Strictly for printing anyone?

The 2025 season of Strictly Come Dancing has come to an end with stand up comedian Chris McCausland as the first blind winner of the show. His success follows only three years after deaf contestant Rose Ayling-Ellis won the public’s acclamation and was declared a worthy winner. This is a programme that has raised the profile of disability and proving that disability does not mean incapacity. It has also raised the profile of ballroom dancing over the years it has become a staple of Saturday night television each autumn. Compare this with a new narrative for print, the commendable attempt by the IPIA and its industry sponsors to change the conversation about print.

Dare I suggest they take a leaf from the Strictly Come Dancing book? This might also apply to the Great British Sewing Bee, the Great Pottery Throw Down and not forgetting the Great British Bake Off. (We will slide over Masterchef for now). All these shows have elevated what were deeply unfashionable artisan crafts or hobbies into something spectacular. They have also spawned professional spin offs to showcase the skills of those that make a living from producing gourmet meals or patisserie. Why not do the same for printing?

To get the ball rolling: a line up of half a dozen printers meets a team of judges and takes a brief from a client (think the Great Interior Design Challenge at this point). There is an objective, a collection of assets, a budget and a deadline. We see the teams take the brief, engage the design and production skills that they have to deliver something rather pleasing and spectacular to meet the brief. The programme makers will film inside the factory as the job is printed and finished including interviews with the staff involved. Each week, the judges eliminate one of the print companies until just one is left to be named Great British Printer of the Year, an award that rightly elevates perceptions of print and has teenagers rethinking their career paths to join and set up print businesses.