New series of ‘Inside the Factory’ co-produced by The Open University

In an exciting new venture, The Open University (OU) has teamed up with the BBC to co-produce the eighth series of the much-loved “Inside the Factory.”  

The first episode of the new series aired on BBC Two at 9pm on Wednesday 27 December and explored the production of the Christmas dinner staple, Yorkshire Puddings.  

Hosted by Gregg Wallace and Cherry Healey, the series gives viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the vast production lines of various factories across Britain.  

The show aims to unravel the mysteries behind the manufacturing of everyday supermarket and household staples. The rest of the series will explore the production of jelly beans, jeans, stuffed pasta, Stout, bath bombs, carpets, chocolate bars, sofas and paint.  

The series was commissioned by Broadcast and Partnerships and was created with input from three OU academic consultants; Professor William Nuttall from the School of Engineering & Innovation, Dr Emilie Rutledge from the School of Social Sciences & Global Studies, and Dr Matthew Hinton from the OU Business School.  

Speaking about the first episode airing on Wednesday, William Nuttall, Professor of Energy in the faculty of STEM at the OU said: “The care and precision with which this festive staple is prepared in the factory is really most impressive”.  

The series has relevance to the following qualification pathways:

• Q91 BA (Honours) Business Management, F61 Master in Business Administration, B205 Exploring innovation and enterprise and BB849 Supply chain management in FBL. 
• Q65 Bachelor of Engineering, C49 Postgraduate Certificate in Technology Management and TB801 Technology and Innovation Management in STEM. 
• R30 BA (Hons) Economics, R23 BA (Hons) in Social Sciences and DD126 Economics in context in FASS. 

Photo credit: VoltageTV/BBC