The Factory Next Door

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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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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