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Since the birth of the internet, the giants of the entertainment industry have been unable to get their act together to sell their wares successfully on the web. Instead they've been outmanoeuvred by pirate networks which give away the product for nothing. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/the_money_programme/archive/ ]

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The online auction site eBay is ten years old - that's pensionable age in "internet time". But this original star of Silicon Valley's dotcom boom is still growing at over 40%, and now earns half a billion pounds a year.

As tills overflow and rivals reel, Tesco is the UK's first supermarket superpower. The Money Programme reveals its route to the top - and asks if Tesco's dominance is in the best interests of the consumer Tesco is a retail phenomenon. With profits topping £2bn a year, it has nearly a third of the UK's grocery market.

In the 18 months since its stock market flotation, Google has been transformed from a company that prided itself on being simple and effective, into a multi-headed high tech beast which wants to get involved in everything.

Some of Britain's richest people pay remarkably little tax. A Money Programme special investigates how they do it.

Forget the campaigning celebrity chefs and the growth in farmers markets: as a nation we are hooked on convenience foods. We spent £1.6bn on ready meals last year and ate nearly half of those consumed in Europe.

We've all had to break a motorway journey, whether it is for petrol, food or to go to the loo. Yet, many of us will hesitate before taking the slip-road to a service area for fears about the quality and the price of the food on offer, or even the state of the loos.

Some of the world's biggest airlines, including our very own British Airways, stand accused of ripping off consumers in price fixing conspiracies. The Office of Fair Trading in the UK and the Department of Justice in the US have launched investigations into two alleged conspiracies with a series of dawn raids on airline offices.

In the fast moving world of fashion, 2005 has unquestionably been the year of the budget chain Primark. With 123 shops in the UK and more on the way, it has become a leading player in the high street. It scooped one of the major prizes at the High Street fashion awards this autumn, and its low-cost, high-fashion clothing has even appeared in the fashion bible Vogue.

If you've ever taken out a mortgage or loan, or hold a credit card, you've probably been offered Payment Protection Insurance, or PPI as it's called. It's meant to help you if you become ill or get made redundant, so that you can meet your repayments, but all too often, it's letting people down.

The website eBay has become the focus of a new breed of entrepreneurs who hope to make money by trading online. Jameel Verjee is a corporate lawyer turned entrepreneur, who wants to raise funds from potential investors in the city.

The Real Big Brother Increasingly we're all being watched at work, at home, even out shopping. The Money Programme investigates the new technology which allows businesses to track their goods, their workforce and their customers.

One of the most famous names in toys is back, after going bust. Airfix has been bought by model train giant Hornby, which plans to rebuild the brand. But will today's Playstation generation even notice?

Guinness is one of Britain's best loved brands, yet sales of the famous black stout have been falling year after year both in the UK and Ireland. But with nearly 250 years of history behind it, Guinness is not about to go quietly.

Millions of people are opting out of real life and signing up to "live" in computer worlds instead - and there is a fortune to be made there by selling goods and expertise in the virtual world. Big businesses including Reebok, Nissan and Calvin Klein have spotted the potential for making real money in the virtual world.

Despite the credit crunch, increasing inflation and falling house prices, some businesses are reporting record profits. Pawnbrokers, bailiffs, company liquidators and discount retailers are recording bulging order books and soaring profits. The boss of Ryanair says the slump is actually good for his business.

The value of gold has been going through the roof. Its price has quadrupled since 1999, and in March this year it reached $1,000 an ounce for the first time. With uncertainty in the markets and turmoil in the banks, more and more people are turning to gold.

The Money Programme's Fiona Bruce gained exclusive access to Bill Gates as he prepared to step down from full-time involvement with Microsoft in June 2008. His audacious mission to put 'a computer on every desk and in every home' is now close to a description of modern life. In building his multi-billion dollar company, Gates made himself the richest man in the world, but he has also been dogged by controversy, as his ruthless leadership contributed to Microsoft being sued by the US Government. In a special one-hour edition of the Money Programme, Fiona Bruce presents the definitive profile of Bill Gates as he embarks on his latest challenge - giving away the billions he has amassed, through the charitable foundation he runs with his wife and his father. She examines the fortunes of Microsoft as it faces up to competition from internet-based companies. And the programme talks about Gates the man, the businessman and the philanthropist with a who's who of his friends, colleagues and rivals.