Young bricklayers set to star in new BBC documentary series

Bricklayers working for Hodgkinson Builders are set to star in a new BBC documentary series, which starts tonight.

Brickies, the first episode of which airs on BBC Three at 9pm, focuses on a team of young bricklayers working for the Pride Park-based firm.

Viewers will be introduced to Tom Copley, Lucas Robinson, Jack Smith, Jeorgia Purser, Harry Moran and Lauren Hudson, who will be applying their skills on real building sites across the Midlands under the watchful eye of the company’s founder and managing director Ian Hodgkinson.

Filming for the six-part series took place over more than three months last summer at new housing development sites in Stoke, Northampton, Nether Heage and Ripley.

Ian said: “Hodgkinson Builders is nationally recognised as a leading light in the promotion of apprenticeship programmes and encouraging young people to take advantage of the incredible opportunities available to them in the construction industry.

“We jumped at the chance to get involved in this series, and it was an amazing experience for everyone involved.

“All the guys and girls who feature in the show are stars in their own right, and no doubt some of them will have some real appeal to TV viewers.

“It’s about showing the skills and talents of the exceptional young people in our industry, and how they all have the potential for a great career in a very safe environment.

“The mere opportunity for the public to see, for the first time, what it’s really like on a construction site, with all the health and safety measures involved, and how much youngsters benefit from such a great working environment, will hopefully do wonders for the future of our industry.

“During this series, we genuinely see the sense of achievement experienced by young people building their own dreams at the same time as literally building dreams for other people.”