Paddy feels at home with visit to Warburtons factory

For its ninth series, Inside the Factory, the show which investigates how some of the food and products we take for granted make it to the shelves, has jumped from BBC2 to BBC1.

But after so many episodes, are the team behind it ever worried they will run out of factories to visit? Thankfully, it seems that’s not something they have to worry about just yet.

Executive producer Michael Rees: “As we’re in our ninth series, [finding new products to feature] is not an easy task, but thankfully there are loads of wonderful factories all over the country with new stories to tell.

“We always like to feature well-known brands and products that most people in the UK will have bought and experienced, but might not have thought how they’re made. Products with a hint of nostalgia that we’ve all grown up with are especially great for fun-packed programmes.”

He adds: “We have regular brainstorms in the office for products that the team would like to see featured, and it certainly gives the weekend supermarket shop a whole new angle as you scour the shelves for inspiration!”

It’s not just the new products that are keeping this latest run fresh – there’s also a new presenter in the form of Paddy McGuinness, who made his debut in the recent festive special. (He takes over from former presenter Gregg Wallace, who announced he was leaving in March 2023.)

Michael’s fellow executive producer Lucy Carter believes the role is a perfect fit for him, saying: “It’s been fantastic having Paddy join the series. He’s brought an energy, warmth and of course humour to it, which has naturally allowed us to update the format. Because he worked in a few factories when he was young, he feels very authentic in his engagement with people on the factory floor, putting them at ease which is so important to the success of a series which celebrates the people who produce the foods and products we all love.”

Paddy should feel particularly at home in this episode, as he’s making a trip to the Warburtons factory. Not only is it in his hometown of Bolton, but 30 years ago, he used to have a Saturday job cleaning the machines.

He’s returning in style, driving through the factory gates in a huge tanker containing thirty tonnes of flour to be used in the production of sliced white bread.

So, as well as learning how the machines he used to clean now manage to produce 1.4million loaves every week, he also gets the chance to catch up with some old friends.

While this may be a very special episode for Paddy, Inside the Factory isn’t a one-man show.

In fact, some people may think his co-presenter Cherry Healey has got the plum job as she finds out how the waste bread is turned into beer. Plus, historian Ruth Goodman reveals why white bread was banned during the Second World War.