Toast - EasyCinema

Available for over a year

The EasyJet founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Iannou, tried to shake up the cinema industry by introducing low-cost movie theatres. Tickets were priced as low as 20p for customers who booked in advance. So, why didn't EasyCinema take off? Stelios speaks to the BBC Business journalist, Sean Farrington, reflecting on his attempts in the early 2000s to bring to UK cinemas the same dynamic pricing that had revolutionized the aviation sector. Sean also hears from Mark Batey (who was chief executive of the Film Distributors' Association when EasyCinema opened) and speaks to Stewart Niblock (who was Easy Group's Head of New Projects so was responsible for refurbishing and opening the cinema) and Angela Chan (who is now Professor of Creative Industries at Royal Holloway, University of London but in 2003 she was a BBC producer/director who was filming a TV documentary about EasyCinema). At the end, the resident business expert and entrepreneur, Sam White, has to come up with her own conclusions about the fate of EasyCinema based on what she has just heard. If you have a good idea for an interesting Toast topic then tell us about it - email toast@bbc.co.uk Produced by Jon Douglas, Toast is a BBC Audio North production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.