Gregg Wallace is in Germany, at a historic factory which produces 600,000 pencils a day. At materials intake he is astonished that the main material in a pencil is not lead, but graphite. He helps mix this with clay to produce a 250-kilo batch – enough for 200,000 pencils. He also discovers why these pencils are hexagonal - because it stops them rolling off the table. And he performs an unusual quality check by throwing his finished pencils from a 25-metre-high tower. When they are chopped open the leads are still intact.\n \nMeanwhile, Cherry Healey is at Manchester University examining the astonishing properties of graphite. She discovers that this highly conductive form of carbon is also able to withstand temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Celsius. More surprising still, if you strip a single layer of atoms from its surface, you produce an entirely new material known as graphene. Thin and virtually invisible, embedding this in our phone screens could mean that in future we could simply roll them up. She is also investigating the science behind graphology and asking if we can evaluate personality from handwriting style.\n\nHistorian Ruth Goodman is on the trail of the very earliest pencils in the Lake District. It is a story which begins in the 15th century with the discovery of a huge deposit of pure graphite in the Borrowdale valley. Carved into sticks and wrapped in string, it made a brilliant writing tool. Ruth is also wondering if, in this modern digital age, the pencil is outdated technology. But she finds documents that show the death of handwriting has been prematurely announced on many occasions, dating right back to the invention of the printing press.
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 7: Mints
Gregg Wallace visits a factory with a menthol scent - the Polos factory in York, which produces 32 million mints every day and contributes to the 19,000 tonnes of mints per year ...
15-08-2024
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 7: Trains
When he was a child, Gregg loved playing with toy trainsets. Now he’s got special access to learn how the ultimate model is made: a huge 187-tonne, five-carriage electric ...
29-08-2024
BBC 2
Series 7: Vegan Sausages
Gregg Wallace visits a Yorkshire team that churn out up to 90,000 vegan sausages a day! Heck have been making these bangers since 2018, and the process is surprisingly futuristi ...
30-07-2024
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 5: 7. Beer
Gregg Wallace is in Burton upon Trent at Britain’s biggest brewery, where they produce 3 million pints of beer a day. He follows the production of Britain’s best-sel ...
09-04-2019
BBC 2
Series 4: 4. Curry
Gregg Wallace explores the Nottinghamshire factory that produces 250,000 jars of curry sauce each day. Gregg is making a supersized 3,000-kilo batch of tikka masala - enough to ...
16-07-2019
BBC 2
Series 5: 3. Croissants
Gregg Wallace is in France at an enormous croissant factory where they produce 336,000 of the flaky pastries every day. He follows the production of croissants from the arrival ...
13-09-2023
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: 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