Drones are no longer simply small flying cameras. They’re being used to fight wars, find people lost at sea, inspect infrastructure and gather intelligence. Evan Davis and guests discuss what’s driving the extraordinary growth of the drone industry. And, as the technology gets cheaper, smarter and longer-range, what does it take to build a successful drone business? Guests: Mike Armstrong, MD, Stark Defence UK Gemma Alcock, Founder and CEO, Skybound Mark Westwood, Director of Defence and a Professor of Aeronautics, Cranfield University Production team: Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Bethan Ashmead, Nick Holland, Sally Abrahams Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound Engineer: Neil Churchill Editor: Matt Willis

The 2026 London Marathon saw new world record times set in both the men's and women's events. Eyes weren't just on the winning athletes but also on the Adidas trainers they were wearing. So what goes into designing and making a pair of trainers and why have some of them become so expensive to buy? Global sales for trainers are in the tens of billions of dollars with hundreds of new styles being produced every year. How does the industry keep up with demand and stay on trend? Giant companies like Nike and Adidas, who dominated the industry for decades, can no longer take anything for granted. Newer brands like On and Hoka have managed to break through and are shaking things up. How have they managed to do it? Evan Davis gets some insights and answers from people who work in the industry.Guests: Tony Evans: Managing Director of Jacobson Group Tom Astrella: Co-founder The Footsoldiers Wayne Edy: Founder and CEO of Inov8Presenter: Evan Davis Producer: Sally Abrahams & Nick Holland Sounds: Dave O'Neill and Frank McWeeny Editor: Sam Bonham

From breakthrough products and inspiring leadership to marketing disasters and strategic own goals, a panel of business leaders choose the winners and losers from the last 12 months in business. Evan Davis hosts The Bottom Line's unofficial annual awards, where the only prizes are the praise or pillory of the judges.Guests: Nicola Hodson, Deputy President, techUK Peter Bazalgette, former Chair, ITV Edwina Dunn, Co-founder, dunnhumby Production team: Presenter: Evan Davis Producers: Sally Abrahams and Nick Holland Sound engineers: Dave O’Neill and Tim Heffer Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

The Bottom Line has been on BBC Radio 4 for twenty years. The programme was first broadcast in 2006. Back then smartphones weren't on sale, Facebook had only just gone public and people still went to Blockbuster to rent videos and DVDs. Tony Blair was prime minister, a litre of fuel cost 90p and interest rates stood at 4.5 per cent. Since then there's been a financial crash, we've had energy price shocks, Brexit and a pandemic. Evan Davis is joined by a panel of guests, who first appeared in the early years of the show, to reflect on how the business landscape has changed over that period of time. Guests: Nicola Horlick: CEO of Money & Co Robin Wight: Advertising Guru Kim Winser: Luxury Brand Consultant Alex Cheatle: CEO and founder of Ten Lifestyle Group PlcPresenter: Evan Davis Producer: Sally Abrahams & Nick Holland Sound: Dave O'Neil Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor Sam Bonham