
Brenda Emmanus meets and profiles ten great living British designers, to find out what inspires them and explore how they have responded to society's evolving tastes.
If there were an Olympic league table for design, Britain would be right at the top. Since the Second World War, British designers have revolutionised our homes, our workplaces, our roads and our public institutions.
In November 2016, the Design Museum opened its new £83m home in Kensington. To mark this great moment for British design, BBC Arts profiles ten great living British designers.
Arts reporter Brenda Emmanus meets and profiles our 'Top 10', to find out what inspires them to make such phenomenal objects. She reveals how designers have responded to society's evolving tastes, from the brash 60s modernism of Margaret Calvert's road signs through to the colourful technology of Rick Dickinson's ZX Spectrum. She also meets Britain's most prolific designer, Sir Kenneth Grange (Intercity 125, bus shelters, the Kenwood Chef...), as well as Andrew Ritchie, who gave the world the Brompton Bike.
And we also hear from an illustrious panel of celebrities whose lives have been transformed by British design, including Will.i.am, Jeremy Paxman, Pete Waterman, Ade Adepitan and Jenny Eclair.
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Clips
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Trevor Baylis
Duration: 04:13
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Kenneth Grange
Duration: 04:27
Music Played
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Johnson Mkhalali
Asambeni Sonke
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Kylie Minogue
Can't Get You Out Of My Head
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The Hollywood Edge Sound Effects Library
Very Distant City Traffic Drone With Sparse Metal Movement
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Brenda Emmanus |
| Series Producer | John Mullen |
| Executive Producer | Janet Lee |
Broadcasts
- Sat 26 Nov 201621:30BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Wales
- Sat 26 Nov 201622:00BBC Two Northern Ireland & Wales only
- Sat 10 Dec 201600:05BBC Two except Wales
- Sat 10 Dec 201600:35BBC Two Wales
- Wed 11 Jan 201702:05
- Wed 24 Oct 201800:30
- Mon 5 Oct 202022:10
- Mon 9 Sep 202422:30
- Tue 10 Sep 202402:30
- Mon 31 Mar 202522:00
- Tue 1 Apr 202502:00
- Mon 5 Jan 202623:55



