The Hoover factory in Cambuslang, Glasgow, makes the most famous vacuum cleaners in the world but is fighting for its future.
Cut-throat competition and tough economic conditions have taken their toll and jobs are being slashed.
To investigate how productivity might be improved, Mr Peter Murtagh, vice-president of Hoover Floorcare, agrees to spend a week on the factory floor. Back To The Floor - Hoover (Tuesday, 10 p.m., BBC2) follows Mr Murtagh as he struggles to keep up on the assembly line and master the art of forklift-truck driving.
Business Nightmares (Sunday, 9 p.m., BBC2) meets Englishwoman Rosemary Rudland, who fell in love with the Normandy village of Camembert while on holiday there in 1996. She spotted a plot of land for sale and decided it was the perfect spot for a shop cum cafΘ selling local produce and souvenirs.
However, she didn't realise the village tourist office offered a similar service, and was the pride and joy of Camembert's mayor.
Over the following years, Ms Rudland has faced opposition from the mayor at every stage. Four years and a handful of court cases later, she's wondering if it has all been worth it.
When Margaret Thatcher halted public housing construction and Prince Charles began to denigrate much of what late-20th century architecture had become, the demise of British modernist architecture seemed almost complete.
From Here To Modernity (Monday, 7.30 p.m., BBC2) examines the movement against a backdrop of riots, industrial unrest and recession.
Public pressure led to the demolition of some of the worst public housing schemes, and the heritage movement and post-modernism came to the fore.
Two undercover reporters move into a typical British estate to investigate the everyday scams that drive the black economy there.
Sleepers: Undercover in the Black Economy (Tuesday, 9 p.m., Channel 4) follows them as they immerse themselves into local life - one as a law-abiding resident, the other infiltrating the criminal underclass. They discover a community fuelled by cash-in-hand work and illegal activity.
sokelly@irish-times.ie
