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Christmas 2016

In this Christmas special, Gregg Wallace, Cherry Healey and Ruth Goodman explore the fascinating factory processes and surprising history behind our favourite festive treats.

In this Christmas special, Gregg Wallace, Cherry Healey and Ruth Goodman explore the fascinating factory processes and surprising history behind favourite festive treats.

Gregg follows 24 hours of production at the world's largest mince pie factory. As he helps to mix pastry and stew mince, Gregg discovers the challenges of producing 2,000 perfect pies every minute. He also attempts to roll the sponge on the yule log conveyor belt - with disastrous results.

Cherry travels to south Wales to meet the workers who make enough tinsel in a year to reach Hawaii, and she is given special access to a high-tech factory that produces over 400 million metres of best-selling wrapping paper.

Meanwhile, Ruth Goodman discovers the explosive history of Christmas crackers.

59 minutes

Last on

Sun 19 Nov 2023 17:20
±«Óãtv Two except Wales & Wales HD

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Clips

See all clips from Christmas 2016 (2)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Darlene Love

    All Alone On Christmas

  • 00:01

    Jax Jones

    Yeah Yeah Yeah

  • 00:02

    Wizzard

    I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

  • 00:03

    Little Mix

    Love Me Like You

  • 00:04

    Arlissa

    Into The Light

  • 00:04

    Kate Nash

    Early Christmas Present

  • 00:06

    Clean Cut Kid

    Pick Me Up

  • 00:07

    Kylie Minogue

    Every Day's Like Christmas

  • 00:14

    The Shires

    My Universe

  • 00:14

    Grimes

    RealiTi

  • 00:15

    Of Monsters and Men

    Human (Glastonbury 2016)

  • 00:19

    Florence + The Machine

    Ship To Wreck

  • 00:20

    Paul McCartney

    Wonderful Christmastime

  • 00:23

    Dean Martin

    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Remastered)

  • 00:24

    First Aid Kit

    Kings Of The World (feat. Conor Oberst)

  • 00:22

    Dean Martin

    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

  • 00:26

    Mumford & Sons

    I Will Wait

  • 00:27

    Stereophonics

    White Lies

  • 00:30

    Hurts

    All I Want For Christmas

  • 00:34

    Vaults

    Premonitions

  • 00:34

    Stereolab

    Space Moth

  • 00:35

    Booker T. & The M.G.'s

    Jingle Bells

  • 00:36

    Booker T. & The M.G.'s

    Jingle Bells

  • 00:37

    Foals

    My Number

  • 00:42

    Shakin’ Stevens

    Merry Christmas Everyone

  • 00:43

    Shakin’ Stevens

    Merry Christmas Everyone

  • 00:46

    The Pogues

    Fairytale Of New York (feat. Kirsty MacColl)

  • 00:46

    Craig David

    Ain’t Giving Up (feat. Sigala)

  • 00:50

    Leona Lewis

    I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday

  • 00:51

    The Ventures

    Frosty The Snowman

  • 00:55

    Apoptygma Berzerk

    Major Tom (Coming ±«Óãtv) (People Theatre Remix)

  • 00:57

    Kylie Minogue

    Christmas Isn't Christmas 'Til You Get Here

  • 00:57

    Mariah Carey

    All I Want For Christmas Is You

  • 00:58

    Slade

    Merry Xmas Everybody

  • 00:58

    Slade

    Merry Xmas Everybody

Credits

Presenter Gregg Wallace
Presenter Cherry Healey
Presenter Ruth Goodman
Executive Producer Alice Harper
Executive Producer Sanjay Singhal
Producer James Buchanan
Director James Buchanan
Producer Sam Bailey
Director Sam Bailey
Producer Emma Pound
Producer Linda McCarthy
Production Company Voltage TV Productions Ltd

Broadcasts

Featured in...

Learn more about the history of the factory and how it has evolved with an interactive from The Open University.

The fascinating stories behind the production of some of our favourite products.