The Factory Next Door  By  cover art

The Factory Next Door

By: Steve Duke
  • Summary

  • What’s on your list of the greatest products made in Britain? Join journalist Steve Duke as he criss-crosses the island to meet our makers in their factories and workshops. Whilst compiling our list, we hear stories of people pursuing perfection, tales of difficult times, and words of hope. Ultimately, this show is for the dreamers and the optimists. Each episode focuses on one product that gets submitted into the garden shed of greatness – we’ll keep going until the shed is full. Jump in, let’s go, we’re off to celebrate our makers. A new episode drops every fortnight. instagram/thefactorynextdoor
    Steven Duke
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Episodes
  • 18. The Linen Jacket
    Jul 23 2024

    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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    31 mins
  • 17. The Albert Slipper
    Jul 9 2024

    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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    32 mins
  • 16. The Morris Bell
    Jun 25 2024

    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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    25 mins

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