Canarian Weekly
24-02-2012, 12:10
THE pitfalls and problems encountered in British Consulates all over Spain and Tenerife will be highlighted on TV over the next few weeks.
How the staff bend over backwards to help people who find themselves in trouble, and some of the ridiculous demands made on them, will be demonstrated in the three-part Channel 4 programme.
It was filmed last summer and reveals how consular staff are so important to those Britons who find themselves in trouble.
It starts on Thursday (1st March) at 10pm, withTenerife depicted as a hotbed for crime, being featured on the 15th.
Maria Leng, British Consul for the Canary Islands, says: “By taking a few simple precautions, you can avoid a dream holiday turning into a nightmare.”
The problems caused by lost and stolen passports, and the costs and consequences of failing to buy holiday insurance, are just two of the biggest calamities for residents and holiday-makers, who turn to the Consulates for help.
“Losing your passport will cost you time and money”, adds Maria, a well-known figure here in South Tenerife. “And without an EHIC health card, you’ll find it harder to get medical care.
“The series shows the hard work and professionalism of our staff in helping British expats and holidaymakers abroad. We’re here to assist, and you can find even more information on our ukinspain website.”
From helping victims of crime to advising Brits arrested by the police, the series also follows consular staff as they visit holiday-makers who end up in hospital, and also meet expat residents to hear of their property concerns.
The series Our Man In… provides unprecedented access to the work of the consular staff, and demonstrates just why the British Consulates inSpain are among the busiest in the world.
Mallorca and Ibiza are featured first on Thursday, followed byAlicantea week later, while Tenerife is bracketed withBarcelonafor the third and final episode of this unusual series.
It reveals the consequences of failing to prepare properly for a holiday. And even if you’re staying with friends and family, travelling without insurance could cost you many thousands of pounds if you’re injured abroad.
Tenerife and Barcelona, in particular, is where crime really affects tourists and increases the Consulates’ workload. Street robberies and stolen passports lead to inconvenience, distress and unexpected costs for the holiday-makers.
Consular staff are also busy helping some of the people who need it most, especially expat prisoners and homeless Brits, who simply want to return to the UK.
Unsurprisingly, on the party island of Ibiza, consuls tackle the fall-out from a new drug on club scene, which is the so-called “pink pill”.
A young tourist is found lost, nearly naked, and unable to recall anything but his name. Then the Brit dealers who supply the pills also need help after they are arrested.
In Mallorca, consulate members deal with a young Brit who has been tasered by over-zealous police, while an Essex holiday-maker has been run over by a drunk driver, and lies seriously injured in hospital.
And a Lancashire couple’s holiday is transformed by the arrival, nine weeks early, of their tiny baby son.
The programme on Alicante reveals the pro-active face of the Foreign Office, with staff seeking out Brits caught up in a forest fire, tackling a death in Benidorm, and working with local police to handle an invasion of Scottish football fans.
If you do need help in Tenerife, the British Consulate is situated inSanta Cruzat the Plaza Weyler (tel 902 109 356), and you will find the staff extremely friendly and helpful.
Our Man In… was filmed last August and September last year and is produced by Screen channel Television, a London-based independent production company.
The executive producers are Emma Barker, a former commissioning editor and controller at ITV, and Peter Lowe, a former executive producer and programme editor at BBC Television, and controller at Carlton Television
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/its-carry-consul/)
How the staff bend over backwards to help people who find themselves in trouble, and some of the ridiculous demands made on them, will be demonstrated in the three-part Channel 4 programme.
It was filmed last summer and reveals how consular staff are so important to those Britons who find themselves in trouble.
It starts on Thursday (1st March) at 10pm, withTenerife depicted as a hotbed for crime, being featured on the 15th.
Maria Leng, British Consul for the Canary Islands, says: “By taking a few simple precautions, you can avoid a dream holiday turning into a nightmare.”
The problems caused by lost and stolen passports, and the costs and consequences of failing to buy holiday insurance, are just two of the biggest calamities for residents and holiday-makers, who turn to the Consulates for help.
“Losing your passport will cost you time and money”, adds Maria, a well-known figure here in South Tenerife. “And without an EHIC health card, you’ll find it harder to get medical care.
“The series shows the hard work and professionalism of our staff in helping British expats and holidaymakers abroad. We’re here to assist, and you can find even more information on our ukinspain website.”
From helping victims of crime to advising Brits arrested by the police, the series also follows consular staff as they visit holiday-makers who end up in hospital, and also meet expat residents to hear of their property concerns.
The series Our Man In… provides unprecedented access to the work of the consular staff, and demonstrates just why the British Consulates inSpain are among the busiest in the world.
Mallorca and Ibiza are featured first on Thursday, followed byAlicantea week later, while Tenerife is bracketed withBarcelonafor the third and final episode of this unusual series.
It reveals the consequences of failing to prepare properly for a holiday. And even if you’re staying with friends and family, travelling without insurance could cost you many thousands of pounds if you’re injured abroad.
Tenerife and Barcelona, in particular, is where crime really affects tourists and increases the Consulates’ workload. Street robberies and stolen passports lead to inconvenience, distress and unexpected costs for the holiday-makers.
Consular staff are also busy helping some of the people who need it most, especially expat prisoners and homeless Brits, who simply want to return to the UK.
Unsurprisingly, on the party island of Ibiza, consuls tackle the fall-out from a new drug on club scene, which is the so-called “pink pill”.
A young tourist is found lost, nearly naked, and unable to recall anything but his name. Then the Brit dealers who supply the pills also need help after they are arrested.
In Mallorca, consulate members deal with a young Brit who has been tasered by over-zealous police, while an Essex holiday-maker has been run over by a drunk driver, and lies seriously injured in hospital.
And a Lancashire couple’s holiday is transformed by the arrival, nine weeks early, of their tiny baby son.
The programme on Alicante reveals the pro-active face of the Foreign Office, with staff seeking out Brits caught up in a forest fire, tackling a death in Benidorm, and working with local police to handle an invasion of Scottish football fans.
If you do need help in Tenerife, the British Consulate is situated inSanta Cruzat the Plaza Weyler (tel 902 109 356), and you will find the staff extremely friendly and helpful.
Our Man In… was filmed last August and September last year and is produced by Screen channel Television, a London-based independent production company.
The executive producers are Emma Barker, a former commissioning editor and controller at ITV, and Peter Lowe, a former executive producer and programme editor at BBC Television, and controller at Carlton Television
More... (http://www.canarianweekly.com/its-carry-consul/)