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How Do They Do It?

How Do They Do It?

After watching this series you may never look at ordinary objects in the same way again. A tube of toothpaste? Car tires? Tea bags? A lot of technology goes into even the simplest of consumer goods, and this program offers viewers a glimpse at just what that entails.
10 seasonsFree episodes availableDocumentary, EducationalTV-PG
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Season 45 of 8 Episodes

  • Turning the family car into a rally car; titanium and letters.

  • Go beneath the surface to understand forest fires, car exhaust and the space station.

  • Secrets behind nuclear submarines; crash-test dummies; growing fruits and vegetables.

  • The world's largest land-mining machine; how airboats are built; warehouse for car parts.

  • How black boxes survive an airplane crash; transporting giant steam turbines; making fireproof suits for race-car drivers.

Record to Watch Later

128 episodes will be broadcast over the next two weeks

    Harris Tweed, Turntables and Hakarl
    Borsalino Hats, Folding Bicycles and Skyr
    Barra Airport, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Lederhosen
    Lobster Fishing, Chesterfield Sofas and High-Definition Cameras
    Beds, Space Freighters and Underground Farms
    Parchment, Shuttlecocks and Sea Salt
    Weather Factory, Baseball Gloves and Christmas Pudding
    Newspapers, Socks and Blackcurrant Juice
    Stratocaster Guitars, Kalles Caviar and Aston Martin Racing
    Ballpoint Pens, Army Rations and Rush Mats
  • Harris Tweed, Turntables and Hakarl

    Scottish manufacturers use pedal power to weave a high-demand fabric for catwalks throughout the world; an Italian company leads the turnaround of the turntable; an Icelandic delicacy has a fishy tale to becoming edible.
    Upcoming
  • Borsalino Hats, Folding Bicycles and Skyr

    An Italian manufacturer makes a hat with enough flair for Hollywood's biggest stars; a low-fat, Icelandic dairy dish is set on conquering the world; a British company is engineering the ultimate commuter companion.
    Upcoming
  • Barra Airport, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Lederhosen

    Air traffic controllers must manage a beach airport that is flooded twice a day; cutting-edge technology brings a centuries-old processed food to local delis; Bavaria's unofficial national costume helps keep ancient crafts alive.
    Upcoming
  • Lobster Fishing, Chesterfield Sofas and High-Definition Cameras

    Fishermen transport lobster from the ocean floor to fine dining restaurants in just a few hours; craftsman follow a 300-year-old design when handcrafting couches; cutting-edge camera lenses are capable of seeing more than the human eye.
    Upcoming
  • Beds, Space Freighters and Underground Farms

    Humble horsehair is turned into a bed fit for royalty; a 20-million-dollar, space-faring picnic basket keeps astronauts fed and watered for months at a time; subterranean salad is grown in a World War II bomb shelter below London's busy streets.
    Upcoming
  • Parchment, Shuttlecocks and Sea Salt

    History's greatest moments are preserved for all time on skin; the fastest moving object in the world of sports takes flight; Vikings harness the explosive power of volcanoes to make gourmet salt.
    Upcoming
How Do They Do It?

More about How Do They Do It?

After watching this series you may never look at ordinary objects in the same way again. A tube of toothpaste? Car tires? Tea bags? A lot of technology goes into even the simplest of consumer goods, and this program offers viewers a glimpse at just what that entails.

Starring

Chris Broyles, Jeff Wilburn, Iain Lee, Michael Pongracz, Mike Goral, Naz Osmanoglu

4 Free Episodes

No sign-up required

  • Learning how Ford produces the ubiquitous white van, the Transit; discovering how they ensure the Driza-Bone coat lives up to its name.

  • Making wood-burning stoves that bring warmth to the bleak Norwegian winter; building the synthesizer that changed music forever.

  • Assembling the reinvented Morgan 3 Wheeler; protecting firefighters' hands from heat, flame and chemical attack.

  • How they make wind turbines with twice the wingspan of a Boeing; how they mold car tires from the ooze of a tree.

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