Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 279,694 playable programmes from the BBC

The Billion Dollar Chicken Shop

Episode 1: The Colonel's Chicken

Duration: 1 hour

First broadcast: on BBC One WestLatest broadcast: on BBC Two Scotland

Valued at over £4 billion a year, the fast food industry is big business and even bigger controversy. With its globally recognised but fiercely protected recipe for fried chicken, KFC is one of the brands that has divided public opinion. Love it or hate it, the fact is that very little is known about what goes on behind the scenes. Now for the first time KFC exclusively throws open its doors in a tell-all documentary series.

The series takes viewers into the heart of the company and into the hearts of its loyal and disloyal customers and reveals why we have become addicted to fried chicken and chips. It beds in with the KFC brand, from the boardroom to the kitchen, and reveals the truth about the company that we all think we know.

In the opening episode, we learn how the huge machine that is 'fast food chicken' works on a mass scale. At the top of the tree we meet managing director Martin as he strives to expand his empire of 850 stores nationwide, while keeping his predominantly young workforce motivated.

We follow feisty 17-year-old college dropout Beth, a new starter in Manchester, as she struggles to find her way in her new job. For the first time cameras are allowed inside the chicken farms that supply KFC with a whopping 23 million chickens a year. Here we meet Andrew who, with 35 years experience in the business, is in charge of chicken welfare.

We are on the road with Brian, KFC's own internal policeman, as he patrols his patch in the Midlands and drops in unannounced at KFC stores to inspect their restaurant and food standards. It all goes wrong for a store in Merry Hill, Dudley, and Brian awards them such a low score they are forced into emergency measures and given just weeks to improve or face closure.

In Middleton, we meet angry residents Pat, Irene and John who are desperate to stop a new KFC from opening up on their doorstep and 'lowering the tone'. All this is washed down with Valentine's Day in KFC Havant, as restaurant manager Dom splashes out on a themed night in the hope that romance will come to his store, boost his sales and get him noticed by his company bosses.

While in Glasgow, drama graduate Rico has to deal with raucous customers until the wee hours of the morning. Show less

Contributors

Production Company:
Wild Pictures
Executive Producer:
Paul Hamann
Series Producer:
Stephen Finnigan

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More