We Are England

Ever wondered how lipsticks or nail paints are made? Or what it takes to compete - and thrive - against the cosmetics multinationals?

Cumbria has a long-standing relationship with shoe manufacturing. Roy Bell started his career in the industry as soon as he left school in 1970 at Millers Shoe Factory in Cockermouth. Millers closed its doors in the early 1990s, but by then Roy had already moved to another company. In 1982, New Balance set up a factory in Flimby, a small village just a few miles down the road, and Roy has been there ever since. At that time, the Flimby facility was the only factory owned by the multibillion-dollar American business outside the USA.

Moonpig print and send tens of thousands of cards from their Guernsey factory every day. We go behind the scenes meeting the characters who keep the factory running, ensuring cards are ready in time for the last plane off the island, sometimes when the odds are stacked against them.

McLaren cars are synonymous with speed. We enter the fast-paced world of supercar engineering, and get a sneak peek behind the scenes within the factories that bring these luxury cars to life.

Few boat builders can boast about being featured in a James Bond movie. But for Spirit Yachts in Ipswich, it's happened twice. The company's distinctive yachts marry classical wooden design with cutting edge sustainability.

A day with the factory workers, engineering staff, management and design team to get a glimpse of the challenges inside Denby Pottery's Derbyshire factory.