DOCUMENTARY

BBC2, 9pm

Ever got lost on Ikea’s ‘yellow brick road’ which winds interminably round their warehouses? Ever searched maniacally for the exit?

Have you ever bought enough tea light candles to fill a field – and never used them? Spent six hours trying to assemble a Billy bookcase?

You are not alone. Ikea is Sweden’s biggest export, a global phenomenon. Last year, more than 900 million people in 49 countries got lost in, sorry I mean visited, its stores, which had a turnover of more than £34billion.

Love it or loathe it, I challenge anyone’s home to be completely Ikea free. This three-part series is rather timely after last month’s death of founder Ingvar Kamprad and it explores the amazing world of his creation – from the design studios to factories and stores.

As head designer Marcus Engman says: “It’s like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but for home furnishings.”

This is a fascinating peek behind the doors of an empire.