Panorama

The virtual world of online shopping has an unreal aspect to it. We scroll. We click. And our shopping arrives on our doorstep the next day, as if by magic. It’s easy to forget what actually happens in between, and the people who work to make it happen – people like Adam Littler, who works a ten-and-a-half hour night shift in the warehouse with only one break.

With Christmas around the corner, Amazon will be raking in the orders. But the online retailer is under fire for what some experts say are unlawful working conditions. Amazon refutes the claims, but Professor Michael Marmot of University College London, a leading academic on stress in the workplace, says that experiences such as Adam’s could cause “mental and physical illness”.

Adam covertly records his shift as Panorama investigates the retail giant’s treatment of its staff.