Entrepreneur and presenter, Sara Davies, and her crack team of highly-skilled experts are on hand to see if they can make the dreams of everyday aspiring inventors come true by bringing their brilliant, and sometimes bonkers, ideas to life.
BBC One series, The Big Idea Works, features everyday people who have come up with a clever idea for a new product, but don’t know where to start in getting it made
Step in Sara, with her eye for innovation and amazing concepts, who has assembled a team of the country’s most brilliant engineers and fabricators in a specialist workshop, to help develop their initial ideas into fully-functioning and, for some, potentially even money-making prototypes.
Across the series, these creative ideas range from a mess-free birdfeeder and a machine that chills your drinks in seconds, to a sugar-detecting pen for diabetics and a ball that creates bubbles and keeps your bath warm.
Sara said: “I have absolutely loved every part of helping make The Big Idea Works and it means so much to me on a personal level. This series goes to show how much innovation there is amongst us every day people.
“Everyone has a brilliant idea in them. By creating those connections to our amazing makers and experts, we can see how all that potential can be transformed into real, solid inventions, which could improve someone’s life!”
Helen Munson, Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime said: “Where better to make a programme about inventing than the North East?! This is where Joseph Swann invented the lightbulb, and George Stephenson became the ‘Father of the Railways’. We are in good company!
“And, with the brilliant Sara Davies at the helm we know we are going to unearth brand new inventions for the 21st Century. Gateshead based Twenty Six 03 will be working with a host of local off screen talent to bring this exciting new series to BBC One.”
Duncan Gray and Antonia Hurford-Jones, Executive Producers for Twenty Six 03, said:
“Working with Sara on The Big Idea Works was an absolute joy. Her passion, professionalism and never-ending energy is an inspiration.
“Our contributors came up with some brilliant, and at times bonkers, ideas that really challenged our genius team of experts – which we suspect they secretly loved. We sincerely hope viewers love watching it as much as we loved making it.”
Lisa Laws, Development Director at North East Screen said: “The North East has some brilliant on-screen talent. Sara Davies brings an abundance of passion not only for what she does and the people she works with, but also driving growth in the region.
“As part of our commitment to develop and nurture relationships between outstanding North East talent and experienced indies, we have welcomed the opportunity to provide film office funding and business development support to Twenty Six 03.
“As an experienced relocated company now based in Gateshead, they were the perfect match for Sara. Seeing this project develop and come to fruition bringing jobs for North East crew and facilities shows the impact that our wrap-around support is having on content being created and made in the region.”
The new series starts on Monday 3rd February, BBC One, 2pm and will air Mon-Thurs. It will be a day-one-drop on iPlayer. There are 15 episodes, with one round up episode at the end of the series.
Big Idea Works was commissioned for BBC One and iPlayer by Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Commissioning, Rob Unsworth, the Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime is Helen Munson.
The programme is produced by Twenty Six 03’s Duncan Gray and Antonia Hurford-Jones with funding from North East Screen.
Watch the trailer below.
