Gregg Wallace is in Leeds, at an enormous mattress factory where they produce 600 bouncy beds every day. He follows the production of pocket-sprung mattresses from the arrival of hard steel right through to soft bedding heading out of dispatch. Along the way he learns how lengths of metal are stretched into thin wire and coiled into springs which are placed into individual pockets. And how the mattresses are designed to wick sweat away from our bodies with the help of natural fibres like hemp and wool.\n\nMeanwhile, Cherry Healey is learning whether there are benefits to be had from taking an afternoon nap. She meets up with a sleep scientist who tells her that we should be making time for a snooze rather than reaching for a cup of coffee. To prove his point, he runs an experiment which demonstrates that reaction times can be improved by a short sleep. 20 minutes is the optimum nap time - any longer risks falling in to a deep sleep which is difficult to wake from. And she is visiting a sheep farm where she sees how wool is shorn and discovers its amazing anti-bacterial and fire-retardant properties, which make it perfect for lining a mattress.\n\nHistorian Ruth Goodman is investigating the origins of the modern mattress. She lies down on a straw stuffed sack which the lower classes would have slept on in the middle ages and learns how steel transformed our bedtime habits, first with the 'innerspring' and then with the more comfortable 'pocket spring' technology. And she learns how a famous Scandinavian inspired home store is responsible for our enduring love affair with the duvet.
Source: BBC 2
Series 9: 6. Sausage Rolls
Paddy McGuinness explores the secrets of the McColgan’s bakery in Strabane, Northern Ireland, to reveal how it makes more than half a million sausage rolls a day. \n\nAft ...
09-02-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 5. Hardback Books
Paddy McGuinness visits the Clays book factory in Suffolk to learn how they produce 20,000 copies of Pride and Prejudice for publisher Penguin. The factory makes an astonishing ...
02-02-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 4. Flapjacks
In this episode, Paddy McGuinness explores the secrets of the Graze factory in west London, revealing how they make 40 million flapjacks a year. \n\nArmed with a trusty tasting ...
26-01-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 3. Cheese Curls
In this episode, Paddy McGuinness explores the secrets of the Walkers factory in Lincoln, to reveal how it makes 500 million packs of Quavers every year. \n\nPaddy begins by mee ...
19-01-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 2. Sliced Bread
In a nostalgic episode of Inside the Factory, new presenter Paddy McGuinness visits the Warburtons bread factory in his hometown of Bolton, where he once worked as a youngster m ...
12-01-2025
BBC 2
Series 9: 1. Chocolate Seashells
Paddy McGuinness is fully immersing himself in the festive spirit as he explores a huge chocolate factory in Belgium. With lots of taste tests to enjoy along the way, he embrace ...
28-12-2024
BBC 2
Series 8: 7. Carpets
Gregg Wallace explores the Axminster factory in Devon to reveal how it produces 46,000 square metres of carpet every year. He follows the production of one of their best sellers ...
15-11-2024
BBC 2
Series 8: 6. Bath Bombs
Gregg Wallace visits the colourful and fragrant Lush factory in Dorset to learn how an astonishing 14 million bath bombs are produced every year.\n\nCherry Healey visits Loughbo ...
09-10-2024
BBC 2
Series 8: 5. Stout
Gregg Wallace explores the secrets of the Guinness brewery in Dublin to reveal how it makes two million litres of Irish stout every single day.\n\nCherry Healey visits a water t ...
02-10-2024
BBC 2
Series 8: 4. Stuffed Pasta
Gregg Wallace explores the Dell Ugo factory in Hertfordshire to reveal how it makes 500 million stuffed pasta parcels every year. \n\nHe’s following production of one of ...
25-09-2024
BBC 2
Series 6: Tortilla Chips
Gregg Wallace visits the biggest tortilla factory in Europe. The Coventry site covers more than 21,000 square meters, the size of three football pitches, and makes 60,000 tonnes ...
21-06-2023
BBC 2
Series 6: Ice Cream
Gregg Wallace visits a family-run factory in the heart of rural Aberdeenshire, which churns out more than 49 tonnes of dairy ice cream every day. Gregg is delighted to learn he& ...
21-05-2023
BBC 2
Series 8: 5. Stout
Gregg Wallace explores the secrets of the Guinness brewery in Dublin to reveal how it makes two million litres of Irish stout every single day.\n\nCherry Healey visits a water t ...
02-10-2024
BBC 2
Series 6: 5. Chairs
Gregg Wallace visits the Ercol factory in Buckinghamshire, an area associated with furniture making since the 19th century.\n\nWe Brits spend a staggering £300 million pou ...
15-02-2023
BBC 2
Series 3: 5. Sauces
Gregg Wallace is in the Netherlands at one of the world's biggest sauce factories. Its annual output is a quarter of a million tonnes of condiments, and more than 50 per cent of ...
26-06-2019
BBC 2
Series 6: 2. Socks
To keep their feet nice and warm, the British spend almost 723 million pounds a year on socks! In the second episode of this new series, Gregg Wallace visits a sock factory in L ...
08-02-2023
BBC 2
Christmas 2018
Chocolates are an essential part of many people's festive celebrations. In this Christmas special, Gregg Wallace visits a factory which produces a staggering two million tins of ...
24-12-2023
BBC 2
Christmas 2017
In this Christmas special, Gregg Wallace, Cherry Healey and Ruth Goodman explore the fascinating factory processes and surprising history behind favourite festive treats.\n\nGre ...
23-12-2022
BBC 2
Series 7: Jaffa Cakes
Gregg Wallace visits a Manchester factory that churns out 6 million Jaffa Cakes every single day - 1.4 billion per year. Cherry Healey is in Jaffa, the city responsible for grow ...
26-06-2024
BBC 2
Series 5: 9. Liqueurs
Gregg Wallace is in Ireland at an enormous liqueurs factory that produces 540,000 bottles a day. He follows the production of cream liqueur from the arrival of maize to make Iri ...
28-12-2021
BBC 2