What object signifies a unified world, a world where we work together for the good of everyone (and a tastier breakfast)?

Few other objects combine affordability, years of manufacturing advancement and the global trade system better than the toaster.

It’s a clever little invention that has changed very little since its first design in the early 1900s, yet you’d be hard pushed to find a household without one.

In this episode, the last in the current series, Ben charts the history of the toaster, and how the invention of the wire inside it led to its creation – not the need for toasted bread!

Ben is also joined by design expert Phil Staunton, and they talk about why the design has changed very little in the last 100 years.

Together they explore the future of the toaster with industrial designer Paul Brown, a man who nearly propelled the toaster into a new dimension, but a close call with a smoke alarm whilst pitching to James Dyson put pay to that!

This is the last podcast in the current series, but Why the Fork will return in Spring 2026!

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https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Concept and Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

Your bathroom is home to something that has been with us for just a few hundred years, but without it, our health would be so much poorer.

The toothbrush has become part of our daily routine, but it’s roots go way beyond what lives in your bathroom cabinet today.

This episode takes in its beginnings as a natural tool, through to Napoleon (again), President Jefferson and how a riot in the UK led to the first commercial toothbrush going on sale.

Host, Ben Diamant; a Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, finds out:

· What led to the bristles and handle coming together

· Why World War Two played a big part in us brushing twice a day

· Who was behind the first toothbrush as we know it

· Where our assumption that before the toothbrush we all had bad teeth came from

· And when looking after your teeth became more important than simply replacing them

Ben is, as always, joined by design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M Product Design, to pick over the wonder of washing machine's design.

This episode's guest, looking at the future of the toothbrush is Simon Enever, formerly the Founder and CEO of quip and now the Founder of So&So. He explores if we will have laser toothbrushes, and What form will oral hygiene take in the future, will it even include bristles?!

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Concept and Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

Under your worktop there's an icon quietly sitting there, transforming people's lives.

Without it, you would be still taking a weekly trip down to your local river, or washhouse, to get your clothes clean.

Adding hours of domestic chores to everyone's week.

The washing machine is a silent part of the civilised world (apart from when its on a fast spin), but no one talks about them. They are so integral to our modern lives. We wash our clothes in the 21st century without a second thought, but these clever machines that sit so humbly in our kitchens and utility rooms, have revolutionised our lives over the last 100 years.

Today's design can trace it's roots right back to the 1750s, in fact a lot of the design elements can still be seen in the latest machines.

Host, Ben Diamant; a Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, finds out:

• How the first washing machines took over from washing clothes in rivers
• The first designs were simple but very effective
• Why the idea was so innovative, it spread quickly across the globe
• That their features are still visible in washing machines today
• Why the washing machine has never had its "big bang" moment
• And how the future is focused on sustainability

Ben is, as always, joined by design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, to pick over the wonder of washing machine's design.

This episode's guest, looking at the future of automated clothes washing, is Laura Tuck, R&D Lead at The Washing Machine Project - who provide accessible washing machine solutions for communities without electricity.

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LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-tuck-meng/

https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Concept and Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

The backpack is something that's interwoven into our lives. They grow with us, from our early days at school, to our holidays and our daily commute.

It's always there, happily carrying all the stuff we cram into it. But it's one of those bits of design that's so clever and so everyday, you assume it simply evolved with us.

But, of course, that's not the case. It's passed through the hands of a lot of clever people and those that needed something practical to help them move about with all their stuff.

Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, Ben Diamant, finds out about the backpack's military beginnings (hello Napoleon) and how it made the jump onto most people's backs. And why it's become one of those products that has many types and uses.

Having made many himself product design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, joins Ben. They talk about the history of this humble object. And how a designer goes about developing it.

They also speak to an expert in backpack design – Sam Whetton. He's a Design Director at Stitch, the Founder of Reika, a sustainable and ethical bag maker, and has also worked with Mous.

***FOR 25% OFF AT REIKA HEAD TO OUR SOCIAL CHANNELS**

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https://www.stitchcreative.co.uk/services

https://reikabags.co.uk/

https://www.mous.co/collections/bags-and-pouches

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

Our hair, and how it looks, plays a huge part in our identity.

From beehives to bobs and from quiffs to comb-overs, your hair-do says a lot about who you are.

And the hair straightener has played a bigger role in that than you may think, for longer than you might have realised.

Long before GHD was a thing, people were getting rid of their curls to fit in, and conform to social standards and norms - but those designs were far from what we use today.

As Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, Ben Diamant, finds out, the hair straightener's story includes racism, phantom inventors, burning hair and (possibly most importantly) Rachel from Friends.

Ben talks to product design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, about how he used the hair straightener design to create something completely different, and how you take new products to market.

They also speak to an expert in hair straightener design - Sam Fordlay from Original Catapult Developments.

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LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/s%CE%B1m-fordlay-26024458/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.instagram.com/original_catapult_developments/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/company/original-catapult-developments/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

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Welcome to Why the Fork - a fortnightly journey into the everyday objects that you probably ignore on a daily basis.

For our first episode, we're taking a look at why the tin opener is designed like it is.

Creative Innovator and inventor of consumer goods, Ben Diamant, discovers:

• The reason why the tin opener came along hundreds of years after the tin can itself.
• Why Napoleon was instrumental in why we have tin cans today
• The need for the tin opener was driven by the masses
• Ring pulls won't confine the tin opener to history
• If laser tin openers will ever be a thing!

Ever wondered if you're even using it in the right way? Does it cut on the side or on the top?! We have the actual answer in this episode!

Ben also talks to product design expert Phil Staunton, founder of D2M, about how the tin opener has developed and if there's room for improvement.

He's also joined by Robert Van Varick, Chief Design Officer at Michael Graves Design, to chat about the future of the can opener. Will we see a laser tin opener in our kitchens?!

Make sure you subscribe and follow Why the Fork, as we have some fascinating episodes coming up; The washing machine, hair straightener and the toothbrush to name a few!

FOLLOW THE SHOW:

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LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bendiamant/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philstaunton/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rvanvarick/

https://www.design2market.co.uk/

Podcast production by: https://www.gingerwizard.co.uk/

Harpsichord music courtesy of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lRRC0xeSxA&t=11s

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Join us on a fascinating journey into the stories of everyday items.

On Why the Fork, Inventor Ben Diamant looks at the hidden stories of the mundane objects in your home, that have an illustrious and fascinating past.

Everything in your home has been designed by someone or a group of people over a number of years, but on the whole the people and the stories behind them go untold.

Hit subscribe and follow now so you don't miss out on Episode One when it launches - The tin opener!