The first programme meets Manchester sewer workers Mick and Shaun, who have first-hand knowledge of the public's poor diet; event cleaner Marcia, who gives an insight into how Brits behave in a crowd; and window cleaner Ross, whose job involves keeping a huge national icon absolutely spotless. Plus, pest controller Jim battles an infestation of bedbugs.

The remarkable and sometimes shocking things that clean-up teams discover behind the nation's front doors. In south-west London, domestic maids find out how fussy some homeowners are about dirt and grime, and across the city, pest controller Jim deals with a property overrun by pigeons. Sewers in Manchester are clogged up with objects that don't belong down there, while Matt and John face the unpleasant task of cleaning up after the deaths of people who live alone and whose bodies were not discovered for some time. In Knightsbridge, Gurchan's car wash is kept busy polishing the supercars of Britain's super rich.