Hard Labour

Hard Labour takes some of Britain’s roughest young people and gives them the challenge and the opportunity of a lifetime: tackling Britain’s toughest jobs.

We follow the experiences of a group of youths who will be introduced to the real world of hard work. They are used to getting up after lunch, lying around all day playing video games and helping themselves to whatever they find in the fridge. Hard Labour will see them getting up at the crack of dawn, working until it gets dark and grabbing a sandwich for lunch when they can. They’ll be working in extreme weather conditions, at heights, under ground, at sea and in dirty, noisy conditions a long way from the cosy warmth of their centrally-heated front room.
 
But Hard Labour is about more than a short sharp shock for slack-jawed sofa-surfers. These young men and women, who have been consigned to the scrap heap already in their short lives, are being given a shot at redemption. Hard work will be rewarded, and if they rise to the challenge they will get not only praise from their mentors and often much needed self-confidence, but a chance to work in the industry they are test-driving.

From North Atlantic trawling to inner-city demolition you can also get an insider’s view of some of Britain’s most demanding jobs and the men and women who are brave enough to do them. In many cases these industries are themselves undergoing change and the workers have to come to terms with a society that no longer seems to have time for their traditional values. It’s a clash of cultures as the emerging world of the hooded youth collides with the disappearing world of the manual labourer.