Blood Sweat and Luxuries

In Britain today, what were once luxuries are fast becoming every day items - from our electrical gadgets to our leather handbags and shoes.

As we consume more and more, these products become increasingly disposable. But would we care more if we knew the human cost of making our luxuries?

Over the next 5 weeks, 6 young consumers will swap their luxury lives for simple mud huts and shanty towns of Africa and Asia, to live and work alongside the people who mine, manufacture, process and recycle our luxury goods. First they will travel to Madagascar where they will learn where their gems and jewellery comes from. They will take on the 50 foot deep single shaft mines and join the human chains gangs in the open caste pits, digging up sapphires. They will then travel to Ethiopia to experience life in the abattoirs, tanneries and leather factories supplying shoes to Europe; before heading deep into the jungle to the coffee plantations that supply some of the biggest names on the high street. Next they travel to Ghana to dig for Gold, the relentless physical work and 40 degree heat proving almost too much for some. While in Ghana they will find out the shocking realities of the toxic dumpsite where much of our unwanted electrical goods end up being recycled. Finally they will join the hundreds of Philippines workers making components for MP3 and DVD players.

After some of the most challenging work and toughest conditions they have ever experienced.

Will anyone ever have the same love for their luxuries again?

TX1 - Tues 20th April
TX2 - Tues 27th April
TX3 - Tues 4th May
TX4 - Tues 11th May
TX5 - Tues 18th May