Wake Up to Money

Will Bain talks to Eva Longoria about what consolidation could mean for the entertainment industry. The expert panel discusses the picture for UK growth and we get a closer look at what the future could hold for NS&I customers.

Sean Farrington has the latest as millions of pounds look set to be paid back by NS&I. Plus, we hear from the British Chamber of Commerce as it urges businesses "not to retreat" in light of the conflict in the Middle East.

Sean Farrington unpacks the biggest themes from this week’s Big Boss Interview with Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. He also delves into the latest developments in the US–Israel conflict involving Iran, and rounds up the day’s key market news.

Sean Farrington gets the latest updates on the US- Middle East. Closer to home, he takes a look at the latest government measures aimed at tackling late payments to small businesses. Plus he sits down with a Grammy-winning songwriter that reinvents some of the world's biggest tracks.

Will Bain looks at how the US–Israel conflict with Iran is affecting people at home. He examines the latest movements in the energy markets and assesses what rising fuel prices mean for hauliers. We also hear from a media analyst on the reaction to the UK version of Saturday Night Live.

Felicity Hannah learns how surging gas prices are impacting energy intensive businesses in the wake of the US-Israel war with Iran. In the wake of a big week for the UK economy we are joined by the Friday panel to discuss the weeks events. And as millions of Muslims mark Eid al-Fitr we'll speak to a business owner behind a London markets celebration of the end of Ramadan.

The world's biggest facility for producing liquified natural gas in Qatar has been hit by Iranian strikes - Sean Farrington looks at how much it could drive up oil and gas prices.The government launches its strategy for the UK steel industry today - one producer in Cardiff tells Wake Up to Money how it looks from their perspective.And could ube, a sweet purple yam popular in the Philippines, be the biggest viral food craze since matcha?

The country's regional leaders could get a bigger say over what to do with money from central government - Sean Farrington hears what that and some new funding could do for parts of Britain outside London.The meningitis outbreak in Kent has seen pharmacies overwhelmed with demand for vaccines and advice, according to the National Pharmacies Association. Its boss speaks to Wake Up to Money.And as Disney's twice-chief executive Bob Iger makes way for a new successor, we'll find out what that could mean for the global entertainment company.

The cost of fixing potholes in England and Wales has risen to a record £18.6 billion - Sean Farrington hears from a mechanic who's seeing the damage to cars by bad roads.The latest on Iran as we get it.And sales of suits and ties are up on the year at the retailer John Lewis - has the casualness of the pandemic come to an end?

What can the world do to get oil and gas flowing again from the conflict-ridden Gulf? Will Bain discusses plans and prices with an oil industry expert. And we hear from a petrol station manager on what's really going on with fuel prices on the forecourt. Also, we'll be gatecrashing a Hollywood party to bring you the latest from this year's Oscars ceremony.

In a week that's seen the price of oil on a rollercoaster and Iran's new leader says it plans to keep a key shipping route effectively closed, Will Bain is joined by an expert panel to pick over what the consequences could be - and for how long.The boss of Eurostar has called on the government to move quickly on a plan that would accommodate trains for both her company and Virgin at London's Temple Mill depot. Eurostar's chief executive Gwendoline Cazanave speaks to Wake Up to Money.Plus, with Mothering Sunday just two days away, WUTM hears from one grower who's moving half a million flowers a day this week.

Sean Farrington hears about the IEA's release of 400 million barrels of oil reserves. Elsewhere, Sean discusses the largest withdrawal of mortgage products since Liz Truss' mini-Budget, and staff at John Lewis await an update on the reinstatement of their annual bonus payments.

Sean Farrington gets the latest on events in the Middle East and hears from the owner of a barber shop destroyed by the Glasgow fire.

Sean Farrington has the latest on market movements after a shift in the President's tone. And the Government finishes consulting on what it has called the biggest reform to the planning rules in a decade.

Felicity Hannah hears how surging oil and gas prices could affect the global economy, and how energy suppliers are positioned to deal with market volatility.

Felicity Hannah hears from the second-hand-clothes supplier behind Beyond Retro on why he believes a customs loophole for cheap international goods needs to be closed. And one week in, our panel of experts breaks down how the US-Israel war with Iran is affecting the UK and global economy. Also, we talk to the producer of the opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic games.

On Wake Up To Money, we talk a lot about jobs, wages and the labour market. And we often hear from the bosses of some of our biggest recruitment firms.One of those is the Reed Group.Sir Alec Reed started the company 65 years ago and made it into one of the UK's biggest private businesses. He was knighted for his services to business and charity in 2011.He'd long stepped down as Chief Executive of Reed by then, handing over the reins to his son, James, in 1997.Sean Farrington sat down with James to look back on the life of his Dad - and how they navigated being part of the same team at work as well as at home... something that will sound familiar to so many across the country.

Sean Farrington has a look at the money behind sport - this week: mass-participation events.It's big business - from the thousands of competitors that sign up to take part, to managing the event itself, to the fundraising.Sean hears from Paul Foster, the Chief Executive of The Great Run Company - the company behind the Great North Run and many other events across the country. He'll also speak to Nick Tuppen, Chief Executive of Threshold Sports, one of the UK's fastest-growing active events agencies who coordinate more than 50 mass participation events per year.Producers: Stefan Jajecznyk & Olivia Baron

Sean Farrington speaks to Andrew Georgiou, President & Managing Director of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe and Paul Barber, Chief Executive of Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion FC

Sean Farrington speaks to owner of Worcester City Women FC Nicole Allison and former Head of Women’s Football at The Football Association of Wales Lowri Roberts

Sean speaks to chief executive of British cycling brand Rapha, Fran Millar, and former World Cycling Road Race Champion and four-time British Road Race Champion Lizzie Deignan.

Sean takes a look at the rise of the use in technology in sport. From automated line-calling, VAR & AI data analytics - we ask how tech is shaping the future of sport.

Sean spoke to Padel boss Sam Kemp from R3 Sports, Women's football consultant Andrea Ekblad and sportswear company MandM Chairman Mike Tomkins

Will Bain presents a review of the business year with some of our best interviews from 2024, featuring the biggest stories in money and business this year.

Sean Farrington sits down with Superdry boss Julian Dunkerton, who doesn't hold back on Shein. Plus The Friedkin Group has agreed a deal to buy Premier League club Everton.

What do a football club, a media mogul and a social media giant all have in common?Fresh from another victory, Manchester City faces the start of hearings into its 115 alleged financial fair play charges today - Sean Farrington finds out what's in play.An American court will hear arguments on whether the US government can ban the Chinese social media giant TikTok from the country.And the children of an ageing media mogul fight for their stake in his news empire - no, it's not a smash-hit TV drama, but a court case involving Rupert Murdoch that gets under way on Monday. We hear what it could mean for the future of News Corp.

Felicity Hannah finds out if the private sector should fund a new rail link. And, after the success of the first spacewalk, is the sky the limit when it comes to space tourism?

it’s just 8 weeks till the American Election and Trump and Harris go head to head in their first live TV debate. Plus the skills Olympics finally gets underway in Lyon, France.

Sean Farrington takes a look how Apple's latest gadgets will feature all things AI. Plus we find out why ASOS has been getting a lot of backlash online.

Will Bain looks at what has to change in construction following the Grenfell Inquiry.Elsewhere, the Chief Executive of Mountain Warehouse speaks about the company's latest acquisition and broader plans for US expansion, and live music's contribution to the UK economy topped £6bn for the first time last year.

Will Bain looks back at some of the highlights from Wake Up To Money in 2023. There's the story of the takeover of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft including an interview with the Microsoft President Brad Smith which made headlines around the world. Former England and Manchester United footballer Gary Neville explained why he's investing in property and the UK boss of Google Debbie Weinstein told us how AI is changing the world.

He's most famous for his football career and more recently, his punditry, but Gary Neville is also hugely successful in the worlds of business and property developing.In this interview, he tells Sean Farrington about his plans for a new £400 million project in the centre of Manchester.They discuss how rising interest rates are affecting the building trade, why Gary feels the hospitality industry is paying the best wages it can afford to, and Gary’s new role on Dragons’ Den. This is an extended version of an interview first broadcast on Wake Up To Money on July 6th, 2023.

The BBC's North America Technology Correspondent James Clayton talks exclusively to Elon Musk about Twitter. They discuss why he bought the social media site, controversy around tackling disinformation and the future for blue ticks.

Sir Ian Livingstone talks to Rahul Tandon about founding Games Workshop and the popularity of Dungeons and Dragons. He reveals his collection of hundreds of board games as well as discussing the development of Tomb Raider.

Timothy Armoo talks to Sean Farrington about his decision to sell the business he founded in a multi-million pound deal. He discusses why he decided to sell, what he's learnt and his plans for what he's going to do next.

Rahul Tandon looks at the money behind The Ashes. He discusses how important sponsorship is in cricket, how to grow the fanbase and get more people involved in the game. Rahul also speaks to Manoj Badale, one of the owners of the IPL team the Rajasthan Royal.

One of the biggest names in the world in private equity, Guy Hands, talks candidly about what he calls 'going from hero to zero'. Speaking with Felicity Hannah he shares his experience of growing his business Terra Firma Capital Partners which became one of the largest investment companies in the world. He discusses the controversy around his ownership of record label EMI and losing control of the care home company Four Seasons. He also talks about being dyslexic and how it's affected his life as well as the challenge of making business greener.

John Lyttle, chief executive of Boohoo, tells Sean Farrington about the company's massive growth and future expansion plans. He says the company doesn't make throwaway fashion and is taking measures to tackle climate change. He also discusses the recent controversy around allegations of mistreatment of staff at some of its suppliers in Leicester.

Felicity Hannah looks at how the Olympic games are financed and the competitors are funded. She's joined by Sir Keith Mills, former Deputy Chair of London 2012 organising committee; Nigel Walker who's National Director of the English Institute of Sport; Marie Oldham, Executive chair of the advertising agency VCCP Media and Danny Downs of online sports retailer Fanatics.

Joe Foster, founder of Reebok talks with Sean Farrington and Reggie Nelson about creating one of the world's biggest brands. From the origins of a family business to breaking America and making trainers a must-have fashion item.

Roei Samuel talks to Sean Farrington about setting up e-sports business Real Sport which he sold in a multi-million pound deal and about how having ADHD affected his education and career choices.

Tom and Phil Beahon set up their sportswear brand Castore in Liverpool after their professional sporting careers came to an end. They chat with Sean about growing the brand, how their parents re-mortgaged their house to give them the money to get it off the ground and working with Sir Andy Murray and football clubs Rangers and Wolves.

CC Clarke talks to Sean Farrington talks about growing her fanbase to more than two million followers and setting up her make-up business. She discusses how she's carried on with her singing career and dealing with social media trolls.

After the collapse of plans for a European Super League, Sean Farrington discusses the future of football with current and former club bosses, fans and sport business experts.

Sean Farrington chats with Grace Beverley about how she built up a million followers on Instagram before going on to launch her own fitness brand Shreddy and sustainable style brand TALA. Photo courtesy: Andy Cuthbert

Sean Farrington chats with Chester Mojay-Sinclare who first got his business off the ground by launching a potato into space. Eleven years later, he has raised over £100 million for charities through his company Enthuse.

How Jenna Brown turned her passion for start-ups into a multi-million backed business.

Sean Farrington chats with Alex Lovén, who started selling cricket bats when he was 13 to his mates at school, graduated to selling the bats on eBay and made £1m in sales by 22 and now, aged 33, his sports equipment business makes £50m in turnover.

Kofi McCalla, a menswear fashion YouTuber, on how he hit over 100 million views. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast please visit the BBC Action Line website https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/

Sean Farrington interviews Liberty Foreman, who started up a cancer screening tech company DynamX Medical by spinning it out from her PhD. Since then she’s raised millions in investment all before the company has even turned a profit. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this podcast please visit the BBC Action Line website https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/