Inside the Factory star uses maths for 'perfect' Christmas tree
Cherry Healey had a little help from Bobby Seagull in the festive episode.
What did you miss?
Inside the Factory's Cherry Healey was joined by mathematician Bobby Seagull in the show's Christmas edition on Sunday, 22 December.
Star of University Challenge, The Answer Trap and Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Seagull's segment saw him teaching Healey about the mathematical theories applicable to decorating her Christmas tree.
"It's absolutely tree-mendous! Maths has worked today," said the presenter when they'd finished.
What, how and why?
Frustrated with her annual Christmas tree efforts, Healey told viewers: "Remarkably, Bobby uses mathematical theories to craft Christmas tree perfection - something I clearly haven't mastered yet!"
He proceeded to strip down her characterless tree to give them a blank canvas to work with, using Las Vegas hotel and casino The Bellagio's 13-metre beast as their blueprint.
"They've looked at the ratios between lights to the branches, and the baubles to the branches," explained Seagull.
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The pair needed to work out the surface area of her tree; measuring its slanted height (distance from the top branch to the edge of the bottom branch) before multiplying that by pi and then by its radius.
As far as baubles go, Healey learned that it's three per square foot, meaning she'd want 165 ideally.
Seagull revealed: "Because of the cone shape there's more distribution at the bottom and fewer at the top. You need to distribute half in the bottom third and a third in the middle third, then a sixth in the top third."
Tree lights should be 3000-kelvin ones for that cosy fireside feeling, and the tree-topping star they used was 10% the size of the tree itself.
Did fans like new presenter Paddy McGuinness?
Meanwhile, Inside the Factory fans also got their first taste of new presenter Paddy McGuinness this weekend, following the departure of Gregg Wallace.
McGuinness spent the episode in the Belgian city of Sint-Niklaas, visiting the Guylian chocolate factory.
"Instantly loving Paddy on #InsideTheFactory! So much more suited to the role!" claimed one person on X, but he wasn't a hit with everyone.
"Could it get any worse?! Do we need constant innuendo from Paddy M on every programme he presents?" read one reaction to his debut.
Inside the Factory airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
