Four craftspeople try their hands at old-school manufacturing in Made in Great Britain

Viewing guide, by James Jackson

Made in Great Britain
BBC Two, 9pm
Heritage crafts are on the decline in this country, but the traditions of Britain’s towns and cities — from the forges of Sheffield to the potteries of Stoke and the kitchens of York — endure and serve as reminders of “what made us great”. Those are the words of Steph McGovern, presenter and former engineer, whose proud northern tones grace a six-part series in which four craftspeople try their hands at old-school manufacturing. So these time-travelling have-a-go-Joes find themselves in an old forge on the river Sheaf outside Sheffield trying to make crucible steel (at temperatures of 1,500C — hotter than lava) and fashioning scythes. The latter requires a degree of muscle to say the least…