In the space of 60 years, England transformed itself from a rural economy into an industrial powerhouse. This program tells the story of the innovations and innovators from the Industrial Revolution who changed the world of work, including John Smeaton’s ground-breaking experiments with waterwheels, Richard Arkwright’s revolutionary thread factories, and James Watt’s fateful partnership with the hard-driving, entrepreneurial Matthew Boulton. Along the way, viewers will witness the birth of the contemporary workplace—urban factories, shift work, production lines, and even such staples of modern office life as the photocopier and the computer. Produced by the Open University. (30 minutes)