Thursday, November 05, 2020

DR Brexit special


Our family's Brexit relationship with the press began when I first blogged back in March of 2018 that our family had decided to brexit from brexit. Thomas and I blogged our imminent departure and somehow it was picked up first by the National newspaper in Scotland and thereafter by Denmark's Jyllandsposten. Following on from that, Thomas was invited onto several radio and TV programmes on his arrival in Denmark.

We haven't heard much for about a year now, until last month when DR (that's sort of Danish BBC, or how BBC was a decade ago at least) rang us up again to ask if they could interview our whole family now we've been here a year. They are planning a Brexit special if and when the flip flop Tories ever get round to opting for a deal or no deal, or at the very least on January 1, should they simply run out of time while scratching the heads (and their arses). We decided to ask the kids if they were up for it before committing. Both Anna and Léon sounded super enthusiastic. Léon took it as chance to schmooze the whole of Denmark simultaneously, whereas Anna saw it more as a stepping stone to Hollywood, Amaia on the other hand looked a bit uncomfortable but agreed to tell her story. I was unfazed at the thought of being interviewed in Danish on national TV... I'm definitely less stressed out these days!!

After a couple of cancellations over the past few weeks in favour of more current news stories, they suddenly popped up on Monday again asking to see us on Wednesday. They decided they wanted two whole hours of footage! Moreover, they wanted to film us all around the house and garden so we had to have a bigger than usual tidy-up. They even wanted to film in the kids' rooms! This was incentive gold! For the first time in months both Anna and Léon found their bedroom floors under the usual debris! I wonder if I can book them to interview them once a month going forward...樂

So the plan was - interview the whole family together, then Thomas alone, then me, then each of the kids. Thomas wandered around everywhere outside and I'm sure I heard him reciting Ode to a haggis, though I'm not 100% how that relates to Brexit! After they did me inside. They talked to me for over 15 minutes in Danish and then did a shorter chunk in English because they weren't sure which language the channel wanted me in. I guess it is good practice for my PD3 oral exam next month, if nothing else! Then it was the kids' turn. When they were interviewing all of us, Amaia said almost nothing. I thought she was just too shy but once they went in with just her, there was no shutting her up! She was suddenly in her element. I stood outside her door in case I thought she was in any way unhappy but she definitely wasn't. She was showing them her computer games and happily chatting away. I had to laugh at some parts of the conversation that I overheard... For me, this was the highlight  "What was the best part about your move?" asked the interviewer in Danish "I got my own room without Anna," she quickly replied. He followed up, of course with "and what was worst?"  So I was expecting something about missing her home, her old school, her family, all the things she usually mentions. But suddenly she came out with "I can't have haggis for dinner any more!" Don't you just love kids?!

Five minutes later I could hear Léon playing Flower of Scotland on his violin, so I'm not sure what that was about either, but I guess it'll all be obvious, if and when the programme finally airs. My only worry is if they happen to cut out any one of the kids, we could have civil war in the house. Maybe we should watch it first before letting on it's been broadcast? 

In any case, if it turns up, I'll put a video link on here.

No comments: