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The Colonel's Workers

Series going behind the scenes at KFC UK. Two thirds of KFC's UK workforce of 24,000 are aged under 25. What is it really like to work for a fast food chain?

Two thirds of KFC's UK workforce of 24,000 are aged under 25. For some it's their first job after school, for others it's part-time work to see them through college or a chosen career path to aim for the top. But what is it really like to work inside a giant fast food chain like KFC?

In this episode the lid is lifted and the reality of working on the frontline of the fast food industry is shown in detail. While MD Martin faces a showdown on Radio 5 Live to defend working in what by many is perceived as a lowly place to work, his workers in Essex begin their daily regime of scraping away the dried-on fat and cleaning the dreaded toilets at 5.00am.

In Oxley in the west Midlands, cameras follow the opening of a brand new store - from building site to tills rattling on the first day in just 18 weeks, including the recruitment of the team of 50 staff to run the store. Including 19-year-old Travis, who despite having marketing qualifications, gets his first paid job at Oxley and sheds the stretchers in his ears, only to realise that intensive shifts on the fries Station, or mop-in-hand cleaning tasks aren't for him. And Kim, whose only other job was working as an elf in Santa's Grotto and who gets trained up ready for the front till, only to miss the opening day after being bitten by a dog.

Cameras also follow KFC's attempts to tackle the huge amounts of cooked chicken they have to throw away on a daily basis. In Glasgow, restaurant manager Mark struggles to keep the homeless away from scavenging in his bins in search of waste food. And in Brixton, a pilot scheme is trialled, as charity worker Mala agrees to take home all the waste chicken to feed the disadvantaged from the community.

1 hour

Credits

Role Contributor
Production Company Wild Pictures
Executive Producer Paul Hamann
Series Producer Stephen Finnigan
Director Stephen Finnigan

Broadcasts

Feeling like chicken tonight?

Dust off that fryer and give Tom Kerridge's classic chicken in a basket recipe a go!