A Long Time In Finance

Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins
  • 4.6 (7)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The long view of finance, markets and money as seen by two veteran City editors, Neil Collins and Jonathan Ford, presented in partnership with The Library of Mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 6D AGO

    The Derailment of Railtrack

    It was supposed to bring in the cash to revive Britain's creaking railway network. But then it all went wrong for the listed network owner. A series of tragic accidents undermined public confidence, beginning the slow unravelling of rail privatisation as a whole. Neil and Jonathan talk to Gerald Corbett, one time boss of Railtrack, about the privatisation project, the accidents, and what went right and wrong. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Advanced Valuation in Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With Gerald Corbett. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  2. JAN 2

    New Year Special: The Guinness Scandal

    It's often seen as the point where the City dumped its old gentlemanly mores ("My word is my bond") for a new "win at all costs" culture - one that the UK's new regulatory regime singularly failed to quell. But what was the Guinness Scandal of the 1980s all about, why was it important, and what were its consequences? Forty years on, we talk to author Nick Kochan about "Deadly Ernest" Saunders, boss of Guinness, the share-trading scandal, and the massive legal (and medical) swamp that followed. (Spoiler alert: it involves an actual medical miracle). The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With Nick Kochan. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  3. 12/05/2025

    How Britain Lost Its Shipbuilding Industry

    Everyone knows that Britain once built almost all the world's ships, and now builds almost none. But what were the steps by which this mighty activity disintegrated? And no less importantly, how did it climb so high in the first place, when the US was the world's biggest ship building nation in the early 19th century? What are the economics of shipbuilding and do we need to build them? We explore the rise and fall of a great industry and all these questions with Brian Potter of the Institute for Progress. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With Brian Potter. In partnership with the Library of Mistakes. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  4. 11/21/2025

    Britain's Energy Disaster

    In the 19th century, Britain transformed itself into the workshop of the world by harnessing the power of coal and steam. Now a new energy revolution - that of renewable power - looks set to turn the UK into something closer to a workhouse inhabited by the destitute. But how did it all happen and why did politicians buy into it? We look at how Britain fashioned a disastrous energy trap for itself, and ask if there's any way out. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  5. 11/07/2025

    Barbarians at the Gate: A Short History of Private Equity

    From a few tiny funds in the 1970s, private equity has transformed the financial world and is now a $7 trillion industry, accounting for 30% of the US private sector economy. But how did it all happen, why have pension funds poured so much into these funds, and how do the practitioners get away with paying themselves such eye watering fees? We talk to buyout expert Peter Morris about this strange modern act of financial alchemy. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With Peter Morris. In partnership with the Library of Mistakes. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min

  6. 10/24/2025

    Britain's Melmotte? The Cautionary Tale of Robert Maxwell

    The publishing mogul Robert Maxwell lived a life shrouded in mystery that was ultimately capped by great disgrace. But was he an out and out villain, like Anthony Trollope's fictional swindler in The Way We Live Now, or a more nuanced and tragic figure? We discuss the life, legacy and deals of the great pension purloiner with his biographer, John Preston.  Hosted by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With John Preston. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Presented in partnership with the Library of Mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  7. 10/10/2025

    The Green Shield Stamp Story

    With Britain's economy mired in 1970s misery, we thought we'd brighten things up a bit. So this week we present the most 1970s story ever: the history of GREEN SHIELD STAMPS! Oldies will know, but for younger listeners, you collected them in books, kids, and exchanged them for glass tumblers and soda syphons. Groovy huh? Neil and Jonathan talk to Prof Leigh Sparks about how they worked and changed British retail for ever. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link https://www.libraryofmistakes.com/how-to/ and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min

  8. 09/26/2025

    The Art of the Shred

    Fred Goodwin led Royal Bank of Scotland to ruin and Britain to the brink of financial disaster. But who was the man they called Fred the Shred and how did he build RBS into (briefly) the world's largest bank? And how was he allowed to make such a complete horlicks of it? In our first live show at the Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh, Neil and Jonathan discuss these issues with Ian Fraser, author of Shredded, the seminal history of the fall of RBS. The show is made in partnership with The Library of Mistakes who are offering a 25% discount on their Practical History of Financial Markets course to listeners. Just follow this link and enter ALTIF25 into the box marked promo. Presented by Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins. With Ian Fraser. In partnership with the Library of Mistakes. Produced and edited by Nick Hilton for Podot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min
See All (133)

Trailer

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The long view of finance, markets and money as seen by two veteran City editors, Neil Collins and Jonathan Ford, presented in partnership with The Library of Mistakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    133
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Jonathan Ford and Neil Collins
  • Show Website
    A Long Time In Finance

You Might Also Like