The Masterchef man is a self-confessed cornflake nerd, making this documentary a strangely gripping cereal thriller
Inside the Factory, BBC2 , 8pm
We chomp our way through 1.5million bowls of cornflakes every morning. ForKellogg’s, this means a whopping production line that begins with kernels of corn from Argentina.
It’s statistics like this that are sprinkled all the way through this strangely gripping documentary, which you’ll find tricky to switch off.
In theory, Gregg Wallace in a hair net and safety goggles chatting to a load of blokes in a factory shouldn’t be that entertaining.
But Gregg is genuinely thrilled by what he’s learning and manages to make his visit (to Kellogg’s biggest factory in Manchester) sound as exciting as a trip to see Willy Wonka at work.
“This place gets madder by the minute,” he grins, as he learns that corn is blown across a bridge into the plant. He then gives a slightly surprised worker a hug for being a self-confessed cornflake nerd.
Gregg also visits Argentina to receive corn fresh off the boat, before following it to its new improved life as a bowl of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.
You probably didn’t think you cared how your cereal got to your breakfast table, but you’ll be glad you found out all the same.
Breaking up the cornflake trail, however, is Cherry Healey on a mission to find out why breakfast is the most important meal of the day and why so many vitamins are added to cereal.
Cherry also follows the production of the nation’s bestselling cereal – Weetabix.
Historian Ruth Goodman is also on hand to revolt us with tales of what the Victorians ate for brekkie. Pig’s head or faggots, anyone?
