How It's Made

This programme examines how the manufacturing processes for car tyres, silk, art conservation and scuba tanks have developed over time. It traces the technological and methodological changes that have shaped each industry, highlighting innovations that have improved performance, durability and preservation across these diverse fields.

The programme is an episode that looks at the making of car tyres, silk, the work of art conservation and scuba‑tank production, and it tracks how each of these processes has changed over time. It presents these four seemingly unrelated crafts side by side, giving viewers a sense of the breadth of modern manufacturing and preservation. In the core of the episode, the audience is taken through the steps involved in each field, with particular attention paid to the ways techniques have been refined and modernised. By comparing past and present methods, the show highlights the incremental improvements that have shaped each industry, showing how new materials, tools and knowledge have altered the way products are created and maintained. The segment on car tyres and silk follows a similar pattern, outlining the basic stages of production and then pointing out the shifts that have occurred as technology has progressed. Viewers see how traditional practices have given way to more efficient, often more sustainable approaches, without delving into technical minutiae. The final part turns to art conservation and scuba‑tank fabrication, again tracing the evolution of their respective processes. It demonstrates how advances in science and engineering have informed contemporary practices, underscoring the continual drive for better performance and preservation across these diverse domains.