Trainers Show Me What You're Made Of

'Five pampered kids with all the clothes and gadgets life can offer.'

I love shopping. It's amazing.

'I'm taking them on an extraordinary journey to find out

'where it all comes from.'

I just don't have a clue.

'Can they work in the factories of Asia...'

Oh, my gosh, there's a fish head in there!

-No!

-Yes!

'..live in real workers' homes...'

-This is your toilet.

-That is actually disgusting.

'..with strict bosses telling them what to do?'

-My workers, they are waiting for you to work in a team.

-No.

-Come down!

-We'll wait.

'Our five kids are... Princess Ellie...'

I don't do any chores around the house apart from open the curtains

and even my mum does that sometimes.

'Gadget guru Callum...'

I cherish this with my heart, all of my life.

'Man of the world Ewan...'

I know sometimes I'm a bit of a brat.

-'Cool customer Mattie...'

-I have to be always right.

And then that'll get me into quite a bit of trouble.

'And spend-aholic Jade.'

I think designer clothes are overpriced.

But I really like them, so I don't really care.

'I'm Stacey Dooley. Today the kids will be discovering

'how to make one of their must-have possessions - trainers.'

I think I'm going faster and then you see all the shoes speeding away.

'Will they knuckle down to the job...'

Do it again! Oh, can you throw my shoe?

'..cope with workers' living conditions...'

It's like living in medieval times.

I appreciate that everyone else lives here, but I, like,

I really don't want to.

'..and will what they experience here make them realise

'how easy they have it at home?'

I would rather beg for money in the street

than work at one of these factories.

'We've come over 6,000 miles across the world

'to begin our incredible journey through Asia.

'It's 8am and everyone around us is on their way to school or work.'

It's the first day of our kids' epic challenge.

And to kick it all off, we've brought them to Penang in Malaysia.

For the next two days, these five will experience

work on a real production line,

making something that every kid has at home - trainers.

'But before we even get to the factory, we're thrown off course.

'There's a problem with one of the kids.'

-So, Jade, tell me what's up.

-Um, I don't feel very well.

-No?

-No. Got a tummy ache.

-You've been sick, haven't you?

-Yeah, I've been sick a couple of times.

-Going to get you back to the hotel.

-Yeah.

Go and see the doctor and get you on the mend.

Whack your belt on.

We've just stepped outside the hotel.

We think it's the smell, the heat...

You know, these kids are just so not used to this type of environment.

So we're going to get her sorted

and the rest of us are going to carry on.

'We're one kid down,

'but the other four are keen to get to the trainers factory.'

'Do they think they are up to the job?'

I'll be good. I'll try.

-I'm going to get promoted.

-No, I'll get promoted so much

that they've already organised a "well done" party for it.

So what do we reckon? Are you ready for Malaysia?

-The question is, are they ready for us.

-Oh!

'So, will Ellie, Mattie, Callum and Ewan

'be as keen to work in this trainers factory

'after they've met their new boss, Mr Wong?

'He takes a no-nonsense approach to work.'

Welcome to Palace Shoe Factory.

In the factory I will train you as normal, like our workers.

And what kind of skills will our four need?

We expect a good working attitude.

You have to follow my instructions step by step.

Do it right the first time.

Got your work cut out. Concentration. Focus.

Hard work. Determination.

Got a lot of pressure on us, so we have to live up to that expectation.

Yeah, I'll try my best to try and fulfil it.

But...it's going to be hard, I think.

-OK, let's go.

-Bye, guys!

ALL: Bye!

'British kids have millions of pairs of trainers

'And many of them come from factories like this.

'Here at Palace, they make 12,000 pairs every week

'and wages start at nearly £4 a day.

'The work here is hard and the temperatures are tropical.

'The first thing Mr Wong wants to know is can the kids

'cope in these working conditions?

'His first challenge is a very simple task -

'gluing together the linings of the trainers.

'A worker can do 80 of these in one hour.

'As the kids are rookies, he's cutting that target in half.

'They have to do 40 in an hour.'

If you are not getting the target, we will demote you. OK?

This is the first task, so it's a big deal.

-Try and bear in mind what it is Mr Wong has said. Happy?

-Yeah.

-Ready to make some trainers?

-Yeah.

All right, I'll leave you to it. Good luck!

Oh!

'Within minutes, they are flagging in the 33-degree heat.'

Callum! I'm hot.

It is very hot and this is so foreign to them.

This really is another world.

So hard and hot and you just don't want to do it.

I would rather probably beg for money in the street

than work in a... one of these factories.

Sword fight!

Guys, why do we have to wear these stupid pinnies?

Glue transfer!

They don't make it easy for themselves, do they?

-This is so boring.

-I know.

We just need to be respectful.

Mr Wong's going to take one look at this and hit the roof.

'When their behaviour gets so bad it distracts his workers,

'Mr Wong has had enough.'

You almost break all my rules.

You are playing around with Callum.

And then you stand beside the fan. Huh?

-Sorry.

-Understand? Continue to work now.

Budding entrepreneur Mattie from Lincoln sells sweets to his friends

to make money and has big life ambitions.

When I'm older, I'd like a decent car, big house, indoor BMX park.

Stuff like that.

And he costs me and his dad an absolute fortune.

He runs us ragged.

I'm not well behaved.

I've been in trouble loads of time for back-chatting

cos some people don't dare step up to the teacher

when they get something wrong... and then there's me.

This 13-year-old rebel doesn't think he has much to learn from anyone.

One thing that I would like Matthew to do - just listen,

concentrate, stay focused, and lose the attitude.

-Oh, dear!

-I'm on my third pair.

Look, I done it on the other way. He won't notice.

'In the Palace trainers factory, Mattie and Ellie

'are continuing their mischief.

'Way behind, they decide there's a cleverer way

'to meet their target of 40.'

Guys, I dare you to go and, er, rub the three off the total.

If one of your workers...

did that to the board, what would happen?

We, er, sack them immediately.

-Sack them?

-Yeah, sack them.

-Sack them?

-Yes. This is a serious, er, offence.

Hey, boys. Thumbs out now.

Stop working.

It was him.

Who rub it? You or you?

It was them two, them two.

And you're being quite disrespectful to Mr Wong.

Now, who's done the board?

Me and Ellie.

Why did you do that?

Dunno.

Tell you what, all the ladies that work here are looking at you guys

and thinking you're taking the mickey out of them

because this is their job.

This is how they feed their family.

So it's...a big deal. Serious.

Ellie, look at this.

'Most of Ellie's soles aren't stuck together properly.'

Mattie, where's yours?

-There's only 20.

-I wasn't focusing.

Mattie, Mattie...

'Mattie has failed for doing half the target.

'Mr Wong is only happy with Ewan and Callum.

'He now delivers his judgment on the other two.'

You are not respecting. You're not listening to what I'm saying.

And in my factory, if my workers are doing that, they are out!

And these are the... Not allow you are coming tomorrow.

'Mr Wong has sacked Ellie and Mattie.'

Are you clear with what Mr Wong has said?

So he's happy for you two to come back

but Mattie and Ellie, you're not allowed back.

-Mattie, what you laughing at?

-Dunno.

-Feel like you've been respectful?

-Yeah.

I haven't disrespected him or his workers.

I will think of something for them to do

but they are not allowed to come into my factory.

'So, at the end of their very first shift, two are out of the door.

'Everyone is taken aback by today's turn of events.'

Started with five, Jade fell poorly, we had to leave Jade behind.

There was then four that came to the factory.

We've just lost two because they've been sacked.

Um, so it's gone from five to two in the space of a day.

I'm mad at myself because the boss has sacked me

and, um, I laughed after it.

But...that's just me.

'Many of the 130 employees at Palace don't just work here,

'they live here.

'I'm bringing the boys to a hostel across the road to stay the night.

'Given their reaction to doing a day's work in the factory,

'how will they cope living in very basic conditions?'

So, this is where you're going to be staying the night.

This is your shower.

-This is your toilet.

-Where's the showery bit?

It's the bucket. You use a bucket.

-That is going to...

-That's actually disgusting. I'm going to hold.

'This boarding house is free for the workers who live here.

'Three of them have given up their bedroom for the boys.'

Are you looking forward to it? Nervous?

A bit nervous, I mean, it feels quite depressing.

So crammed, like all the... Like that much space between everything.

They think that's it's normal

and they probably find this is a little luxury for them.

'While the boys see how some of the lower-paid workers live,

'sacked Ellie is going to meet the family

'of one of the factory managers.'

-Hello, how are you?

-Hello, I'm good, thank you.

'Feven is head of research and development

'and lives here with his wife and four daughters.

'14-year-old Hivalina shows Ellie their home.'

And this is the kitchen.

-Oh, oh, you have a rabbit.

-Yeah.

Well, do you let it out?

Yeah, every Sunday I let it out and round the field.

-Oh, wow!

-It's a big field, that.

-So does it never run off?

-No.

Did you cook at home?

Um, I don't cook at home.

I think the only thing I can about cook is toast.

Normal life for 12-year-old Ellie in Somerset

is a world away from Hivalina's in Malaysia.

I love shopping.

You just go in and you can just pick up whatever you want.

And then it's yours. It's amazing.

She just almost expects and expects

and wants more and more and more.

When anyone does say no,

well-off Ellie prides herself on getting round it.

Kind of go ten minutes sulking, and then straight into tantrum.

It's my sulking face.

But mum Caroline is keen for her to have a reality check in Asia.

I'd like Ellie to realise that, you know, that there is life

beyond planet Ellie.

I've never experienced poverty or anything like that.

I think this is going to be quite a...shocker.

Are you into shoes?

-Not that interested.

-No? How many pairs of shoes would you say you had?

Three or four pairs.

-Three or four?

-Yeah.

-Wow!

-How about yours?

In my wardrobe I probably have... 20 pairs of shoes.

-Wow!

-But then, like, I keep others...

Like, I have a big bag of shoes up in the loft as well.

So you're like a princess.

'Back in the workers' boarding house,

'I'm showing the boys their neighbours' sleeping quarters.'

What do you think, boys?

-Erm, it's quite cramped.

-It's...really small.

-Yeah.

My room's twice the size of this, so, um, quite interesting

seeing how much sort of people you could fit into half a space.

In this whole boarding house, how many people live here?

-TRANSLATION:

-30 people.

-Whoa, 30 people.

-Oh! How many days a week do you work altogether?

Six days a week. Monday to Sunday.

-I think school's enough and that's only five days.

-This is full-on work.

And this is...

Imagine they do the job that you guys were doing today for two hours.

They do that six days a week. Full days.

Boring and repetitive, I think.

'Nearby at the manager's house,

'Ellie is finding out more about how Hivalina spends her time.'

What do you do on a normal, say, Saturday?

-What would you do?

-Um...

First of all, I will see the house, then if it's dirty, I will clean it.

Then, if I got time, use my computer to...

type my stories.

Do you like to write stories?

-I like to publish my book.

-Yeah.

One day. Cos I need to chase my dreams.

If I can't chase my dreams,

I will try to be the manager of the factory.

It's amazing that they've just, like, let me walk into the house

and just look around.

It's just so...

unlike my house and...

It's kind of hit home a bit now

how much I have

and how little they have.

She's different than me and the big, unbelievable thing is,

she's just 12 and I'm just 14.

Er, but she's looking like 18.

You look at them and what they have

and then you look at me

who does nothing and has everything,

it's just it's not even fair.

It's been a long day and the boys enjoy a relaxing kick-about

with their new friends from the factory.

By the time Ellie turns up, the boys are settled in.

-Welcome to paradise(!)

-Yeah!

-The boys' house...

-I don't want to go in.

-..of heaven.

'But Ellie is finding it all too much.'

I just don't really want to stay here.

There's, like, no toilet and no shower.

And...appreciate that everyone else lives here and...

But I, like, I really don't want to.

The challenge of living and working in Asia

may yet prove too difficult for our kids.

It's the morning of day two in the workers' hostel in Malaysia,

and Mattie's the first up.

I slept in a boarding house with

lizards everywhere.

Spiders.

And even though I needed the toilet,

I did not go in the middle of the night.

There's probably a crocodile in there.

But the toilet wildlife isn't the problem in the shower.

It's like living in medieval times in here.

So the kids apply a 21st-century solution

and use mineral water to wash themselves.

Is it cold water?

Not had a shower like this before!

Gosh, it's cold.

SHE SIGHS

That's the worst shower I've, like, ever been in.

'They use nearly £3 worth of water,

'just under a day's wages at the factory.

-'And now they're late for work.'

-Mr Wong's here.

Oh, no, not Mr Wong.

Run.

Come on, look out now!

Well, we have plenty of work waiting for you.

-No.

-Come down.

-We'll wait, we'll wait, OK?

-Come on, guys!

-No!

CHILDREN LAUGH

KNOCKING ON DOOR

Open the door!

Yes, morning, guys.

'Having prised the boys from their room,

'Mr Wong leaves behind the sacked Ellie and Mattie.'

Is there someone else that's bossing us around...?

-Yes, yes.

-OK, bye!

-I'll be back.

-Yeah, I'm not talking to you. You're not my boss any more.

'Mr Wong might not be Ellie's favourite boss,

'but he was so impressed with Ewan and Callum yesterday,

'he's put them on a real production line, packing the trainers.'

The shoe is not waiting for you, right?

You must catch up the speed.

'To keep up with the conveyor belt,

'their target is to pack 200 pairs of shoes in one hour between them.

'A single worker can do 1,500 pairs in a day.

'This is a real production line and they can't afford to muck it up.'

This is definitely the hardest task ever.

You have to keep up with the conveyor belt

and you can't control any speed.

There's loads coming.

I think I'm going faster and then you see all the shoes speeding away.

Yes. Concentrate the work.

'The shoes the boys are packing are for customers.

'There is no room for error and speed is of the essence.'

You must pack.

The method must be correct, OK?

Your workers must be under so much pressure doing this kind of job

-because they have no control over this conveyor belt.

-Yeah.

1,000 a day.

Yeah, and-and...

Yes, OK, we have to keep competitive. We have no choice.

We are looking for survival.

It's just... Eye-opener, I guess.

'Sacked from the factory, it's time for Ellie and Mattie

'to find out what job they'll be doing instead.

'The trees in this rubber plantation provide the rubber

'for soles of Mr Wong's trainers.'

So you're going to be collecting the rubber.

STACEY LAUGHS

Oh, no. Where would you rather be right now? Here or the factory?

-Here, definitely.

-It's more simple. Don't, like, look as boring.

-Peaceful.

-All right, let's go.

'This couple have been working rubber plantations for 40 years.

'They normally tap 400 trees every morning.

'They get paid £3 a day each,

'less than a trainee's wage in the factory.

'Mattie and Ellie are doing the easiest job,

'which is to collect pots of the liquid latex,

'the raw material for rubber.'

-You can do that, right? Sounds simple enough?

-Yeah.

-Off you go.

-What do I do if it's stuck?

Urgh!

Oops!

Shall I eat it?

Urgh! Urgh!

SHE RETCHES

'Not only is the rubber smelly,

'but there are other drawbacks to this early-morning job.'

It's full of ants and spiders.

Urgh, urgh, urgh! OK, we're not going to do that.

Just been stung.

There's an ant down my belt, there's an ant down my belt!

This job compared to the factory work,

in a way it's much easier, much simpler.

But the heat is ridiculous out here.

And there's no fans and we're not sat down.

I'd do this as a job because it's just so calm, it's not noisy.

It's not full of smoke.

It's not repetitive, like every pot's not going to have

the same amount in.

Every tree's not going to be the same.

Back on the conveyor belt,

Callum and Ewan have been packing trainers for two hours.

-Faster! Come on!

-Seems as if it's going faster...

-Work harder.

-..all of a sudden. Can't keep up. It's speeding away.

Got to be like Superman or something.

They're just so hard to, to just...

trying to stay, you know, how fast you're going

because so many things can go wrong.

It's not going in!

These two boys doing a good working speed. And good attitude.

'Over in the rubber plantation, I've had some news.'

I've just got off the phone to Mr Wong.

And he said he wants to give you a second chance.

He's invited you back to the factory.

'As Ewan and Callum have learnt the right attitude to factory work,

'Mr Wong is giving Ellie and Mattie another go.'

Are we doing the same thing like yesterday?

I'm not sure. We'll have to wait and see.

-Give it another go.

-If he shouts at me, can I leave?

I don't think he'll shout. Just have to give it your best shot.

Show him that he made a massive mistake sacking you yesterday

and that you're good... you're good guys, you can do this.

Oh, dear. Come on. Let's go and see him.

-It's not good news.

-Am I rubbish at giving good news?

-Yes.

-That's bad news.

-It's great. You're getting another chance.

-No, because he doesn't like us.

-He does like you.

'Even though Ellie and Mattie are reluctant to face Mr Wong,

'they decide to try again' alongside Ewan and Callum.

So, this is the final task for you.

Remember, we want perfection.

'Mr Wong is giving the kids a tricky final task.

'They are foxing the trainers.

That involves sticking a rubber strip along the bottom of each shoe.

'The strip must be the right way up, perfectly straight

'and with a neat join.'

The quality is important. Don't spoil my shoe, right?

As a group, 40 pair. Each of them ten pair.

Are you ready? I hope you can do it.

Go.

I've put the...

the thing on the wrong way up,

I've put... I put the red at the bottom rather than the top.

'So, it's heads down for all four of them. Mattie's racing ahead.

'Maybe he's decided to toe the line.'

One, two, three, four. I'm on my fifth.

'The other three are taking a bit more time over it.'

It's very, very fiddly work, this trainer malarkey.

Ewan's having a problem with the... red bands.

The, er, red bit just fell... Completely went apart

So I'm just trying to sort of reconstruct it again.

Hopefully, Mr Wong didn't see that.

-Going to be watching us, isn't he?

-Yep.

'As if on cue, Mr Wong arrives for a half-time assessment.'

Is over half an hour. What you are doing?

'He wants to see if Ewan and Callum

can maintain their earlier standard...'

Well, you are not joining properly, OK?

-Well, most of 'em are like that.

-Yeah.

'..and if Mattie and Ellie can finally settle into factory work.'

How Mattie? Wow! Pretty fast, all right.

But is it all right?

I think so.

You think so. But no.

'Mattie's quick but the quality may have suffered.'

You see the gap? Look at this.

-I am.

-So doing fast...

-Oh, just chuck 'em away!

-The slow way, remember?

-What?

-I tell you? Do it right.

Not doing...

'Mr Wong's criticism tips Mattie over the edge.'

Tell us to work fast and so I get it wrong.

Then you tell us to work rightly

and we're working fast,

so, in this heat we're not used to it.

So we have to get it right first before you go fast, right?

-Understand?

-Then you moan at us for not going fast.

Do it again, OK? Do it again.

OK, you throw my shoe.

Come on, boy! Take it back.

Take it back. OK. Put it the right way.

'How will Ellie do?'

This is wrong, huh? OK? Nobody going to buy the shoe.

Do it again.

I ain't doing 'em again. Really?

'As both Ellie and Mattie head to a revolt,

'the other two try to talk them round.'

At the end of the day, we need to make 40, yeah?

-So, come on, Matt.

-It's not fair. He wants me to take up all of 'em.

No, but, yeah, he won't like...

I ain't going to get 'em done anyway, am I? Think about it.

-Yeah, but try your best.

-If I can do one pair, that will be fine.

I have tried. And my best wasn't good enough. So he had a go at me.

-Just please, come on.

-Go on.

'But the boys' attempts to keep the peace have no effect.'

-I'm on strike.

-Yeah.

-I'm not... I'm not doing it.

'In the face of Ellie's strike,

'Mr Wong calls a complete halt to the task.'

Pay attention. The final task.

'Mr Wong sends them to the boardroom

'and checks to see if any of the shoes could be sold to customers.'

All right, everyone? Mr Wong has asked to see you all here.

Um, I think he just wants to let you know how he thinks you've done.

This factory, we need keep competitive.

So we are looking for good workers.

So what "good worker" means is discipline, focus to work,

and good work attitude.

Mattie, I'm quite, er, disappointed with your attitudes, OK.

When I talk to you, but you start showing your anger...

You are throwing the shoe. Right?

Mm-hm.

You have to change. Change in your mind.

If you don't change it, then later you are in troubles.

Do you think that's fair?

Yeah.

Do you agree with what Mr Wong's saying?

Or are there bits that you don't agree with?

Just some of the things but I'm not going to start an argument.

Ellie, I think you didn't try hard enough. You give up.

You spoil other good efforts of your team.

Because you pull all them down.

I thought it was going to be like all machines and buttons and that,

like a couple of people employed to push a few buttons.

But then you kind of, you come here,

you look a bit closer and it's not.

Reality check.

I think for any, for any person

that was like... It was extremely boring

and you, basically, like...if you were to do that, like, all day,

I, you would...I would hallucinate.

I... Honestly, I would start seeing things.

In Malaysia, you have no choice.

They are looking for survival, for money, so they doesn't care

whether it's boring, whether it's dirty,

whether it's interesting.

They just work.

'So who HAS proved themselves worthy of a wage from Mr Wong?'

Are there any of our kids here that you would offer a job?

Yes, er, I have decided to offer Callum and Ewan a job.

Wow!

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Always a pleasure. There you go, sir.

-Is this the first time you've ever been paid a wage?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

What's the plan? What you going to do, Ewan?

Phew. Don't really have a clue yet.

My recommendation is don't spend it.

When you look at the money,

you can remember, "Oh this is money from Mr Wong, from Malaysia.

"I had to sweat for the two days and be scolded by Mr Wong."

THEY LAUGH

-Thank you, Mr Wong.

-Thank you, Mr Wong.

'Next time on Show Me What You're Made Of, Jade's back.'

-It was like this big!

-What was?

-A big beetle!

'Our five head to Thailand to a high-tech cosmetics factory.'

And am I doing good? Oh, no, no.

'Will they find life in Asia any easier?'

We were dreading coming back here to sleep another night.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd