The Bottom Line

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.uk
Presenter: 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 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