Tuna 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-a-holic.

I cherish this with my heart.

I love shopping. It's amazing.

I'm Stacey Dooley and 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.

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.

Can they hack it?

The smell is unbearable.

Today, we've left Thailand for Indonesia and a tuna factory.

Will the kids have the guts to do the work?

Can they handle the grossest job yet?

How will they cope with the harsh realities of island life?

We look so...

-spoilt.

-Spoilt.

So far we've travelled across Malaysia and Thailand,

working in factories making trainers...

I am going to rock this.

..make-up...

It's definitely a hard day's graft.

..and jeans.

I'm going to be demoted.

But it's now time for the most extreme leg

of the group's Asian trip.

I've brought them to Bitung on the tropical island of Sulawesi.

Usually us tourists come here to have a go at diving,

to see the amazing sea life that the island has to offer.

There'll be absolutely none of that for our five

cos where we're going today

is a tuna factory.

Urgh!

I bet there'll be a lot of dead fish and guts here.

Gu-urgh! I hate fish, I really hate fish.

It's clear Ellie's not a fish fan.

I think I'm going to throw up.

Which is a shame,

because for the next two days the group will gutting,

skinning, boning and grinding fish

at the Delpi Tuna Factory.

Here they process up to 80 tons of tuna a day.

The best chunks go in a can,

and everything else is turned into pet food.

Us Brits eat 800 million cans of tuna a year,

with lots ending up in our lunchboxes and school dinners.

There's no doubt we love it.

But after two days here, will the kids still love it too?

First up, time to meet the big fish, Mr Bazmie.

OK, gang.

Welcome to the factory. You like to eat tuna?

-Yeah.

-That's good.

And I love the tuna sushi.

I like tuna and I like, you know,

like hot, um, jacket potatoes with a bit of mayo on top.

-Sweetcorn.

-Lush!

We've got four fish fans.

-So what about the other one?

-Ellie?

-You like it, tuna?

-No.

No! Why? You must try to eat tuna.

Maybe one day.

Ah, maybe one day. OK, we'll go there.

Every morning fresh fish arrives

and needs sorting into different sizes ready for baking.

Guys, he just said some of them are still alive.

What?!

To decide who's allowed inside his factory,

Mr Bazmie wants to see how the kids are working with the tuna.

Your job is you must be separate the size.

So they have to be separated into three groups?

-Right.

-The bigger the fish, the medium fish.

-Yes.

-And a small one?

-And they have to just do it by their eyes.

-Yes.

How long should this take our five?

OK, 10 to 15 minutes.

Wow! 10 to 15 minutes.

-Yes.

-For every ton of fish.

-More than one ton.

-OK.

So, you can starting to sorting now.

Ah, there's so much fish.

OK, yeah, that's good.

Eager to impress, everyone gets stuck in.

Everyone, that is, except Ellie!

I can't touch fish, I can't.

Can't touch it, you don't feel like you can try?

Well, it's horrible. It's just disgusting.

I'll do it with you, so you're not scared, OK?

So here we are.

ELLIE SCREAMS

No, you're all right, look.

We've got one, Ellie's got one.

Seriously gross, move.

-Medium.

-Medium.

Brilliant. There you go.

I can't believe I'm just touching fish. It's mental.

She's got quite involved, so perhaps we've cured a phobia here.

Ellie, Ellie, Ellie,

What? Don't do that.

I might have got Ellie working, but now the boys are playing around.

Hey, hey, how are you, boy?

Oh!

The fish is very, very expensive. Don't break the fish.

Sorry.

Mr Bazmie's not happy with how Ewan and Callum are handling the tuna.

OK, Callum, come here.

I not allowing you to break the fish,

the fish is very expensive, you know.

-Go!

-Sorry.

Ewan. Stay there. You are very slow, you know?

You are very slow. You must move fast, OK?

OK, go.

Ewan and Callum are a bit heavy handed with the fish,

they're being quite rough, which they've been told not to do.

It's crucial they're fast at this job.

OK guys, it's really important we're quick.

But Ewan and Callum's behaviour means the group

takes twice as long to sort the catch.

Come on! Come on! Come on. Fast, fast, move!

Will any of them be allowed to move on to the production line?

Finished, so Mr Bazmie,

who are you going to promote and who are you going to demote?

One.

Two.

Three.

Come up here. So these three are demoted or promoted?

Promoted.

Promoted! Well done.

A fish high five.

And Ewan and Callum, demoted?

Demoted.

Well, there's always the next task.

They must be more serious,

more hard work,

and follow the instructions.

I'm really, really gutted with the way I did and the way I acted,

I really shouldn't have like messed about cos it cost me loads.

I'm dreading, um, demotion.

And Ewan's right to fear demotion at this factory.

The smell is unbelievable.

Oh, it's really bad.

They've been given the yuckiest job there is.

It absolutely makes me want to hurl.

Collecting and taking away the stinking factory waste,

mashed up bones, brains and guts.

Fish bone. Perfect example of everything that comes out here.

Now pull the truck, go to the fish mill.

It's harder than it looks.

Go back, go back, go back, go back.

Push it back.

If you move too soon, you have an awful mess to clean up.

Loads of stuff was coming down, so now there's loads on the floor

and Ewan's shovelling it all up. Oh, this is really horrible.

It's hot, smelly work and Ewan's not impressed.

This is too unfair, why did we deserve this?

We didn't muck around that much, we just don't deserve this.

12-year-old Ewan from Leicester is like many of you out there.

I couldn't say I was spoilt,

but I know I'm sometimes a bit of a brat, but I spend a ton on clothes.

Ewan does enjoy spending money, a little bit too much.

Except this bedroom newshound loves keeping tabs on world affairs.

I read the newspapers,

I've got an app which tells me all the latest news.

My phone is a god to me.

The radar's permanently on.

I like to find out the truth.

I don't really stop until I've actually found it.

But mum, Asvina, wants him to get out there and see it for himself.

He has to go for it.

He has to really appreciate

the opportunities that he does have available to him.

Well, Asvina, just look where seizing opportunities got him,

knee deep in fish guts.

It must be so difficult for these people

cos they're having to clean all of that every day

and I couldn't imagine myself doing it.

Until they start to take the work seriously...

Die tuna! Die! Die!

..this is the only job Mr Bazmie will let them do.

Meanwhile, Ellie, Mattie and Jade have been promoted,

to one of the most important jobs in the factory.

There may be trouble ahead!

It's like a mass grave for fish.

In this room 150,000 fish are baked and skinned by hand every day.

The air tastes like rotten fish.

But the heat and smell proves too much for the girls.

Disgusting.

I'm literally on the verge of puking.

There's bones everywhere, and guts and blood and it stinks.

Breathe through your mouth.

I can't cos it tastes like puke.

Just do this.

SHE COUGHS

This afternoon Mr Bazmie wants them to practise skinning.

This involves removing the head and scraping off the scales.

Before and after. Do you understand, Mattie?

Do you know what you've got to do? Right, don't worry.

Despite everyone's best efforts, the girls are refusing to have a go.

Just close your eyes and take the head off.

Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!

But over with Ewan and Callum it's a different story,

they're trying their hardest to win over the bosses.

We're going to do this.

We're going to go back there

and this tractor will be in and out like crazy.

Don't worry, you'll see.

They're working hard and taking the job seriously.

I absolutely love tuna, especially after doing this.

It is now my favourite food.

Yes, especially all the guts and all the brains and the bones.

Come on and come on, yes, that's it. That's it, come on.

Finding it all right. It's quite fun.

Push! Push, push, push, push, push, push.

Even though the boys started badly, now they're turning it around.

This is the best part. Yes, yes, come on.

Yes! Push it!

And by the end of the day,

they've even won back the respect of other workers.

Yes! This is my gang, this is my troop.

This is about showing everyone to be honest, I think.

I think I should be the leader of the garbage of like tuna.

See you soon. Bye!

-Bye.

-Bye.

Back inside, Jade and Mattie are getting on with it.

OK.

I cannot believe I'm doing this.

I've actually got the shivers.

I've got goosebumps.

They're finally giving it a go,

which is more than can be said for Ellie.

No!

Don't worry.

No!

No! I can't do it. I can't do it.

I've always hated fish

and after this morning's test

I kind of gotten over it,

and I think kind of going straight into the skinning task,

with all that blood and guts and all the gory bits in it,

think it was just too much and I think it's just horrible.

Don't understand how people can work there.

It's the end of the shift, Ellie's still not skinned a single fish

and the bosses aren't happy with any of them.

None of them dealt with it very well.

You know, they really, really struggled.

The heat got to them, the smell, they said they felt sick.

You know, we're in a fish factory,

I'm certain every job must consist of

them having to handle the fish in one way or another,

so I'll be really interested to see what job they are given

if they can't get to grips with the instructions they're being told.

It's been a difficult day,

they've either messed about with the fish or refused to go near it.

But to the locals,

working with fish is a job for a wage like any other,

and a job they need.

So I'm taking the girls to visit the home of tuna factory worker,

Noriati.

Hello.

The girls are shown around by daughter Suzanne,

who also works in a tuna factory.

Cooking.

Ah, kitchen, and that's the cooker.

-And does your mum cook for all your family on that?

-Yes.

And that's their cupboard and about everything else.

They don't even have a fridge. Do they have a fridge?

They don't even have a proper roof.

Ah, is this a bedroom?

Is this your sister?

Sister.

-Sister, and then your brother sleeps there.

-Yes.

Their beds are mats and they're just laid out on the rock hard floor

and this bedroom's like size of a normal bathroom from where I'm from.

The most decoration they have is a Ferrari poster.

It gets you that this is it, this is it for them,

this is probably where they're going to live for the rest of their lives.

It just makes you feel really bad that you've got...

heaven, compared to this, at your home

and you don't even appreciate it.

We look so...

-spoilt.

-Spoilt.

Suzanne and Noriati earn £7 a day between them

and their wages feed their family of five.

How do you feel about the situation that you

and your family are in at the moment?

-TRANSLATION:

-I'm sad.

There's nothing I can do about us living in poverty,

but we'll keep trying

and hope that in the future things will get better for us.

Suzanne said they lived in poverty,

and when somebody can actually say that to your face, about themselves,

is really strong, it makes, it makes you really stop and think.

-TRANSLATION:

-I only care about my family.

The important thing is to see them happy.

Seeing you here has really helped me understand

how important my family are to me.

Thank you.

Really made me think, coming here, about my whole family.

Me and my mum, I think we have a kind of a tough sort of relationship,

we're always shouting and arguing and it really upsets me.

I can't wait to get home and just change absolutely everything.

Nice to meet you.

Suzanne's family just get by on their wages,

but many families can't.

So I've brought our boys to a children's home,

for kids whose parents can't afford to look after them.

Think the interesting thing about this place

is a lot of these kids were brought here by their parents.

They haven't lost their parents,

they just genuinely believe that the kids are better off here,

and it might be that the parents have got work,

but they're just not able to feed their kids,

that's the harsh reality.

What's your name?

Ewan. What's your name?

We've meeting Wahoody and brothers Ishmael and Izal.

Their parents left them here more than a year ago

and they now call this place home.

In here you keep all your personal stuff

and is this like sort of your secret box?

-TRANSLATION:

-Not all of the stuff in here is mine.

Some of it is my friend's.

Do you mind if you show us some of your favourite things?

-TRANSLATION:

-My mother gave me these biscuits as a reward

because I managed to fast for Ramadan.

So is this all yours or do you have to share a locker with somebody?

-TRANSLATION:

-Yeah. Yes, this is all my stuff.

Is anything in the cupboard from your parents?

No.

Every single thing that they own, their worldly possessions,

are in this little trunk.

That would only fit about, not even a quarter of stuff that I own.

It's just ridiculous how much I've got and these guys have nothing.

I mean, you've got more stuff in the case

that you've brought for a couple of weeks

than they have in their entire bedroom.

Yeah, I feel like sometimes I have too much

and I feel like I'm sort of spoilt sometimes

and always want the newest thing

and I should just be happy with what I've got.

I'm really pleased that our three came tonight,

I think it's been really good for them.

Ewan made a really, really good point,

he said it's like a constant competition at home,

it's like this race,

that you just have to keep buying all this stuff all of the time,

and I think it's definitely, definitely hit home

how lucky they are

and how much stuff they've got, that they've said now themselves,

that they don't necessarily need.

Day two, and the start

of a long factory shift,

but it's what we saw last night that's got everyone talking.

And so obviously you guys have heard how incredibly tough

it can be here if you live here.

One of the very, very few jobs that's available is this,

is working in a tuna factory.

This is as good as it gets for some people,

and even then, they still struggle to feed their kids.

Once you actually see this out here,

it's a massive, massive realisation.

They easily could have been us and we easily could have been them

and I think that's what we've got to appreciate.

Think a lot of you have said I could never do this job,

I wouldn't last five minutes.

Do you feel differently about the job?

Oh, I do, I feel differently about the job

because I realise how hard people work

just to provide for their family.

I'd hate to live that life.

And I guess I kind of appreciate it a bit more

and I'm going to try my best today.

Now they know why locals

are just glad they've got a job here at all,

I'm hoping our five will show more respect for the work.

OK, well shall we get a move on?

Go and see Mr Bazmie and see what he wants us to do?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Let's do this thing.

Because they did well yesterday, Mr Bazmie's promoted Ewan and Callum.

They'll be joining Mattie and Jade inside the factory,

back in skinning.

But Ellie's been demoted.

Now you have a new job, OK?

Great.

You're going to the washing area.

I hate washing up!

-That's easy.

-I hate it.

Why don't you get a dishwasher?

I show you, I can show you.

As she won't touch the cooked fish,

she's been given a somewhat easier job.

You wash the tray properly, OK?

Last time I washed up I flooded the bathroom.

As for the others, Mr Bazmie's decided to risk putting them

on to a real skinning production line.

Uh-oh.

Can they finally prove they have what it takes

to work in this factory?

OK, you take off the head, like this.

Right? And then remove the skin, like that. All right?

OK, team, so you know what you have to do.

You're only removing the skin, none of the flesh.

OK, start.

Ooh.

Wow!

Their task is to skin 100 fish in an hour,

the same as Indonesian workers.

But it's not just about working quickly,

it's about doing it with skill too.

No.

No, that's not the way you have to, lost a lot of meat.

Sorry.

They must take all the skin off,

but leave all the valuable flesh in place.

That's supposed to be the standard.

Yeah, so I can't take as much meat off as what I'm doing, yeah.

-OK. You do.

-Yeah.

For the first time at this factory, everyone's working hard,

especially Ewan and Callum.

Since their demotion they've really turned things around.

It's quite fun. Might sound a bit weird, but I'm really enjoying it.

The joking's now out and the hard work is in.

I really want to prove myself today to you and Mr Bazmie

and all the rest of the bosses.

As for Jade, can she overcome the yuck factor and get stuck in?

I think I'm doing OK, but I don't like this.

It's gross.

There's brains and guts and goo and blood and poo

and I'm not a poo, guts, blood and brains girl.

She's learnt it's a smelly job, but someone's got to do it.

Agh!

Just as someone's got to do this.

This is so fun.

Mr Bazmie's got Ellie scrubbing trays.

Oh!

Oh!

I'm soaking!

Feel like I've just wet myself.

Oh, there's like fish water running down my trousers.

It's not funny. I don't get it.

It's not a great start, so it's crucial she picks up the pace.

Ellie, Ellie, come on.

I can't go any faster.

The production line's relying on her

to keep up the supply of fresh, clean trays.

Not clean.

Oh, no.

The factory's working full tilt

and for both groups

the trays just keep on coming and coming and coming.

-Ellie!

-What's up?

That is disgusting. I've been washing up.

Jade, Jade!

I'll see you guys lates, have fun.

The group are powering through the tuna.

And the bosses are impressed by their skinning technique.

Yeah, good.

-You do it easy?

-Yeah.

-Very good.

-Thank you.

You do the very best work.

Thank you.

Can't help but think the time they've spent with

the people over the last few days

has made them realise how important this job is for many people,

and they've tried to give it everything they've got.

Back with the scrubbing and Ellie's turned over a new leaf.

I don't like it, but I'm doing it.

It seems a spot of washing up has got her thinking.

After seeing Suzanne and her family situation,

like my family situation is nothing to hers,

like completely different...

and I have such a great life

and I just think that I should make the most of the family that I have.

So I've just kind of realised now that life's not about

going to town and being with my friends

and I just see now how ridiculous it is

and I can't wait to just change it all and just be with my family more.

In the last leg of their task, all four give one final push.

I will never look at a tuna sandwich in the same way again.

Ever.

They're focussed, skinning perfectly,

and on course to hit their target.

The effort that they have displayed has really blown me away.

I've never seen them this dedicated for this long.

-You look really happy.

-Yeah!

We've got a happy boss in the fish house.

Finally. Woo!

With their working day complete...

OK, finish.

..the group have knuckled down and reached their goal.

But will it be enough to earn a wage after yesterday's antics?

So Mr Bazmie...

-Yes.

-..yesterday, when you first met us,

you didn't think they had a particularly great attitude...

-Yeah.

-..a good work ethic.

-Yeah.

-But today you have seen an improvement.

-Yeah.

In the two days you changed your attitude really.

Callum and Ewan, yesterday you are demoted, yeah?

So today you change your attitude. I like that.

Thank you.

Mattie, yesterday you are good. Today you are good.

He is consistent in the work.

And that's a first for Mattie.

Jade, today she was a hard working and she followed the instruction

and if she is an Indonesian people

I would hire first.

Jade, if you lived here,

Mr Bazmie and his colleagues would give you a job.

Are you up for that?

We can move you out here and you can get a job here.

-No?

-No.

But Ellie,

I'm sorry,

I don't know why today bad attitude.

I didn't mess around. I did the washing up.

It's not that Ellie didn't do the work today,

it was her attitude towards the work, is that correct?

Yeah.

So it's verdict time, taking everything into consideration,

everything they've had to do.

How many of them are you going to pay?

Four people. We will pay Callum, Ewan, Jade and Mattie.

OK. Jade, Callum, Ewan.

Very, very well done.

What you going to do with your money?

We don't even need this cos we don't have to provide for our families,

but people like Noriati and Suzanne are.

These people, they're worrying about money constantly.

We don't really mind about the money,

but if we were in the situation

where if you didn't work the hardest you could possibly do,

you wouldn't be able to feed your kids,

then you'd definitely try your hardest.

-Brilliant. Thank you, Mr Bazmie.

-Yeah, thank you very much.

-Thank you so much. Thank you.

-OK, thank you.

Coming up next, the group's trip ends with a chocolate factory.

So this is chocolate.

Can they follow one simple rule?

You're not allowed to lick your fingers.

Don't eat the product!

Lovely!