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BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread is the series that investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread'? Science presenter Greg Foot finds out.

Greg speaks to experts on a bunk-busting mission to test the latest consumer trends chosen by listeners. Do they live up to the hype? Or are they just marketing BS?

Greg chats to the experts, dives into the data, performs tests and crunches the numbers before putting his findings back to the listener so they can decide if it's worth spending their hard earned money on.

New episodes of Sliced Bread are released weekly on Thursdays wherever you get your podcasts. But if you're in the UK, you can listen to the latest episode on BBC Sounds first, a week earlier than anywhere else. 

If you have a suggestion for a product to investigate, you can email the team on sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a WhatsApp voice note via the number 07543 306807.

Sliced Bread is produced by BBC Audio North for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Sliced Bread

Do you really need a VPN?

Listener Andrew has seen and heard lots of adverts for Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and wants to know if they'll beef up the security on his computer. Will they provide extra protection from malware or hackers?

To get the answers, presenter Greg Foot is joined in the studio by Professor Victoria Baines, fellow of the Chartered Institute for IT.

All our investigations start with YOUR suggestions. If you have seen a wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, please do email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voicenote to our Whatsapp number - 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

VPNs

Listener Amanda was Kefir curious, and got in touch with Sliced Bread to ask if the Kefir she was consuming for breakfast every day – was really having an impact on her health, cognitive function, and her gut?

She wasn’t the only person to get in touch about kefir either, with others saying they keep seeing the benefits of fermented foods crowed about on social media. Greg Foot talks to head of the Food Biosciences department at the Irish National Research Body Teagasc, to get to the bottom of it.

Each episode Greg investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread' and should you spend your money on them?

If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM 
PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH & GREG FOOT

Kefir

Can taking testosterone help with low libido and energy?

It's all over social media and is often touted by celebs - both male and female - but is testosterone replacement therapy the answer to listener Clive's low energy levels? 

Clive got in touch after sending off for a blood test with an online health firm which showed he might have low testosterone and could be a candidate for therapy. But to buy it privately isn't cheap and once started, is a lifelong commitment. So is it worth the money?

Presenter Greg Foot is joined by President of the British Society of Sexual Medicine, Mike Kirby, as well as NHS GP and Director of Men's Health at Manual, Dr Jeff Foster.

If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

Listener Jenny, who enjoys a 90% cocoa bar from time to time, got in touch to ask if some of the reports that dark chocolate can have a positive effect on things like circulation and mood - have any truth behind them? 

But Jenny also told Sliced Bread that since she read reports that heavy metals such as lead and cadmium could be in dark chocolate - she's been unable to enjoy her regular bar, until she knows it's safe to eat!

Each episode Greg investigates the latest ad-hyped products and trending fads promising to make us healthier, happier and greener. Are they really 'the best thing since sliced bread' and should you spend your money on them?
If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM 
PRODUCERS: KATE HOLDSWORTH & GREG FOOT

Dark Chocolate

Is it ok to stay on weight loss injections?

They have been nothing short of a pharmaceutical phenomenon. But for people like listener Lynn who've had huge success on weight loss drugs like Mounjaro, the question now arises about the implications of using them long-term. Could there be a 'maintenance' dose that would potentially allow for use over many years, or even a lifetime? And as scientists study the data, are other benefits emerging that go beyond just losing weight that could burnish their wonder-product reputation?

Presenter Greg Foot is joined in the studio by Lynn to hear her story and do a deep-dive into the science alongside Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology at the University of Cambridge, Giles Yeo.

At Sliced Bread we're hungry for your suggestions so we can keep making fresh batches! If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk OR send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

RESEARCHER: PHIL SANSOM
PRODUCERS: SIMON HOBAN AND GREG FOOT

Weight-loss Injections

What led to the collapse of the Christmas savings club Farepak? 

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates with the entrepreneur, Sam White, alongside him.

It's our Christmas special and we're turning the clock back to the mid 1960s…. and looking at a business which started from humble beginnings in a Peckham butcher's shop, and went on to change Christmas for tens of thousands of families all over the UK.

So, why did Farepak end up toast?
 
Sean interviews:

-David Goodhart - founder of Prospect Magazine, journalist, commentator and author. David tells us more about the man known as Farepak's founder, Bob Johnson and how his passion for philanthropy influenced the business.

-Suzy Hall - Former Farepak customer and agent who went on to become a national campaign coordinator for Unfairpak- a campaign set up in the wake of the Farepak collapse.

-Dermot Power - Former senior partner with the accountants BDO Stoy Hayward, Dermot was appointed as joint administrator to the Farepak business and can talk us through what happened and how he worked to help get customers' money back.

Produced by Linda Walker. A BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds. Contact: toast@bbc.co.uk

Toast - Farepak's Christmas Hampers

The fashion chain C&A continues to thrive elsewhere so why did it shut all its UK stores? 

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates how they ended up toast, in the company of resident business expert and entrepreneur, Sam White.

C&A used to be one of the biggest fashion retailers on the UK's high streets until a shock decision in 2000 led to the stores' sudden closure.

To help explain what happened, Sean and Sam delve into the BBC archives and hear from expert guests including Donna Bevan - fashion historian, lecturer and course leader at the School of Creative Industries at Southampton Solent University and Stephen McDermott who worked at C&A for 35 years.

Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

If you have a good idea for an interesting Toast topic then tell us about it - email toast@bbc.co.uk

Toast - C&A's UK Stores

Why did Skype fall out of favour in a world of global video calls?

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates with the entrepreneur, Sam White, alongside him.

Sam never knows what's coming so, at the end of every episode of Toast, she gives her off-the-cuff and authentic professional opinions on why a brand disappeared based on what she has just heard and her own business knowhow. 

In this episode, we learn how Skype worked by using Voice Over Internet Protocol to send audio and video data over the internet. It connected users through a centralized, cloud-based service which allowed free voice and video calls between Skype users. 

It really changed the game when it came to keeping in touch with friends and family around the world. It helped grandparents meet their grandchildren for the first time without leaving the house and gave us a way of cutting our phone bills.

Sean interviews:

- Peter Raeburn - an award-winning composer who worked with Skype’s founders to create the iconic sounds that became the familiar sound track to Skype which, at its peak, was used by over 300 million people worldwide. 

- Andrew Sinclair - a General Manager for Skype for Business who offers his insight into what happened after Skype was sold by Ebay, and snapped up by tech giant, Microsoft.

-Sam Shead - a journalist who witnessed how Skype changed the world of communication, soaring and then sinking and has taken an in depth look at the names behind the brand, so what did he uncover?

Produced by Linda Walker.

Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which could be covered in future episodes.

Toast - Skype

Dasani water, a bottled water from Coca-Cola, proved a big hit in the U.S.A so why did it last for less than 6 weeks in the UK?

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates how it ended up toast, in the company of resident business expert and entrepreneur, Sam White.

In the early 2000s, Coca-Cola had entered the growing bottled water market and was hoping to turn its hit new brand in America into a global sensation. 

But shortly after Dasani water was launched in the UK, things quickly went awry, derailing plans for expansion into Europe. 

To help explain what happened, Sean and Sam delve into the BBC archives and hear from expert guests including Graham Hiscott, the journalist whose story shone a new light on to the brand, and Conor Carroll a lecturer and marketing expert who has written about the Dasani debacle. 

They also hear from Toast listener, Chris Leversha, who remembers buying Dasani water and suggested we cover it on the show.

At the end, Sam has to come up with her own professional conclusions about the fate of Dasani UK based on what she has just heard. 

If you have a good idea for an interesting Toast topic then tell us about it - email toast@bbc.co.uk

Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Toast - Dasani Water

How did the company behind the revolutionary BlackBerry smartphone lose its grip on the handset market?

The BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, investigates with special guest, Sir Stephen Fry, who has remained 'faithful' to the BlackBerry brand. 

Alongside them is the entrepreneur, Sam White, who at the end of the show has to reach her own conclusions on why BlackBerry handsets disappeared, based only on what she has just heard and her own business acumen. 

The first BlackBerry device freed business executives from their desks, allowing them to easily write, send and receive emails from almost anywhere. But that was not the only thing that made the BlackBerry, and its later iterations, extraordinary. 

The actor, comedian, author and broadcaster, Sir Stephen Fry, also used to be a tech blogger and wrote in glowing terms about BlackBerry devices...until they took a turn for the worse. 

Stephen explains why he was disappointed by a brand he loves and how he still hopes it might make a return. 

Jim Balsillie was a co-chief executive officer at Research in Motion, the company that created BlackBerry, and offers his insight into how it quickly became a $20billion business and why he felt compelled to resign from such a tremendously successful venture. 

The entrepreneur and tech blogger, Kevin Michaluk, witnessed how BlackBerry handsets soared and then sank. He's made a successful career out of building "spiritual successors" to them but can his attempts to bring them back under the original brand prove successful? 

The podcast version of this episode, available on BBC Sounds, includes a bonus interview at the end with Sir Stephen Fry on how he feels about technology and social media today.

Produced by Jon Douglas / BBC Audio North

Dark Chocolate

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