Marble Run Den The Dengineers

-I'm Lauren.

-And I'm Joe.

-And this is the Dengineers.

The show that puts you in charge of building your very own dream den.

-Dens for adventure...

-It's a secret door!

-Hanging out with your friends and family...

-Crazy!

-Yeah!

-And dens built to fulfil your dreams.

Amazing. Thank you so much.

Whatever your idea, the Dengineers team are here to transform your

inspiration into amazing spaces.

-Wow!

-Built especially for you.

-ALL:

-This den is done!

CHEERING

Merry Christmas!

Whoa!

Today, we're going to surprise one lucky boy here in Essex and help him

build his dream den.

We're doing the surprise right here at his house.

He's on his way home, so we need to get things set up.

It's going to be...

-Marble-lous.

-A-balling.

-Oh, that's good.

-You like that?

-Yeah, yeah.

Today's Dengineer is nine-year-old Ocean from Essex.

I need help from the Dengineers because I love to design and make

marble runs and roller-coasters, but I don't have the space to do it.

Ocean is a budding roller-coaster designer

and constructing marble runs

is the closest way he can work towards his dream.

Ocean's always loved roller-coasters,

ever since he was really little.

There was a small theme park near us and he went on a tiny little

apple roller-coaster and absolutely loved it

and wanted to go again and again.

Life has been full of ups and downs for Ocean.

A couple of years ago, his younger brother, Sky, passed away.

It was obviously a tough time for the family.

Sky was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 13 months.

They were so close, you know, almost inseparable.

They did everything together and, all through his illness,

Ocean just looked after him whenever he could.

He was just always there for him.

We've got such great memories of them having just fun

together as brothers.

The biggest thing I miss about my brother is how he was very

enthusiastic and very funny,

and you would never know what he was going to do next.

Thankfully, the house got a little louder recently when the newest

addition to the family came along.

This is baby Coral Sky.

And she's joined us a few months ago.

Ocean absolutely adores her.

Yeah, we feel she was sent from Sky, don't we...

-Yeah, definitely.

-..to get us up in the morning.

I think Ocean deserves this den because of the way

he's been so brave.

He's never put himself first, he's always thought about everybody else,

and this is just a treat for him.

Please, Dengineers, I need your help.

Don't you worry, Ocean. Our help is exactly what you're going to get.

You just don't know it yet.

Ocean has been at a sleepover and is due home any minute,

which means we've only got a short amount of time to get everything

ready in the house for the big surprise.

-Let's get in there.

-Come on.

We need to get a move on, rigging the house with our secret cameras,

but that's not all we have to set up.

We're building our very own Dengineers marble run

that's going to lead Ocean right into his surprise.

Time for a test run.

-Here we go.

-Yes, yes.

-Come on!

-Yes!

Works like a dream, my friend.

-High five.

-Sorted.

Ocean's minutes away, so we need to get everybody into position.

Are you guys ready? Are you guys excited?

-Yes.

-They've arrived home, so it's time to get this ball rolling.

Right, OK.

What's that?

Oh, look.

Where's it going? Follow it down.

Where's it going?

-Hi! Hello.

-Hello, Ocean.

-How are you doing?

-Good.

My name is Lauren and this is Joe,

and we are from CBBC's The Dengineers.

And, mate, we're going to build you your very own marble run den.

-Are you excited?

-Yeah.

How do you feel?

First of all, I saw the marble run and I was like,

"What on earth could this be?"

But then when I came round the corner seeing all the cameras,

I was like, "Oh, my gosh, can it actually be the Dengineers?"

So I was really, really shocked and happy.

He is really, really excited.

He's got some great ideas that he wants to build,

and he can't wait to get started.

Well, we can't stand here talking about it all day,

so shall we get this show on the road?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

-Let's do it, guys.

Give him a massive round of applause. Yeah!

Our first port of call is the Dengineers mobile HQ,

which has some mega cool technology to get Ocean's den rolling.

Welcome to the Dengineers mobile HQ, Ocean.

So, in here, Ocean, is where we're going to take all of the ideas that

you've got fizzing around in your mind, get them onto this big screen

and come up with the design for your den.

So, if you see anything you like, just grab it and slide it up, OK?

-OK.

-Awesome. Let's get stuck in, shall we?

Right, now, before we start, who's in this picture, here?

Here's my dad.

-Yeah.

-That's me and my mum there, and that's my brother, Sky, there.

There you go, there's you and your brother, Sky.

Oh, you guys look so cute.

We're going to get a den that he's going to be proud of, all right?

-Yeah.

-What sort of shape would you actually like the den to be?

Like, a marble shape, one like this.

And that's for the outside, so like a giant circle?

-Yeah.

-What do you want to do inside?

Well, I'm going to have a sketch room so I can plan out

my designs for my future roller-coasters.

Anything else inside that you want maybe to play with?

Well, some marble runs, they have like a little maze section,

where there is a whole big maze in the walls and marbles go down it.

-That's a good idea. I like that.

-Something a bit like that.

I see what you mean.

If you could have one thing to make it really special,

what do you think you'd have?

I'd really like just a room with me and Sky in it,

with like a nice beanbag in there

and pictures around with Sky in it.

That would be amazing,

because then that means that you can always think about all the fun times

you had together.

Well, I must say, Ocean, this looks absolutely amazing.

-Are you happy?

-Yes.

-Excellent stuff. One last question, though.

-Where's it going to go?

-Well, I've got a bit in the back of the garden

but there's a few weeds there.

-I'm sure you could just chuck them out.

-We can chuck them out.

-Do a bit of weeding.

-Do a bit of raking.

Come on, let's go and have a look at it.

Ocean has chosen the shape of a marble for his den,

a maze-inspired wall, a work station where he can draw his designs,

and a space to relax and remember his brother, Sky.

So, this is the spot where the den is going to go, is that right?

-Yeah.

-Awesome.

-A few weeds, you said.

There's quite a few weeds here to clear, but I reckon we can crack

-on with it, can't we?

-Yeah.

-Right, come on, get cracking, shall we?

So many weeds here.

It's proving to be a pretty big job, so dad helps out, too.

How does it get everywhere?

I'm starting to get just a little bit nervous with Ocean

having all the control over the garden now.

I might have bitten off more than I can chew here, everybody.

-That's where the spider is, Joe!

-Argh!

The biggest fear is that he'll build something that is just too big for

the garden, and take over.

You know what? I think we're doing all right here, guys.

-It's coming along now, isn't it?

-Yeah.

A little bit more and we'll be there.

And in no time at all, the space is cleared.

Well done, everybody. Thank you, Dad, that was brilliant.

-No problem.

-Thank you.

-From here on in though, Dad,

I'm afraid to say it is Dengineers only.

Which means you have to get out of here.

-Sorry.

-See you later.

-Toodle-oo.

-Bye.

With the corner of the garden ready,

the Dengineers team can get cracking with the den.

And we've got the perfect designers to make Ocean's dreams a reality.

Meet Tony and Satwinder.

They're both awesome architects and lecturers who between them have

40 years' experience designing sensational structures.

They're the dream duo for this den.

So thank you for clearing out the space.

It looks great, so we were having a think about the den and the shape

that it would take, and if you think about a marble shape, it's round.

It might be a bit tight for space,

so we've had some other ideas that might even be even more spectacular.

-Yeah.

-And so inside, you needed a place to design,

because you're a budding roller-coaster designer,

so you want to be able to test out ideas and sketch things.

So another idea that we've had is the fact that you could have a huge

marble run, like an entire wall of your den could be a marble run.

-How does that sound?

-Really amazing.

-Oh, wow!

-And then the other thing we thought,

you'd want somewhere that's kind of quiet and chilled out,

you can kind of look out into the sky and think about your brother.

We thought that would be a nice kind of calm, relaxing space.

-How about that?

-Good.

-Awesome.

Tony and Satwinder have designed a den that will capture the feeling of

a marble on the move.

Inside the den there'll be a desk,

where Ocean can let his imagination run wild,

and a giant magnetic marble run wall,

where he can bring his ideas to life.

The feature window is shaped like a marble and also doubles up

as a seat where Ocean can relax.

What do you think about all of our ideas?

They're all fantastic. I love the big marble run idea.

Brilliant, that's great.

Excellent, let's get on with it.

With Tony and Satwinder's ideas signed off,

the ground works can begin.

It's going to be a really big job.

The shape of it is not the most straightforward.

Yeah. We're trying some new things and I think we can do it,

it'll be great.

Yeah, I think it'll be awesome.

And Tony and Satwinder are making sure there's no room for error.

I really liked Tony and Satwinder's ideas.

I think they're the right people for the job,

because they've got that enthusiasm and that spirit.

Ocean gets stuck in, too.

And what's the best part of the ground works?

Having a go on the whacker, of course...

..which will prep the base for the solid slabs to be laid.

And with the last few slabs laid, the ground works are complete.

MUSIC PLAYS

It's day one of the build and the Dengineers have definitely arrived.

First things first, we need to set up our mountain of kit.

And we're off. The base is laid and the walls are put up.

The team are making really good progress.

That needs to come that way a little bit.

-Wow!

-And we're not even halfway through the first day of the build.

With the Dengineers working hard, I get painting with Ocean.

I really love painting.

Can you actually believe that your den is going up as we speak?

-No.

-So cool.

One question I've got, have you got any idea what these are for?

No.

The main structure of the den is up, so it's time for Ocean to have his

-first look.

-Oh, hello.

-Hello.

-How are you?

-Good.

-What do you think so far?

-It looks really good.

-Excellent.

Do you like the big round window we've put at the front?

-Yeah.

-When you're inside, you're going to have a special seat

-in the window.

-Yeah.

-You'll be able to lie there, chill out in the den,

but also look back to the house as well.

-Yeah.

-You happy so far?

-Definitely.

-All right, good stuff.

The next big job of the day is getting the roof on.

There you go.

But there's a problem.

Don't do anything. It's twisted somewhere, isn't it?

Push it all towards you a bit, David, if you can.

So what is happening now is the walls are in and we're trying to get

the roof portion to fit in.

If these walls are just slightly not square, it will mean this won't fit,

so what they're doing now is just altering this a little bit

and with a little bit of patience and a bit of time,

it will just pop in. And that's a natural thing that happens when

you're putting different pieces of materials together.

-Watch those fingers.

-Yeah.

-There we go.

-There you go.

What's happened now is the roof has just nicely slotted into the top,

so it's worked really well.

And with the roof slotted into place, it's time to tackle the

upcycle and Tony has an amazing idea, using this table.

Right, Ocean, so you said you wanted a marble maze, so we thought we

could make one out of an ordinary table and we've already

marked out where the maze might go, and then using these bricks...

-Yeah.

-..we'll glue them on to form the maze and then

we'll put a top on it.

The first thing they need to do is drill a hole in the middle,

so when the marble gets to the end of the maze it can drop through.

Precision stuff.

The next stage is for Tony and Ocean to make the maze

with building blocks.

And in no time at all, the maze takes shape.

With the maze complete, it's time to test it out.

Round the outside.

Hey, perfect.

So the next time you see this, it'll be all finished,

in your finished den.

Yes. That's so satisfying.

The build today is coming along really well.

All the structure is up.

It was a bit tricky getting the roof on.

Yeah, that was tough. The form looks fantastic, especially against the

tree, which is brilliant, so that's what we wanted.

Yeah, and the view that you'll get from the house and the view back,

-I think will be the icing on the cake.

-Yeah.

I was really amazed how Satwinder and Tony had produced my den.

It's looking very good and I really like the size of it.

So all in all, it's been a pretty good day for the Dengineers.

Let's hope that day two is just as productive.

With an early start, the team are quick off the mark once again.

-Hi, Tony.

-Hi, Ocean, how are you doing?

-Good.

-Good. Can you give us a hand with this?

Yeah. So what are we doing, here?

Well, this is going to be a steel wall for the back of your den,

so it'll be magnetic, but it's a bit dirty and we need to clean it.

-OK.

-So you need to put on a mask and the gloves

-and then you can give me a hand polishing it.

-Yeah.

Tony and Ocean are using white spirit to clean the metal,

so they have to make sure they're wearing the right safety gear.

And with Ocean hard at work, I want to find out from Mum and Dad why

this den will mean the world to him.

I just wanted to ask you about Ocean, really,

and what sort of boy is he?

Amazing. He's been through so much and yet all the time

he's got a smile on his face. He'd give absolutely anything a go.

Just everything about him makes us so proud.

He's a very determined little boy, so when he puts his mind to

something, he will get there and he will do it.

Oh, yeah, it will be done.

I know you've been through a lot. Will you tell me about Sky?

Sky was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was just 13 months,

and he then went through three years of treatment for that,

and that was really hard.

We spent a lot of time in and out of hospital.

He had chemo every two weeks.

Ocean spent a lot of time as well in and out of hospitals.

He was by your side through all of it.

-Yeah.

-By our side, holding his hand, yeah. Absolutely.

Why does Ocean deserve the den?

Everything he's been through the last few years with his brother,

Sky, it's not held him back in any way.

He's always been determined to keep pushing through and he's been

-smashing, hasn't he?

-Oh, yeah.

He helps us to get through every day.

And he's never wanted anything for himself,

he does loads for other people, so this will be awesome for him.

-Yeah.

-It will be absolutely fantastic.

Just his little space on his own.

Back at the build, the den is really taking shape

and everyone is getting stuck in.

But before any more decorating takes place,

Tony just wants to make sure that the roof is doing its job.

-Fingers crossed.

-Fingers crossed.

-How is it looking, David?

-It looks really good.

And with that good news, it's time to put in one of the biggest

features of this den.

Tony and Satwinder are making a huge marble run out of steel

that Ocean can adjust and play with,

so I'm going to find out how it works.

What's beautiful about this steel is it's magnetic.

It's got north property,

so what that means is this is south property and...

North attracts south.

-Exactly.

-Magnets.

So they come together and they connect,

so it's kind of like invisible glue, which is how a magnet works.

The two ends of a magnet are called poles, north pole and south pole.

Both of them have a magnetic charge.

Magnets are attracted to the opposite pole,

so north attracts south and the same poles repel each other.

They push each other away.

So what we've done is we've taken the magnets and we've fitted them to

these pieces of timber, OK?

So there are the magnets, there and there.

So that goes on there, like that.

Then we've got a longer piece here, which has got three magnets on it,

and we put that on there like that.

-Have you got a marble?

-Yes, I have, I'm so glad you asked that.

Well, why don't you give it a roll and see what happens.

-Yeah!

-Wahey! It works.

Yesterday was all about the structure,

but we needed to get inside today.

There's still a load to do tomorrow.

It's all about the trims and finishing.

I think we're on schedule,

but we need to keep at it to make sure we get finished on time.

I really like the disc and the massive round window,

because I can see where my mum and dad are coming out, so I can hide.

I definitely think this den is going to be done in time.

I think the Dengineers can definitely build my dream den.

Morning.

It's day three and time for the Dengineers to get back to business.

Tony and Satwinder want to create the illusion of a marble rolling,

so the first tricky job for the team is to attach red beams,

one at a time.

We've got this plastic surface and we're putting loads of

holes in it, and it could crack, so we've got to be really careful.

We've only got one shot at this.

We can't get it wrong, so there's no chance to replace anything.

Leaving the rest of the team with that delicate job,

it's time for Ocean to take a back-seat.

This is the last time he'll see his den before the big reveal.

We've got some big surprises coming in now,

so we're going to have to say goodbye.

You've been an amazing help, but it's time to go now.

-Cheers.

-See you later.

-Thanks.

The past three days have been really good.

Everybody is getting stuck in and I'm getting really excited to see

the den tomorrow.

While the rest of the team work on the finer details,

I've got a great treat for Ocean.

I've brought him to one of Britain's busiest theme parks, to get some

inspiration for his future career as a roller-coaster designer.

-Have you been on that one?

-No.

-Have you not?

-We could do that.

-Yeah.

First stop, we meet Dominic,

who's worked in theme parks all over the world.

If anyone knows what makes a good roller-coaster, it's this guy.

Dominic has very kindly come over to show us round today.

So why do you want to be a roller-coaster designer, Ocean?

Well, I've always liked the thrill of roller-coasters and I've always

wanted to entertain people.

-Brilliant.

-And is it designing it from a creative point of view,

or designing it from a technical point of view?

-Which one are you interested in?

-Creative.

-Creative. Oh, fantastic.

Dom gives us a behind-the-scenes exclusive and takes us

into the Swarm workshop.

This roller-coaster reaches a maximum speed of nearly 60mph

with nothing above or below you.

How abouts did you come up with the idea of this design?

Something like this takes about three to four years in the making.

So we get our creative people and they think, right,

well, what can we do?

This was like an alien beast kind of explosion.

Then we go and start creating it.

What qualities do you look for in a designer?

So for a technical designer, it's engineering, maths and science.

You need to do well at school in them, and then for a creative

designer, it's coming up with imaginative ideas, so the Swarm,

coming up with the theme of an alien and then telling that story.

-Yeah.

-Right, I want to see what you guys are like

-at roller-coaster designing.

-OK, great.

Dom's challenge for us is to design our very own roller-coasters.

-Have you named yours?

-Yeah.

Fury Flame, that's a really good name.

And we can probably guess who's going to win this one.

OK, my ride is called Malcolm's Fury Omelette.

-What do you reckon?

-I think my money is on Ocean.

-Right, Ocean, what have you got?

-My ride is called Fury Flame.

-Wow.

-You do a loop the loop and you have a double spiral

and you have a 70mph bit.

Love it. You guys have done really well today.

I've got a treat. Come on, follow me.

And what a treat it is.

OK, so in order to be a good ride designer,

you've got to experience all the different forces,

so we're going to go on the UK's first wind coaster.

-Ready to go?

-Yes.

-Let's do this.

Looks like Ocean is well up for this.

I, on the other hand, am a little bit nervous.

It's going to be brilliant. You ready to spin?

-Yeah.

-Here we go.

So what's great about this ride is it spins you 180 degrees before

plummeting down a 127 foot drop.

Argh!

And the track is as long as two Olympic sized running tracks,

or 127 great white sharks.

Whoa!

Woo! Did you like that?

-Yeah.

-Brilliant.

It's been an amazing day today just getting to see behind-the-scenes.

I definitely enjoyed the ride,

because of the force pushing you back.

-In the end, it's just an amazing experience.

-Whoa!

What an incredible day out for Ocean.

I'm not sure Joe enjoyed it as much though.

Oh, oh!

Back at the build, the team are working flat out to get the den

finished in time for the big reveal tomorrow.

And the last piece of the jigsaw is about to go in.

The window is kind of the centrepiece of the design, really.

It's representative of a marble.

Down, down. Right, you're on.

It is a bit nerve-racking, because it's a big sheet,

it could crack, and it's plastic again,

so it's the same problems we had with the batons.

Once it's securely fixed in, all that's left is to unveil the window.

MUSIC PLAYS

-Go on. It looks really good.

-Wicked.

Really nerve-racking getting the window on,

but it went on beautifully.

They've done a great job and no cracking,

and we've got the batons on and no cracking, so we're really happy.

Day three has been a really big day.

It's looking amazing.

We just need to make sure it's looking its absolute best tomorrow,

and we hope that Ocean and his family love it.

With the big reveal looming in just a few hours' time,

the Dengineers have to get this den looking as good on the inside as it

-does on the outside.

-Wrong way.

-Oh, wrong way.

-That way.

And Tony and Satwinder are smashing the clean-up operation.

But there's no time for sitting around.

Ocean's family and friends have arrived.

I'm really excited to see the den.

When I last saw it, it looked really amazing.

Tony and Satwinder have definitely put in all their ideas.

It's been very tempting to have a quick peek, but we haven't.

We've been very good. I'm not sure if we're worried about it or not.

-Slightly nervous.

-Don't worry, Mum and Dad,

it's time to get this ball rolling.

This part of the garden was unused and neglected.

But Tony and Satwinder have pulled it out of the bag once more.

The den is a marble-lous masterpiece.

-Guys, are you ready to see the den? ALL:

-Yes!

Three, two, one.

Oh!

A stunned silence there. What do you think, Ocean?

I think it's really amazing.

Mum and Dad, what do you think?

-It's absolutely amazing.

-Yeah, no, that's incredible.

I could never have imagined it looking like this.

Absolutely fantastic.

Using racing red stripes,

Tony and Satwinder have really given this den a sense of movement and the

marbles in the window are a touch of brilliance.

There is some pretty special stuff that we've got in there.

-Shall we go in?

-Yeah.

-Come on, mate.

-What do you think of this?

-It looks amazing.

Good, isn't it? Now, you asked for a design station where you can start

getting your roller-coaster designs together,

so that's what we've got you here.

As well as the fully equipped desk,

there's the upcycled maze table and a place for Ocean to relax in.

So one of the things you wanted, Ocean, for your den,

was a place where you could come and sit and remember Sky,

so we've created this awesome area.

-What do you think?

-I think it's really clever.

He would love this place.

Oh, I'm so, so glad.

And I must say, I think my favourite bit in this whole den

is the magnetic wall, so on this we can now build endless marble runs.

Literally the best wall I've ever seen.

I think my den is absolutely amazing.

It's probably the best thing ever.

I would give up all my birthday presents just for this den.

-Shall we get Mum and Dad in?

-Yeah.

-Mum and Dad?

-Come in.

-Come and have a look.

-Come and have a look.

Oh, wow.

-This is incredible, isn't it?

-It's amazing.

What a great view, you can watch everything out of the window.

The den is amazing. It's more than I ever thought it would be

-and just the little touches.

-It's just brilliant.

Do you think Tony and Satwinder have done a good job?

-Definitely.

-Do you like it?

-It's amazing. Thank you so much.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Yeah, we're really pleased that you like it.

It's been great to work with you.

So, Ocean, are you happy with your marble run den?

I'm speechless. I can't...

This is the most amazing thing ever.

-Oh.

-You deserve it, mate.

Thank you so much.

Looks like the marble run den has rolled down a treat.

So there's just one thing left to do.

-ALL:

-This den is done!

CHEERING