The Bottom Line

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 Inov8
Presenter: 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 Plc
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams & Nick Holland
Sound: Dave O'Neil
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor Sam Bonham

Success doesn't always bring confidence. In fact, some of the most accomplished people privately worry they're not as capable as everyone believes. They live with a nagging fear that one day, they'll be exposed as a fraud. It’s often called imposter syndrome, and can affect anyone, at any stage of their career.
Evan Davis and guests explore what imposter syndrome really is, why it happens and how it can hold people back. And they'll share practical tips and strategies for quietening that inner critic and building confidence.
Guests:
Andy Ransom, former CEO, Rentokil and now chair designate, Teenage Cancer Trust
Katy Leeson, former MD, Social Chain and founder of Courageous
Dr Valerie Young, co-founder, the Imposter Syndrome Institute
Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producers: Sally Abrahams and Nick Holland
Production co-ordinator: Liam Morrey
Sound engineer: Dave O’Neill
Editor: Justine Lang

Few disagree we need business regulations to protect the rights of workers and consumers, ensure markets operate fairly and set standards for a whole host of industries. However, one thing some business owners get frustrated about is the amount of regulation they have to comply with. It's not just that we over-regulate, they also complain that we're slow to regulate too, causing unnecessary and expensive delays. Evan Davis explores the nature of the regulatory landscape in the UK and assesses whether we fairly weigh up the costs and benefits.
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams & Nick Holland
Sounds: Neil Churchill and Rod Farquhar
Production Coordinator: Katie Morrison
Editor: Sam Bonham
Guests:
John Fingleton: CEO of Fingleton Consultancy
Polly Dhaliwal: COO of Enterprise Nation
David Buttress: Co-Founder of Just Eat