Why does some big successful brands go bust?

Toast is back for a new series, taking a look at the decisions that often left investors burnt.

I'm Sean Farrington, a BBC business journalist. I'll be hearing about the hype.

They're going to do the deal that makes them the most money at that point of time.

And I'm picking what went wrong, talking to owners

and employees to ask, what can we learn? It was being undercut by similar rivals. It just

couldn't survive. Toast. Listen first on BBC Sounds. Thank you for downloading this program from

BBC Radio 4. I'm Tim Harford.

Hello and welcome to more or less, the program which can turn around even the most suspect of statistics.

This week, dating, milk, babies and spreadsheets. I am a man of many spreadsheets. In fact, I have a

spreadsheet to keep track of my top favourite spreadsheets. But first a man of many spreadsheets. In fact, I have a spreadsheet to keep track of my top

favourite spreadsheets. But first, let's talk about jobs. Loyal listener Nicola emailed us this week

at more or less at BBC.co.com. UK to say, I heard David Cameron's claim on the Radio

Force Today programme this morning that the Conservatives have...

...created a thousand jobs for every day we've been in office.

I am a 54-year-old middle-class woman living in rural Bedfordshire, and Eve and I was driven to shout

b'-b-h-h-hacks at the radio. Which one of us is right, please?

Well, thank you for your question, Nicola. And here to help me answer it is one of those

lucky people with one of Mr Cameron's new jobs, our cub reporter, Hannah Moore.

Well, it's true, I did start this job within the past five years, but I don't really think

the government created it as such. Hannah, we've got to play by the rules. All politicians

like to claim credit for everything good that's happened during their tenure.

...