Cars are made by robots – often articulated robots that resemble giant human arms… except, there’s a tiny percentage of cars that are still made using real human arms. On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to the Malvern Hills to meet the team still using their hands to craft cars.

Number 25 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Coachbuilt Car by the Morgan Car Company.

Chief designer Jonathan Wells chats about the challenges of evolving a car without changing its silhouette, revels in the joy of mixing metal, wood, and leather, and reveals the 115-year-old company still knows where 90% of the cars it’s built are in the world.

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More than three billion pairs of denim jeans are made every year. But not all jeans are made the same. Just 10% are produced using selvedge denim - a denim that takes more time to weave and is significantly longer lasting.

The UK may account for only a tiny percentage of global jean production, but we have some of the finest makers.

Number 24 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Selvedge Jeans.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door we visit one of our finest jeans makers - Blackhorse Lane Ateliers in east London. Founder Han Ates tells us why jeans are the new craft beer, the importance of connections, and gives thanks to those who dig old clothes out of disused mines.

We also chat about families, our planet’s future, and what it takes to change your direction of travel when you’re not happy with the path you have followed.

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Since 1824, if you’ve got into difficulties on the British coastline, volunteers from the RNLI will race to your aid. They’ll arrive in a distinctive bright orange boat. A boat built in Britain.

Number 23 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Inflatable Lifeboat.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door, we head to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to meet Glyn Ellis, Business Operations Manager at the RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Centre.

We learn about the craft that goes into making boats built to rescue people. Last year alone, the RNLI saved 269 lives and came to the aid of more than 10,000 individuals.

Also on the show, we celebrate the CNC machine, talk kids’ paintings, and fall in love with a boat name.

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In a leafy science park in Surrey, there’s a team of engineers making something that’s not intended for our world – it’s designed to live in space.

Number 22 on our list of the greatest things we make in Britain is The Space Satellite.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door, we head to Surrey Satellite Technologies to meet with systems engineer Lily Forward and head of marketing Andrew Greenhalgh. We chat about the magic of working in the space industry, launch day nerves, and the dangers of lunchtime snacks. We also talk Elon Musk and offer sympathy to finance directors.

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A thread runs across the shoulders of King Charles, Stormzy, and David Gandy, and leads to the city of Gloucester. There, in a beautiful 18th century house, you can find Emma Willis and her skilled team making shirts for royalty, celebrities and anyone wishing to look sharp.

Number 21 on our list of the greatest products we make in Britain is The Cotton Shirt.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door we head to Bearland House, just a short distance away from Gloucester Cathedral. Here, Emma chats to us about starting her business, why she felt her career was a ‘fail’ for so many years, and the importance of celebrating the skill to sell. We also talk love in the workplace and dying at your sewing machine.

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

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For this special episode of the show, we sit down for a chat with journalist and broadcaster Evan Davis.

Before becoming presenter of Radio 4’s PM programme, Evan was the BBC’s Economics Editor. In 2011, he presented a documentary series, and wrote a book, called Made in Britain. Since 2006, Evan’s presented the business show The Bottom Line. He’s also the presenter of BBC Two’s Dragons’ Den.

We sit down in a disused car park to discuss how Britain pays its way in the world, why entrepreneurs look to China to help kickstart their businesses, and the joy of quality over quantity. We also discuss the efficiencies of resilience, and consider why the manufacturing resurgence he predicted a decade ago hasn’t happened – yet.

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

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The world’s biggest exporter of horse saddles and harnesses? China. Today it accounts for almost half the entire global market. But British-made saddles are still celebrated for their craftsmanship, and they are still in demand - particularly from riders in places such as America and Australia.

Number 20 on our list of the greatest products we make in Britain is The Horse Saddle.

In this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door we head to Walsall, to meet Jane, co-owner of Ryder Saddles. She tells us why a young workforce matters, the joy of blinged up saddles, the pain of posting to Europe, and why the industry is built on cold wet January days.

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

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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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