BBC Documentaries Collection

Wonderstuff
A factual entertainment format that examines the science behind everyday products such as toothpaste, washing detergent and drain openers. The series sees Jane investigating the different ingredients used in the manufacture of everyday products. Hosted by journalist Jane Moore.

Episode 1
The first programme of the series taps into the nation�s obsession with personal hygiene, as Jane Moore flings open the bathroom cabinet to decode what�s in the stuff we rely on every day to stay cleaned and preened. To find the wonderstuffs hidden in soap and toothpaste, Jane puts her own home-made versions to the test. She also discovers the secret soap in shampoo and whether conditioners really are worth it.

Episode 2
The second episode investigates some of the natural wonderstuffs in our household cleaners. What precisely makes an effective cleaner and why doesn�t one cleaner suit all jobs? Jane Moore reveals some unexpected natural science in action in biological washing powder, citrus degreasers and shiny surface cleaners.

Episode 3
In this episode, Jane Moore pulls apart three of the most trusted domestic life-savers. She reveals how the clue to fixing a frozen car engine lies in a tiny insect from the Antarctic and which ingredient in drain cleaner does the dirty work. She also unravels the amazing science at work inside mobile phone batteries.

Episode 4
Jane Moore busts open the stuff we rely on when it comes to waging domestic germ warfare. Jane has her own home scrutinized for germs in order to put antibacterial spray to the test, finds out how some mind-blowingly clever molecules in air freshener manage to combat dirt in mid air, and discovers the best wonderstuff on offer for the dirtiest of all household jobs � cleaning the loo.

Episode 5
Jane Moore busts open the stuff we rely on when it comes to waging domestic germ warfare. Jane�s investigates the stickiness of household essentials. She discovers the wonderstuff in super-strength glues, how paint manages to stick to the wall and, on the flip side, what�s on non-stick frying pans that makes it the world�s slipperiest substance.

Episode 6
Jane Moore investigates the science behind three things we slap on our skin. She uncovers the wonderstuff in sunscreen that prevents premature ageing, looks at how an old-fashioned baking ingredient is the magic in moisturisers, and reveals precisely what cleverness is in antiperspirants that makes them different from deodorants.