This year we’re on course to spend a billion-pounds on stuffed toys and dolls in the UK. The vast majority will arrive in shipping containers, but a small, select group of stuffed toys will be born on our island.

Number 19 on our list of the greatest products we make is The Teddy Bear.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door we chat to Kerstin, managing director of Canterbury Bears to discuss the importance of being fair in business, turning away big orders, believing in work with a social purpose, and popping round to Uri Geller’s house. 

Also on the show, we learn how teddy bears got their name, reminisce about our childhood teddies, and give praise to Michael Buble’s jeans.

Hit the play button, let’s hang out. Afterwards, say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

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In East London, at a former Burberry factory, jackets and shirts are being manufactured with a unique twist – every element of them, from the buttons to the labels, the thread to the cloth, has been produced within the British Isles.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door, we meet husband-and-wife team Paul and Debbie, co-founders of clothing brand MISSING. They explain why they set out to source everything from the Isles, despair about fake ‘Made in Britain’ labels, and reveal how to resolve a Mexican stand-off.

Also on the show, we chat to factory manager Alex from Apparel Tasker. She tells us where her love of manufacturing came from, shows off possibly Britain’s best factory canteen, and introduces Peanut the dog.

Hit the play button, let’s hang out. Afterwards, say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

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There are 181 companies making footwear in the UK. In this week’s show we visit one of the oldest, Norfolk’s Bowhill & Elliott, to celebrate its Albert Slipper.

These slippers, traditionally made from velvet and often featuring intricate embroidered motifs, are still crafted by hand in a workshop behind the company’s shop on Norwich’s high street. They've been based there since 1874.

Marc, Bowhill & Elliott’s Managing Director, tells us about rolling the dice of good fortune, the origins of the slipper, the power of fresh starts, and his backup plan if it all goes wrong.

Hit the play button, let’s hang out. Afterwards, say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

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As the summer sun finally arrives, it’s time to celebrate an item we commonly hear in our villages and towns during the warmer months – the morris bell.

Morris dancers wear dozens of these bells strapped to their legs, giving their routines a distinctive sound. On today’s show, we head to Birmingham Stopper – one of the last factories in Britain still manufacturing the bells (it also produces a host of other much more sophisticated componentry such as car engine parts).

Chairman Roger Varley tells us what it’s been like leading a British manufacturer for the past four decades, shares the single-most important decision he’s made in his career, and gives thanks to his wife.

We also learn about power presses, remember the Vauxhall Viva, and chat about spirits with a morris dancer. Hit the play button, let’s hang out.

Afterwards, say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

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We celebrate a watch on today’s show – one made using 3D printing technologies (or additive manufacturing as the technique is referred to in the industry).

Apiar are new-comers to the horology world, but their use of additive manufacturing, and focus on British-sourced parts, makes them particularly interesting.

We travel to Ebbw Vale in South Wales to visit the factory making Apiar’s intricate watch cases. There, we chat to engineer Youssef about his journey from the steel works of Egypt to the green, green, grass he now calls home.

Youssef reveals how to be beat the Far East on price, reminds us why British manufacturing is legendary, and explains why he’s so proud of his machines.

We also speak to Apiar founders Matt and Sam about launching a new brand, the power of lattice structures, and why sending out your first products is like waving your child off to university.  

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor or email [email protected]

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It’s time to add a piece of footwear to our list of great British-made products. This week we head to Northamptonshire, the traditional home of our shoe-making industry, to tour Joseph Cheaney & Sons’ factory.

Our guide Martin celebrates The Derby Boot, shows us what makes a Goodyear welted shoe special, explains why clippers are more skilled than cutters, and reveals he wants to be buried in a shoe box.

We also speak to owners Jonathan and William Church about being the guardians of a 140-year-old brand, how they’re growing the business, and why Japanese customers love British craft.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor or email [email protected]

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For number 13 on our list we head to 13 Savile Row, W1. There we meet Ruby, founder and creative director of Banshee, to learn how she makes her exquisite bespoke velvet jackets.

As we tour Banshee’s workshop, we discuss bespoke clothing for women, the joy of British fabrics, the importance of marrying business and creativity, and the unpredictability of imposter syndrome.

We also appreciate Savile Row from above and chat with Charles, a tailor who’s worked on this famous street for decades and knows the inside leg measurements of quite a few movie stars.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor or email [email protected]

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Fire irons. We’ve been forging them for centuries – literally. Blacksmiths have been making them since, well, the Iron Age. They sit at number 12 on our list of the greatest products we make in Britain.

In this episode of The Factory Next Door, we visit ironwork company Nigel Tyas to see how they blend old techniques with modern tools and handcraft fire irons, as well as wrought iron lighting and curtain poles.   

Brothers Gareth and Dan show us around their South Yorkshire factory. We learn how to test the skill of a blacksmith, chat about the joy – and effort – of hammering at an anvil, give praise to bi-fold doors, and wonder why the siblings don’t argue more often. 

Say hello on Instagram, search the ‘The Factory Next Door’ or email [email protected]

Let’s make more makers!

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Number 11 on our list of the greatest products we make in Britain is The Carry-On Case – and this piece will force you to rethink what you know about the humble piece of paper.

Luggage company Globe-Trotter, loved by royalty, celebrities, and plenty of lifelong fans, takes paper – adds a dose of magic – and creates a material that is extraordinarily durable and light.

In this episode of The Factory Next Door, business development director James Fisher shows us around the luggage and leather company’s Hertfordshire factory. We discuss collaborating with Gucci, the joy of having a lovely case in a rubbish airport, and why Tyler, The Creator is a lovely bloke to have around for a visit.

Say hello on Instagram, search the ‘The Factory Next Door’ or email [email protected]

Let’s make more makers!

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We’ve reached number 10 on our list of the greatest products we make in Britain. And it’s a true icon. The Spitfire.

In this episode of The Factory Next Door, we visit two factories both making their own versions of this legendary plane. In Margate, we pop into model maker Airfix to chat with researcher Luke about their 1:24 scale Spitfire replica.

And in a hanger in Oxfordshire, we meet Paul who – along with a group of volunteers – are building a squadron of Spitfires that will tour the country (appropriately called the Ace Squadron).

We learn what makes this plane special, the beauty of pop rivet patterns, take a flight in a Spitfire simulator, look around an empty factory, and so, so much more.

Say hello on Instagram, search the ‘The Factory Next Door’ or email [email protected]



Let’s make more makers!

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