Cosmetics Show Me What You're Made Of

Meet Ellie, Ewan, Callum, Jade and Mattie.

Five pampered kids with all the clothes, gadgets and toys

-life has to offer.

-I'd say that I was a spend-aholic.

I cherish this with my heart.

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, we are waiting for you to work in the team!

-No.

-Come out!

-We'll wait.

The smell is unbearable.

Today, we've left Malaysia for Thailand.

And we're heading to a huge make-up factory.

I want to find out if the kids have got what it takes to make lipsticks.

It's like throwing a dart and you have to hit bull's-eye every time.

Can they fend for themselves...

-Mmm, home, sweet home.

-..for two whole nights?

I'm not staying here tonight.

Can't even wash properly

and I'm not going to have a shower in that bucket.

And will their most fiddly challenge yet prove too much?

Can't be bothered. Just want to go home.

It's depressing.

I could never, ever, ever, ever, ever do this as a living.

Last time around, factory life proved a massive shock.

Faster!

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

Do it again. OK, you throw my shoe?

Sick Jade didn't even make it to work.

And Matt and Ellie soon got kicked out.

You are not listening to what I'm saying. You are out!

Only Ewan and Callum triumphed.

I am going to rock this.

I have decided to offer Callum and Ewan a job.

CHEERING

But now, all five are back together.

-I'm feeling better.

-Are you?

-Yeah.

And they're ready for a brand new challenge.

The kids are on their way to a secret location.

-Where are we going today?

-Yeah, tell us where we're going.

-Are we going to the hotel, Stacey?

-Where do you think we're going?

I think we're going to some really, really lush place.

-We are off to...

-Look at her eyes.

-Ah, here we go.

-..somewhere that you've never been before.

-Oh! Yes, yes!

-Boom!

The surprise I've lined up is for the next two nights

they'll be staying here.

Fending for themselves in a typical worker's home.

If the kids thought they had it tough making trainers,

they ain't seen nothing yet!

Mm, home, sweet home.

-Out the way.

-Gecko!

-What?!

There's one over there. Look, one over there, guys.

There's three. There's another one.

I was, like, standing there.

-It's this big.

-What was?

-A big beetle.

-Shut up!

-You're going to be staying here tonight.

-Mm-mm.

-You'll be staying here tomorrow night.

-Oh, God, two nights.

Callum, what's wrong?

-This is such a let-down.

-Why?

Thought we'd be staying in a really nice hotel

and we're staying in something like this.

What's it going to be like living here for the next couple of days?

It's like my shed in the back garden.

Ellie, tell me what you think.

I think it's grubby and small and...

I want to go home. Probably don't even have a hairdryer or anything.

They're staying in a village,

giving the group a chance to live alongside local workers.

Like neighbour Nimfon, who runs a fruit stall.

-You can?

-Oh, yeah.

ALL: Awww!

-Hey, you!

-Hello, Sonja!

-What a cool neighbour youse lot have got.

-I know, really lucky actually.

See you in the morning. Good night. Thank you.

Nice to meet you.

I want these lucky kids to experience living

in a normal worker's home.

They're used to big houses, clean rooms, nice beds, and hot water.

But here, they'll be queuing up for this.

And sharing just these two rooms.

-You have to pop that down, make it.

-Don't know how to make a bed.

-You not make your bed at home?

-No.

-Here's your mattress.

Do you make your own bed, Jade, at home?

Nooo! I don't even know what you do.

-It's going to be harsh!

-How do you do this?!

They're used to Mum and Dad doing everything for them.

Is that it? Is that right?

I think that might've been the first bed I've ever made.

It's harder than I expected!

SHRIEKS OF PLEASURE

Tomorrow, the kids will be putting in a full day's factory shift

so they need all the sleep they can get.

I can't believe you just did that! SHRIEKING, SLOWLY FADES

COCKEREL CROWS

6am and the village is up and working,

making food that's sold to factory workers.

But there's no sign of the kids.

Hello? They're all still asleep.

'It's been a sweaty, sleepless night.'

I kept on waking up and it was getting too sticky and hot.

He's out for the count.

He's, like... He was just sleeping all over.

-Tired.

-Yeah, that's about it.

But it's important they have a good scrub down.

Because where they're heading, takes cleanliness very seriously.

For the next leg of our kids' Asian experience...

..they'll be working in a cosmetics factory.

The group are on their way to the busy production lines of S&J.

A lot of the beauty products we buy in the UK

that make us look good and smell nice are made here.

In this factory, 1,800 workers make 22 million items every month.

It's all done by hand

but to hit these targets they work as fast as machines.

The question is, can our kids?

First off, time to meet new boss, Auntie.

-Sawatdee kaa.

-Sawatdee kaa.

-Hello.

Have a seat, guys.

So welcome to S&J.

We are the biggest cosmetic company in Thailand.

You can see there that this is all our products that produce here,

we sold in all the world.

Today and tomorrow you are our staff.

We have a target of each day.

Everybody should produce like a good quality, OK,

and good efficiency.

No pressure.

OK, guys.

Do you want to pop your tops on and we'll get going?

A big challenge to working here are the strict hygiene rules.

But I never imagined the security pass would be a problem.

I'm not wearing that, I'm so just not wearing that.

-What's wrong?

-It has a passport in it. No.

Ellie doesn't want anyone seeing her picture.

Ellie, going to have to put it on.

-Let me see it, please.

-Drama, drama, drama.

-Put it on!

-Anyone would think we're in Coronation Street.

If you want to change, we change for you, OK?

You'll make a new one for you.

Unfortunately for Ellie, things are about to go from bad to worse.

Any dirt at all can ruin an entire batch.

So, to keep it out,

workers spend a lot of time putting on protective clothing...

I feel like a school dinner lady.

..scrubbing their hands...

-Ugh!

-Drier.

-..and removing all make-up -

something else Ellie's really not happy about.

What I don't understand, right, why the eyes matter, like.

You can hardly see them anyway.

-It's in case any of the mascara drops into the product.

-Thank you.

It'll then be contaminated and they won't be able to sell it.

I'm never taking it off,

I've never looked at myself without make-up on in the mirror.

-How do you put it on then?

-Without a mirror.

At home in Somerset,

12-year-old Ellie has a make-up collection to rival a beauty queen.

You kind of meet when you've got a barrier

and I don't want people to see the look underneath.

And there's not much chance of that with all this war paint.

Foundation. Blusher. Mascara. Eyeliner.

Lipstick, it's like bright red. Oh, I love it.

Unfortunately, mum Caroline doesn't.

You see so much on television

and in magazines.

She wants to portray that image really.

If you look good, you feel good.

And other people will then like you.

I'm constantly battling with her about what she's wearing

and what she looks like. How much make-up she's got on.

And it just seems to be one constant argument.

'Well, Caroline, I know how you feel.'

You don't want to come all this way, do you,

and miss out cos you didn't want to take your mascara off?

You going to give it a try? Is the mascara coming off?

Yeah.

That's it. Brilliant.

You can do it.

You look really lovely.

With a gown...

..and air shower...

..decontamination is complete.

Time for their first task and the chance of promotion.

Auntie wants to see

if any in the group can match the robot-like precision of her workers.

Everybody go on your seat, OK?

So she's got the kids making lipsticks by hand.

The task of today is put the lipstick bullet into the case.

So they gently have to put the bullet into the case, quite firm.

Down, and it's finished.

Yeah. Their target is 200 pieces per hour.

Wow! 200 each per hour.

No pressure.

You up for the challenge? OK, get going, guys.

Every month, 100,000 lipsticks get made here.

If they're to keep up with this, the kids must be quick and accurate.

And obviously they're looking for perfection.

One slip and the lipstick is ruined.

It's like throwing a dart and you have to hit bull's-eye every time.

Everyone's focussed, particularly Matt and Ellie.

So are you taking this seriously?

Yeah. I'm going to get the wage.

Oh, is that what you're after, the wages?

At the last factory, Matt and Ellie acted up.

But here, they're model workers.

They seem to be taking it a lot more seriously today.

Ellie seems to have really got her head down on this task.

Mattie, again, he seems to have taken it a lot more seriously.

It's a complete 360 degree turn from last time.

They're realising that the bosses

have taken a real gamble letting them in.

You know, they're in a real factory on a real production line,

making real lipsticks.

Unfortunately, the other three start to tire doing the same thing

with lipstick over and over and over again.

I really didn't think that lipsticks were made this way.

-Just it is, it's depressing.

-Yeah.

-That people just...

Doing this day in, day out.

The kids are slowly learning how dull and dreary factory work can be.

Didn't realise people spent the whole day just doing this.

Is anyone else finding this frustrating?

Yeah. Yeah, definitely!

Luckily for the kids, the shift does finally end.

And Auntie inspects their work.

I could never, ever, ever, ever, ever do this as a living.

Have any of the kids matched the skill

and discipline of Auntie's workers?

So your job today is very good. Very good quality.

But we found that some of you were faster than others.

-So, as a whole group, they did very well?

-Mm-hm.

But two of them, were slightly quicker, a bit faster.

-Yes.

-And will them two be promoted?

Two of them promoted.

Ah-ha-ha! Who do we think it is?

Who? Ellie and Mattie. Yeah? OK.

Are you feeling a bit disappointed? You wanted to be promoted.

I did want to be promoted but this task wasn't really my thing and...

Happy? Yeah? Oh. Come on, let's go.

Their shift may have ended but the hard work hasn't.

Before going back to their village house, the kids need to buy food.

-Fancy any of this for your dinner?

-Oh! God, look at that.

-Eww!

-That's a pig right there.

In Britain, these shopaholics love spending money.

So let's see how they get on in Thailand.

Loads of crickets.

He's cooking crickets!

Oh my gosh, he's sick!

Callum, are you going to try one?

Are you eating them, are you eating them?

Are you eating them? Three, two, one...

Callum, are you all right?

Oh, the taste of it is just disgusting.

This way.

-Sawatdee kaa!

-Sawatdee kaa.

I've arranged for Callum and Ewan to help neighbour, Nimfon.

We're going to be, like, awesome.

And the others are choosing ingredients for the evening meal.

I don't think we should have rice.

I've given them 100 baht to spend which is about £2

and the average a family would spend a day on food.

-Well, what are we making?

-We don't know.

-Fish?

-No, we're not getting fish.

-Sweetcorn.

-How much are they?

-Three for 20, er...

-We're feeding five people.

-Guys...

Well, you just chop it up.

Two for 12? Yeah?

-Thank you.

-Get some chicken.

How much for a bag for around five people?

-60.

-56?

No, I don't think you can afford chicken.

Shall we go somewhere else?

The kids are getting annoyed.

Feeding five on a budget is proving difficult.

And they're hungry.

Snappy decisions, guys, cos you have to get home

and cook the food cos you've got work tomorrow morning.

Guys, what about some noodles? Can we get two for 40?

Yeah? Yeah?

One water melon.

So what's for dinner tonight? Remind me.

-Noodles, sweetcorn.

-Some watermelon.

-Jelly.

-Jelly.

Can you believe how difficult that was?

That's all the money you have to survive on from our wages.

And it's really tight.

I think our kids really struggled tonight.

You know, they've come here after a full day's work in the factory.

They were given 100 baht and set off on their ways.

They found very quickly they couldn't buy

lots of things that they perhaps wanted to.

They had to haggle. They were hot. They were tired.

You know, they've come away with something that

I don't think is going to feed five.

Over at the stall, the boys have been busy drumming up business.

HE CHANTS

HE CHANTS

No, it's not working at all.

But after the long day, there's about to be a split in the group.

Callum's still full of beans.

But the rest aren't.

They don't want to go back to the house and want a hotel room instead.

So Callum tries to talk them round.

Well, I know what I'm doing.

I'm definitely staying in the house.

What we got to try and remember is like you know Nimfon

and all these people that live in the village,

like we got to try and like appreciate

that they actually live here.

I'm so tired and it's such a hard day's work

and you have to get up and you can't even wash properly

and I'm not going to have a shower in that bucket.

There's bugs and lizards and cockroaches everywhere

and there's mosquitoes.

I will sleep in a hotel if another lad sleeps in the hotel.

I also want to stay in a hotel tonight

cos I am feeling sick, tired, drowsy.

I got a little tactic that we can do.

If we're staying in the house tonight,

just pretend that we're sleeping in a lovely bed at the hotel.

13 and from Wales,

this motormouth

loves being centre stage.

I went to see Mary Poppins when I was little and, to be honest,

ever since I went to see that, I absolutely adored musical theatre.

It's what I want to do when I'm older.

And mum Alison's clearly noticed his love of the limelight.

He just loves to perform.

That's his love. He just loves it.

He oozes with confidence. Callum is definitely a show-off.

And if he can't perform, there's always politics.

I would love to be prime minister

because they like to make good decisions for people.

I love to express an opinion and especially

when I think that it's a good decision and a good opinion.

I don't want to be a person who stands back

and just lets stuff happen.

True to his word,

back in Thailand, Callum's convinced Jade to sleep over.

I'm going to stay here tonight

because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

And I'm not going to go off.

I woke up last night in the middle of the night.

Yeah, I was uncomfortable but, to be honest, I-I-I, you know,

I do like... I'm not saying I dislike it.

I can't stay here tonight.

-Hello. All right?

-Hello.

Guys, talk me through what's going on tonight.

Well, Ellie, Mattie and Ewan are going to go to the hotel.

I'm just feeling so tired. And I'm missing home.

Ellie, tell me what your plan is.

-I'm not staying here tonight.

-No?

-No.

I'm just a bit confused cos everyone told me this morning

that last night wasn't that bad.

It's just working in the factory today, everyone was tired.

I think we were dreading coming back here to sleep another night.

This is truly how the Thai factory workers live.

You know, this is a genuine, real experience.

You know, this is the reality. And it's only two nights.

-Two nights out of your whole entire life.

-Exactly.

To see what it's really, really like.

I guess they've given their shack... Sorry, I mean their house for us,

so we could sleep in it and I think that's just very nice of them.

Might actually be a bit late

but could I actually stay here the night?

So, Matt, you going to get your bag? I'll take you to the hotel now.

-I'm staying here.

-You're staying here now?

-Mm-hm.

I'm really proud that you've said, you know what,

we don't really love it here and it's not very comfortable

and it's hot and it smells and there's mosquitoes.

But we're going to do it. We're going to experience it.

It's good. It's a really, really brilliant thing.

So, by bedtime, the group are together.

It's a triumph for Callum's powers of persuasion.

I'm just really pleased that they've all decided to stick it out

because, you know, the reality is,

this is what life is like for a Thai factory worker.

They came here wanting to understand what that meant.

And so they're only going to really truly experience it staying here.

Day two and, despite yesterday's grumblings, everyone's up...

Slept quite well actually.

..refreshed...

I can't believe I'm doing this.

..and ready for work.

Get up, chop some bamboo.

They've survived the hot, grubby house.

Yeah, I'm glad that everyone's together.

I'm really happy that I stayed.

Now, can they all beat the boredom of factory work?

Matt and Ellie have been promoted and are filling lipstick mouldings.

-This looks ace.

-Yeah.

They've been rewarded with a skilled, fun job.

Unlike the others, they're doing the easiest job there is -

putting on tiny stickers. Their target is 400 an hour.

If they manage this, they'll get promoted.

Have to really concentrate.

If we even get one wrong,

that's 399 not 400 and we wouldn't have achieved the target.

You need it bang in the centre.

Yeah, that's what they're looking for.

Got to try and impress Auntie with our speed and quality.

I'm on my third.

It seems two nights fending for themselves

and two days of tough work has made a big impression.

The kids now realise just how good they have it back at home.

Well, since like we started working in the factory,

I think it's sort of hit home to me

that my parents do so much for me and everything.

I just want 'em to know that I do care about what they do

and I do feel proud of them.

I think my family, they do so much work

and if they work every day just to try and pay for what we do every day

and what we need and pay for what we want

and I've never really appreciated it as much until now.

For Ellie in particular, the experience has had a major impact.

Seeing what they do here has given me some kind of motivation.

So it hasn't been as awful as we thought it might be

when you were told you might have to take your eyelashes off?

I still feel a little bit insecure

but it's like kind of really made me think about everything.

Wow!

I'm really pleased for Ellie. You know, there were a few tears.

She just couldn't understand why she had to take her make-up off.

She was not happy about it. Now, the make-up's off

and she's not even really thinking about the fact that

she hasn't got her mascara on.

She's more concentrated on

the fact that she's making make-up for others to wear.

So I think that's a really big thing for Ellie and she's done well.

It's been an amazing morning for the five.

This is definitely a hard day's graft.

They've reached their targets and beaten the boredom.

For the feel-good factor,

everyone here comes together once a day for a workout.

And it's not long before Callum takes centre stage.

Leading the exercise with his own special moves.

So after working up a sweat, Callum-style...

..Auntie decides they're all ready for one final showdown.

At stake...the factory wage.

So she's brought them to Packaging to stick labels onto bottles

of Africa's best-selling talcum powder.

The target is 125 pieces in half an hour.

It's got to be perfect, perfect, perfect.

This is the final task, guys. Go out with a bang.

Good bang.

It might look easy and that's because it is.

I just can't do it.

Put the labels on the right way up and they'll pass quality control.

HE GRUMBLES

I've done it again!

Unfortunately, despite coping with everything else so far,

it's this talc task that tips the kids over the edge.

It's all slipping and ripping and...

If they manage to do this, I'll eat my hat.

I'll eat my mask. I'll eat my gown.

This is so frustrating.

Until now, Mattie's given his all.

I'll do one more.

Right, I'm not doing one more.

But, in the last shift, he bottles it and quits.

Matt, you're the only one not working.

Can't be bothered for this job. It's stressful.

And I'm tired.

-So that's it, yeah?

-Yeah.

The rest fumble on through

until Auntie calls time.

-OK. Kids.

-All right, guys.

Auntie and her staff are going to count how many you've done,

see the quality and then she'll let you know in 10 minutes.

-In 10 minutes, OK.

-10 minutes, OK.

It's time to find out how they've done. Mattie gave up.

But have any of the other four come close enough to the target

to earn a wage from Auntie?

Matthew, what happened to you?

Oh, I'm just tired and when I'm tired I just don't want to do stuff.

We had a grumpy Mattie this afternoon.

Mm-hm. Business is business. Please understand.

You cannot select the job.

You cannot choose which one you to work

and which one you don't want to work, OK?

Shall I show you how you all did?

So, Auntie, talk us through who did well and who did not so well.

Last task ever in this factory. Who came fourth?

Me!

Ah, Callum, Callum came fourth.

I am quite chuffed with my overall total but I just wish that

I did a bit better but that's the best I could have done.

Right. And who's third? Ewan.

I am a bit gutted.

Ewan, you were struggling, you kept putting them on upside down.

-Yeah.

-But again, you persevered, you kept trying.

-Yeah.

Second, Auntie? It's Jade.

Happy with that, Jade?

Mm-hm. Did not expect that.

Second's good.

And first, someone who's done amazingly well in this factory.

And I'm really surprised by how awesome they've been, is Ellie.

And no mascara.

-Can you believe you're sat here with no face on?

-Nope!

So I think it's very clear from our board who you're most happy with

but just to confirm.

Who out of our five has done the best here in the cosmetics factory?

Dah-dah! Ellie, well done.

One person's getting wages today.

-Got loads here, Ellie.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-What do you think about that?

What are you going to spend it on? Mascara?

No, gosh no.

-Coming up, next time...

-Oh no!

..the kids come apart at the seams making jeans...

I feel like I'm wrecking someone's jeans.

..but a family reunion makes it all worthwhile.

Unbelievable that a family should be split up like that.

Probably one of the nicest things I've seen.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd