Radio Review: The Bottom Line: Ruthlessness

Unfortunately for a show which promises to cut through confusion in the world of business, the final offering in Evan Davis’s series was slightly disappointing.

For much of the show there was a layer of impenetrable jargon which didn’t do much to engage an audience and was not likely to be sympathetic to the cause espoused by Davis’s guests.

Perhaps it was just jealousy, as three of the nation’s most successful businesswomen swapped notes and made it quite clear they had reached the top of their game.

This, combined with a smugness which the guests – Jasmine Montgomery, Michele Giddens and Dido Harding – are adept at giving off, leaves the listener with an infuriating image of a studio drowning in egos.

Yet, if you ignored this, there were some nuggets which made this not an entirely wasted half hour.

Their thoughts on access to the internet in deprived areas, for example, were particularly interesting, even if it was not immediately apparent what it had to do with ruthlessness.

Dido Harding suggested there were moral considerations to take into account, stemming from the fact nearly all services and products today are cheaper when bought online. As a result, she said, those who cannot afford to be connected to the web simply lose out and become poorer.

So snippets were worth listening for and when Jasmine Montgomery claimed the beer Heineken sponsors the Premier League, there was even an opportunity for a little smugness yourself, as you realised, somehow, she had bungled her facts.

The Bottom Line: Ruthlessnesswas broadcast on BBC Radio 4 last night at 8.30pm.