Flatpack Empire
Flatpack Empire is a British documentary television series that was first broadcast on BBC Two between 6 and 20 February 2018. The three-part series goes behind the scenes of the world's largest and best-known furniture retailer, IKEA [1][2][3][4] with narrator Olivia Colman.
Flatpack Empire | |
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Also known as | Flatpack: The World’s Biggest Furniture Store |
Genre | Documentary |
Directed by | Rob Farquhar |
Narrated by | Olivia Colman |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 3 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) | Tom Swingler |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company(s) | Raw TV |
Release | |
Original network |
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Original release | 6 February – 20 February 2018 |
External links | |
Website |
Production
The series was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two, and Jamie Balment, Commissioning Editor, BBC Documentaries.[5] The series was produced in partnership with the Open University.[6]
The series explores the "distinctly Swedish philosophy behind the company’s extraordinary cultural influence and commercial success".[5]
Critical reception
The Daily Telegraph described the documentary as "gloomy"[7] and The Guardian describing the culture shown in IKEA as "less like a furniture shop and more like a flatpack cult".[8]
References
- "Topic: IKEA". www.statista.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- Loeb, Walter. "IKEA Is A World-Wide Wonder". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- "How IKEA creator Ingvar Kamprad built the world's largest furniture retailer — and a $39 billion fortune". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- Editorial, Reuters. "IKEA mulls joint venture with Bosnia furniture maker". U.S. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- "BBC - BBC Two commissions Flatpack: The World's Biggest Furniture Store (w/t) from Raw - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- "BBC Two commissions Flatpack: The World's Biggest Furniture Store - Raw TV". Raw TV. 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- "Flatpack Empire was a gloomy portrayal of Ikea and its sunny promise of a happier lifestyle: review". The Telegraph. 2018-02-06. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
- Wollaston, Sam (2018-02-06). "Flatpack Empire review – Ikea's furniture revolution witnessed from the shop floor". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-03-27.