Britain's Next Big Thing is a British reality television series produced by Maverick Television for BBC Two in which the buying teams of three high street retailers ask members of the public to supply them with the next bestselling product.
The series aired in the UK on BBC Two from 12 April to 24 May, 2011. There are seven hour-long episodes in one season.
Britain's Next Big Thing premiered in South Africa on DStv's BBC Entertainment channel on Wednesday 17 August 2011, at 21h00. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Synopsis
Retailers are always on the lookout for the next big thing.
In this series the buying teams of high street giants Boots, Habitat and Liberty are prepared to take an enormous gamble by asking members of the public to supply them with the next best selling product.
This is a chance of a lifetime for unknown designers and producers to pitch directly to the retail industry's power-brokers and have the opportunity to get their product stocked in these prestigious stores.
Over six months, retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis follows both buyers and suppliers as they experience the highs and lows of bringing a product to market – from initial pitch to shop shelf – and whilst many won't make the grade, for a lucky few it will be a life-changing experience.
Theo – Dragon, retailer and business star – knows and loves the business of buying. He's at the helm of this ambitious project: demystifying shop talk and revealing the competitive inner workings of retail, from prototype to product development to the finished article on the shop floor.