Author Thomas Harding is in the process of doing what the descendants of many Holocaust victims would find unimaginable: applying for a German passport.

When Britain voted to leave the European Union in June, the 48-year-old had to make a decision that was never necessary before the referendum - should he request the restoration of German citizenship stripped from his family by the Third Reich? He needed only a few hours to make up his mind.

“This is more than the practical, this is also about something for us, or for me, it's about something spiritual, it's about reconciliation,’’ he said. “It's about acknowledging the truth of the horrors of the past but also about trying to build a better future together, and as a European, that's what I hope to do."

It is one of the complicated realities of the UK’s pending divorce from the EU that many Britons whose ancestors came from other parts of Europe are claiming citizenship in other member states so they can retain ties to the Continent. Inquiries about passports are up at the German, Austrian, French and Polish embassies.

Some want to retain the ability to travel easily from country to country or maintain business ties. Others just want to be part of the European Union.

But for Jews whose families fled Germany to escape Adolf Hitler, the decision means re-examining long-held beliefs about history and the country that once persecuted them.

The children and grandchildren of Jewish refugees are taking advantage of a law that allows the descendants of people persecuted by the Nazis to regain the citizenship that was stripped from them in the 1930s and 1940s. More than 400 Britons have sought information about the law since the June 23 referendum, and German authorities have received at least 100 formal applications, compared with about 20 annually in recent years.

Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees, said Brexit has fuelled interest in German citizenship, but it’s hard to know how many people will actually apply. Jews are now able to consider such a step because Germany has made huge strides in addressing the past, creating a culture of remembrance, he said.

“No amount of blood money or memorials will satisfy or suffice for some people but in terms of addressing its past and owning up to it and looking into things, it's done much that many other countries haven't,’’ said Newman.

Many of those seeking restoration of their citizenship don’t intend to live in Germany, but want the freedom to travel and work in EU nations.

Ben Lewis, a 49-year-old documentary filmmaker, is among those who would like to regain German citizenship.

Lewis, whose film and production company has worked for years on the continent, sees the potential of Brexit as an abomination, particularly the anti-immigrant sentiment that influenced many people to vote to leave.

“I just want to take a firm stance, a documented stance etched in acid on stone, that I object to Brexit," he said.

The decision for many might have been prompted by Brexit, but had been years in the making for some. Harding, for one, has long been coming to terms with his German past, a journey documented in part in his book, “The House by the Lake.’’

The way Harding sees it, Germany is now showing leadership by taking in over a million refugees.

As the result of the EU referendum became clear on the morning of June 24, Harding was on the phone to the German embassy to inquire about citizenship.

It’s logical, he says, for Jews to cling to the EU, which was created to build international links that would make another European war impossible.

“It was much less about saying goodbye to Britain than saying hello to Europe," he said.

London - 5 October 2016

1. Pan down from German and European Union flags to entrance of German Embassy in London

2. Various of flags

3. Mid of author Thomas Harding sitting on grass looking at passport that belonged to his German Jewish grandfather

4. Close of Harding's face

5. Various of passport

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Harding, author, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"This is more than the practical, this is also about something for us, or for me, it's about something spiritual, it's about reconciliation. It's about acknowledging the truth of the horrors of the past but also about trying to build a better future together, and as a European, that's what I hope to do."

7. Cutaway passport and photo of Harding's grandparents

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Thomas Harding, author, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"I think what has happened to me is I have become much more open towards Germany and at the same time following Brexit, I realised that there was going to be a very real loss. It was likely that me and my family would be unable to live and work in 27 countries in Europe and given the fact that I didn't have to give up my British passport, I didn't have to live in Germany by necessity or learn German, show I could speak German, it didn't seem like there was anything to lose and so for me, it was much less about saying goodbye to Britain than saying hello to Europe."

9. Harding flicking through passport

10. Mid of exhibit of Jewish Museum in London

11. Soft focus, yellow star that Jews were forced to wear in Nazi Germany

12. Set up of documentary maker Ben Lewis

13. Close of Lewis looking at museum exhibit

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Lewis, documentary maker, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"Well, it was immediately after Brexit I thought the restoration of German citizenship was something that I wanted, because before Brexit I was part of the EU anyway. I was a European, I was deeply engaged in German culture from the age of 14 when I first started learning German, and in a way my whole life was orientated around creating links around rebuilding, if you like, as a Jew, links between myself, in Britain and German culture."

15. Cutaway hands

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ben Lewis, documentary maker, in the process of applying for restoration of German passport following Brexit vote:

"I have many motivations for wanting to get German citizenship. I am thinking a lot about my child, I want him to have the same advantages in life that I had, you know, to be able to play on a European field. I've worked all over Europe in my life. I love Berlin - I could imagine living there. Perhaps that would happen in the future. And I just want to take a firm stance, a documented stance, something etched in acid on stone, that I object to Brexit."

17. Set up shot of Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees

18. Newman typing

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Newman, chief executive of the Association of Jewish Refugees:

"Well I think this is uppermost in the minds of the government that they are not going to walk away from any post Holocaust responsibilities and I think most people would look at what Germany has done since the Second World War in terms of addressing its past, the culture of remembrance, the educational resources, it's committed to teaching about the holocaust and see that what it has done has been leading the way and if you look at issues like restitution, archive, opening archives, documentation centres, even opening and creating museums, they are, they're leading the way in many respects in dealing with their history. It remains of course very subjective because no amount of blood, money or memorials will satisfy or suffice for some people but in terms of addressing its past and owning up to it and looking into things, it's done much that many other countries haven't."

20. Wide of German Embassy entrance for public

21. Close of entrance

22. Sign reading 'Welcome' in German and English

LEAD IN:

Rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by currency fluctuations at home.

At the annual Southampton Boat Show, British-based Sunseeker, Princess and Fairline say 'Brexit' is causing uncertainty in the luxury market which is ultimately bad for business.

STORY-LINE:

It's not just the weather outlook that looks poor at the Southampton Boat Show, the yacht industry is also bracing for the potential effects of Britain leaving the 28-nation European Union.

Claimed to be one of the top ten boat shows in the world, the annual event boasts two kilometres of pontoons, home to a wealth of yachting luxury and new marine technology.

There are almost 600 brands attending and hundreds of boats on display.

Poole-based Sunseeker Yachts is exhibiting this £6 million British pound (approx. $7.94 million USD), 28-metre 95 Yacht. It sleeps a maximum of ten people, plus four crew members and boasts up to 120 nautical miles in range.

Sunseeker International, owned by Chinese property and cinema conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, recently announced a return to profit in the second quarter of 2016.

The luxury yacht makers also announced retail orders in excess of £25 million British pounds (approx. $33 million USD) at the recent Cannes Boat Show.

"There's a direct correlation between the numbers of high and ultra-high net-worth individuals and the number of luxury yachts that are sold," says CEO of Sunseeker, Phil Popham.

"Projections around the world is that numbers of high net-worth individuals will grow by about 20 percent between now and 2020. So, if there's a direct correlation we expect that growth in the luxury yacht market to be the same."

Popham admits part of Sunseeker's recent success may be down to the British currency, but lack of confidence caused by Britain's exit from the EU will ultimately effect their business.

"The thing that we really need to focus on is confidence levels, certainty, we've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence", he says.

Plymouth-based Princess Yachts is giving this Princess V58 its world premiere in Southampton. Measuring 18.42 (60.4 feet) in length, it boasts 6 berths and can hit tops speeds of 37 knots.

Princess Yachts marketing director, Kiran Haslam says the weak pound has certainly encouraged some buyers to push through transactions sooner.

"Undoubtedly there's an advantage to the currency exchange being where it is, we saw that in Cannes," he says.

"We saw a lot of boats being sold where the transaction was really, really pushed along because of the opportunity to get the benefit out of the exchange rates."

Ultimately though, buying a luxury item such as a yacht all depends on buyer confidence. Something which 'Brexit' is eroding.

"The uncertainty is something which absolutely grips our segment whether it's cars or houses or travel, there's no denying that a yacht - as wonderful as it is - is not a necessity item," says Haslam.

"So it's always a conversation about is it the right time."

But what is it that luxury yacht buyers are really after? Princess Yacht's creative design director, Sarah Verey says people are increasingly looking for personalisation and uniqueness.

"A lot of it's about lifestyle, it's about how they're going to use the boats," she says.

"Our clients really come on to these boats and use them. So they're tending to look for lots of open spaces, luxurious spaces, spaces where they can entertain both inside and out.

"And also, clients nowadays, they want something unique. So they want to work with us on completely personalising their boat and finding something that is unique to them and actually has never been used on other boats."

Fairline Yachts is exhibiting this sleek new Targa 53 OPEN, a new addition to its popular 53-foot range.

Priced at around £659,000 British pounds (approx. $871,000 USD), it boasts four to six berths and a top speed of 34 knots.

Fariline's managing director Russell Currie says Southampton Boat Show is an important event.

"It is the shop window for the British manufacturers," he says.

"Here, customers can come down and compare all the British brands as well as the brands represented from around the world and choose exactly what is for their specific requirement."

Currie says Fairline too has benefited from the weak pound, achieving its best-ever sales at the recent Cannes Boat Show.

"We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market," he says.

"At Cannes Boat Show last year, our boats were 15 percent more expensive than this year. And at Cannes Boat Show, we saw the most successful show in Fairline's history in that region."

Though the decision proved a huge surprise to many in the financial markets and prompted a dramatic slide in the value of the pound, the real economy has exhibited a relatively high degree of resilience.

Retail sales, house prices and industrial production have all held up - to the surprise of many.

Still, economists say little can yet be read into the seeming resilience, given the lags involved between events and changes in the real economy.

The fact remains that apart from the fall in the value of the pound, which now stands at around $1.32 USD compared with $1.50 USD on the eve of the vote, nothing really has changed. Britain remains a member of the EU and has yet to trigger the so-called Article 50 that kick starts a two-year time frame for actual Brexit.

"Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic, but we are lobbying government hard," says Howard Pridding, chief executive of British Marine.

"We need to understand what's going to be in these free trade agreements and what's going to happen about the free movement of goods and people within the European community."

The Southampton Boat Show runs 16-25 September.

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

1. Wide of Southampton Boat Show 2016, cruise ship in background

2. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

3. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

4. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

5. Close of 'Sunseeker' logo

6. Tilt up of Sunseeker 95 Yacht rear

7. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht interior

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker International:

"There's a direct correlation between the numbers of high and ultra-high net-worth individuals and the number of luxury yachts that are sold. Projections around the world is that numbers of high net-worth individuals will grow by about 20 percent between now and 2020. So, if there's a direct correlation we expect that growth in the luxury yacht market to be the same. The fortunate thing is the world is becoming generally a wealthier place so those growth in ultra-high net-worth individuals are in Asia - yes, some of the emerging markets - and Africa. But we're expecting to see a growth in the United States, UK and Europe as well."

9. Tilt up to Sunseeker 95 Yacht top deck

10. Close of champagne glasses

11. Pan left to controls

12. Close of compass

13. Pan right of Sunseeker 95 Yacht master bedroom

14. Close of pillows on bed

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker International:

"Nearly 50 percent of our business is in Europe so obviously what happens within the European market is of great concern and great interest to Sunseeker. And the thing that we really need to focus on is confidence levels, certainty, we've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

16. Various of Princess V58 exterior

17. Pan left to controls

18. Tilt up to table

19. Close of martini glasses and gin bottle

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiran Haslam, Marketing Director of Princess Yachts International:

"Undoubtedly there's an advantage to the currency exchange being where it is, we saw that in Cannes. We saw a lot of boats being sold where the transaction was really, really pushed along because of the opportunity to get the benefit out of the exchange rates."

21. Tilt down of Princess V58 bedroom

22. Close of sunglasses and magazine on bed

23. High shot of Princess B58 master bedroom

24. Tilt up from magazine on bed to pillows

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Kiran Haslam, Marketing Director of Princess Yachts International:

"The uncertainty is something which absolutely grips our segment, whether it's cars or houses or travel, there's no denying that a yacht - as wonderful as it is - is not a necessity item. So it's always a conversation about is it the right time."

26. Close of glass bottles inside Princess 30M

27. Tilt up of Princess 30M living room area

28. Tilt up of bed in Princess 30M

29. Pan left from bedside table to pillows

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah Verey, Director of Creative Design, Princess Yachts International:

"A lot of it's about lifestyle, it's about how they're going to use the boat. Our clients really come on to these boats and use them. So they're tending to look for lots of open spaces, luxurious spaces, spaces where they can entertain both inside and out. And also, clients nowadays, they want something unique. So they want to work with us on completely personalising their boat and finding something that is unique to them and actually has never been used on other boats."

31. Various of Fairline Targa 53 Open exterior

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Currie, Managing Director of Fairline Yachts:

"It is the shop window for the British manufacturers. Here, customers can come down and compare all the British brands as well as the brands represented from around the world and choose exactly what is for their specific requirement."

33. Close of flowers on Fairline Targa 53 Open

34. Various of Targa 53 Open controls

35. Low shot of bed

36. Tilt down to two beds

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Currie, Managing Director of Fairline Yachts:

"We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market. At Cannes Boat Show last year, our boats were 15 percent more expensive than this year. And at Cannes Boat Show, we saw the most successful show in Fairline's history in that region."

38. Pull out from cruise ship to Southampton Boat Show pontoon

39. Wide of various boats on marina

40. Close of Sunseeker boat's hull in water

41. SOUNDBITE (English) Howard Pridding, Chief Executive of British Marine:

"Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic, but we are lobbying government hard, we need to understand what's going to be in these free trade agreements and what's going to happen about the free movement of goods and people within the European community."

42. Wide of Southampton Boat Show 2016, cruise ship in background

The Houses of Parliament - an iconic London site that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Tourism is now worth 22.1 billion pounds (32 billion US dollars) annually to the UK, according to Visit Britain, Britain's national tourism agency.

Visit Britain also said that last year there were 36.1 million tourist visits, with 67 percent from the European Union.

On 23 June, the UK will vote in a referendum whether to stay in or out of the EU and many in the tourist industry are concerned that a possible leave vote will jeopardise the European holiday market.

One of those is Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises.

His cruise ships carry 6 million passengers a year - in the height of summer 60 percent are from abroad, the majority from the EU.

Of the 240 staff that he employs, 50 percent are from outside the UK, mostly from the EU.

"Any change or decline in passengers coming into the country is going to affect our business quite lot and there are reports that people in Germany, Italy and France are less likely to come to the UK if we leave the EU than if we stay."

His fears are backed up by UK Inbound, which represents 360 tourist businesses.

Deidre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound has called leaving the EU "economic suicide."

"Why would you remove yourself from a market that provides two thirds of our business for our members," she said.

Tourists had mixed views about a UK "brexit".

Marco Ghiribelli, an Italian tourist, said he thought the UK would be economically better outside.

"It's not economically convenient for the UK to stay in the EU. Brexit makes sense economically as the UK economy is stronger than most of the EU countries."

Others such as Babette Pascalev, a tourist from Germany, said: "I think it is hard now because the idea is to get Europe together not apart."

But others say a Brexit would not make any difference to the tourism business.

They say nothing will change.

Alexander Goransson, travel analyst at Euromonitor International believes the expected drop in sterling following a brexit vote would attract tourists due to an increased spending power.

"In the short term I would expect to see a depreciation of the pound which will have both a positive and negative impact on tourism. UK tourists would be less likely to travel abroad and stay at home, whereas on the other hand the UK would actually become a more attractive destination for inbound tourists as prices would be relatively cheaper."

But most people in the tourist industry are hoping for a remain vote on June 23.

The Houses of Parliament - an iconic London site that attracts visitors from all over the world.

Tourism is now worth 22.1 billion pounds (32 billion US dollars) annually to the UK, according to Visit Britain, Britain's national tourism agency.

Visit Britain also said that last year there were 36.1 million tourist visits, with 67 percent from the European Union.

On 23 June, the UK will vote in a referendum whether to stay in or out of the EU and many in the tourist industry are concerned that a possible leave vote will jeopardise the European holiday market.

One of those is Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises.

His cruise ships carry 6 million passengers a year - in the height of summer 60 percent are from abroad, the majority from the EU.

Of the 240 staff that he employs, 50 percent are from outside the UK, mostly from the EU.

"Any change or decline in passengers coming into the country is going to affect our business quite lot and there are reports that people in Germany, Italy and France are less likely to come to the UK if we leave the EU than if we stay."

His fears are backed up by UK Inbound, which represents 360 tourist businesses.

Deidre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound has called leaving the EU "economic suicide."

"Why would you remove yourself from a market that provides two thirds of our business for our members," she said.

Tourists had mixed views about a UK "brexit".

Marco Ghiribelli, an Italian tourist, said he thought the UK would be economically better outside.

"It's not economically convenient for the UK to stay in the EU. Brexit makes sense economically as the UK economy is stronger than most of the EU countries."

Others such as Babette Pascalev, a tourist from Germany, said: "I think it is hard now because the idea is to get Europe together not apart."

But others say a Brexit would not make any difference to the tourism business.

They say nothing will change.

Alexander Goransson, travel analyst at Euromonitor International believes the expected drop in sterling following a brexit vote would attract tourists due to an increased spending power.

"In the short term I would expect to see a depreciation of the pound which will have both a positive and negative impact on tourism. UK tourists would be less likely to travel abroad and stay at home, whereas on the other hand the UK would actually become a more attractive destination for inbound tourists as prices would be relatively cheaper."

But most people in the tourist industry are hoping for a remain vote on June 23.

London - 2 June 2016

1. Houses of Parliament seen from a river cruise boat

2. Woman taking picture of the Houses of Parliament

3. The London Eye seen from a river cruise boat

4. Part of the London Eye

5. Woman taking photo

6. People on board the river cruise boat

7. St Paul's Cathedral and other buildings

8. River cruise boat approaching Tower Bridge

9. Set up of Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Kyle Haughton, managing director of City Cruises:

"At City Cruises we carry 4 million passengers a year and over half of them come from overseas, the majority of which coming from EU countries, so any change or decline in passengers coming into the country is going to affect our business quite lot and there are reports that people in Germany, Italy and France are less likely to come to the UK if we leave the EU than if we stay."

London - 1 June 2016

11. Various of Deidre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound, at her desk

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Deidre Wells, chief executive of UKinbound:

"I've described it as economic suicide in the past. Why would you deliberately remove yourself from a market that provides two thirds of our business for our members."

London - 2 June 2016

13. People on board the river cruise boat with the Shard in the background

14. Set up of French tourist Kahina Berroua

15. SOUNDBITE (French) Kahina Berroua, French tourist:

"I will be sad. The UK has a lot of power in Europe so it won't be the same."

16. Various of tourists inside the river cruise boat

17. Set up of Marco Ghiribelli, Italian tourist

18. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Marco Ghiribelli, Italian tourist:

"It's not economically convenient for the UK to stay in the EU. Brexit makes sense economically as the UK economy is stronger than most of the EU countries."

19. SOUNDBITE (German) Babette Pascalev, tourist from Germany:

"I think it is hard now because the idea is to get Europe together not apart."

20. Houses of Parliament with open top tourist bus driving past

21. Union Jack flag on top of the Houses of Parliament

22. People on open top bus driving past the Houses of Parliament

23. People on bus

24. People on bus driving past flags

25. Various of Alexander Goransson, travel analyst at Euromonitor International, on laptop

26. SOUNDBITE Alexander Goransson, travel analyst at Euromonitor International:

"In the short term I would expect to see a depreciation of the pound which will have both a positive and negative impact on tourism. UK tourists would be less likely to travel abroad and stay at home, whereas on the other hand the UK would actually become a more attractive destination for inbound tourists as prices would be relatively cheaper."

27. People on open top bus

28. View of London black cabs and Union Jack flags

British voters are deciding in a June 23 referendum on whether or not to leave the 28-nation European Union bloc - a move being called a "Brexit" for short.

From the international banks in the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to the traditional home of Britain's financial industry in the City of London and the hedge funds of Mayfair, bankers and money managers across the capital are watching the June 23 referendum on EU membership with trepidation.

Many in London, the most pro-EU place in Britain, fear a vote to leave would undermine London's position as the world's pre-eminent financial centre and damage an industry that underpins the British economy.

The London tourist industry is also concerned that a possible leave vote will jeopardise the European holiday market.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the remain campaign in the EU, while Boris Johnson, the former London mayor and Conservative Party rebel is leading the "leave" campaign with one eye on his political future as a possible prime minister.

British voters are deciding in a June 23 referendum on whether or not to leave the 28-nation European Union bloc - a move being called a "Brexit" for short.

From the international banks in the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf to the traditional home of Britain's financial industry in the City of London and the hedge funds of Mayfair, bankers and money managers across the capital are watching the June 23 referendum on EU membership with trepidation.

Many in London, the most pro-EU place in Britain, fear a vote to leave would undermine London's position as the world's pre-eminent financial centre and damage an industry that underpins the British economy.

The London tourist industry is also concerned that a possible leave vote will jeopardise the European holiday market.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron is leading the remain campaign in the EU, while Boris Johnson, the former London mayor and Conservative Party rebel is leading the "leave" campaign with one eye on his political future as a possible prime minister.

HD Rushes available in \\Source_Clips\News Rushes

London - 24 May 2016

++AERIALS++

1. London Eye in foreground, Big Ben in background, pull out to show Parliament

2. Big Ben

3. Wide of Houses of Parliament

4. Westminster Abbey

5. Wide of river with London Eye

6. London Eye from different angle

7. Boat going under Tower Bridge, London Assembly in Background

8. Tower of London

9. Boat on Thames

10. Shard building, HMS Belfast in background

11. Tilt up Shard, traffic on London Bridge

12. St Paul's Cathedral

13. Wide of City

14. Mid of Gherkin

15. Bank of England

16. Buckingham Palace

17. Close of flag on Palace, pull out

18. MI6 building

19. Tate Modern

20. Globe theatre

21. Cutty Sark

22. Wide of bend in Thames, Canary Wharf

23. Canary Wharf

24. Various of O2 Centre

25. Various of Olympic Park

Uxbridge - 24 May 2016

26. Various of green fields in Uxbridge

LEAD IN:

Designs inspired by the London Underground and Brexit are now on show in the new-look Design Museum in Kensington.

The new space is in a Grade-II listed piece of 1960s modernist architecture, three times larger than the Museum's previous home.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Mimus the mechanical robot who only wants to be your friend.

This 1,200kg industrial arm has been programmed to respond and interact with passersby.

Mimus is the one of the attractions in the new Design Museum in London.

Art critic Estelle Lovatt is one of the first people to get a look around the museum

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh at it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead of, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now," she says.

The Design Museum outgrew its previous home on the South Bank of the Thames and has moved into Kensington, a district well-known for its important museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The new building occupies a Grade-II listed modernist site created in the 1960s for the Commonwealth Institute.

The restoration of the empty building took five years and required an £83 million investment.

Museum director Deyan Sudjic explains the importance of the move.

He says: "The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience why design is important."

The Design Museum opens with a striking exhibition called Fear and Love, which challenged 11 designers to react to a wide range of issues that affect the modern world.

Dutch designer Christien Meinderstma's installation Fibre Market explores the possibility of recycling our clothes and sorting them into their constituent parts.

The work displays mounds of brightly coloured wools.

A New York architect has created a space that looks at how social networking is affecting our pursuit of sex.

His work explores the phenomenon of the gay networking site Grindr.

One of the most topical works in the exhibition is Pan European Living Room.

In post-Brexit Britain the piece looks at how our interior design is so closely connected across Europe.

It takes a typical living room and furnishes it with furniture, wallpaper and designs from the 28 EU member states.

Justin McGuirk, chief curator at the Design Museum, says: "The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

The centre-piece of the room is a vertical blind featuring a barcode design of the EU member states' flags.

When the blind opens it reveals a vista of the shattered city of Rotterdam in 1945 at the end of World War II - a stark reminder of what can happen when European countries stop cooperating.

The Design Museum's deputy director Alice Black wants people to feel that they are involved in the evolving story of design.

She created a crowd-sourced feature asking people to nominate items in their everyday lives.

Black explains: "So behind me you will see a crowd-sourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

There surely can't be many museums where a Fisher Price talking telephone, a Nintendo Gameboy and the Holy Bible all share the same wall space.

The new Design Museum is expected to attract up to 650,000 visitors in its first year and is free to enter, for the first time.

London, UK - 17 November 2016

1. Wide of robotic arm

2. Close of same

3. Various set up shots of Estelle Lovatt taking selfie with robotic arm

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Estelle Lovatt, independent art critic:

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh with it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now."

5. Mid of robotic arm

6. Tilt up of entrance to Design Museum with stairs doubling up as seats

7. Wide tilt down from concrete ceiling to museum entrance

8. Various set up shots of walking up stairs and through museum

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Deyan Sudjic, director of Design Museum:

"The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience about why design is important."

10. Mid of exhibit Room Tone that uses wearable technology to record London city life

11. Various of exhibit Fibre Market that demonstrates how wool clothes can be recycled and sorted by colour

12. Mid of neon panel reading: (English) "Love/Fear"

13. Various of exhibit looking at the Grindr ( gay social network app) phenomenon

14. Various of exhibit by Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke who uses ancient wooden looms to create the fashions

15. Pull focus from Italian Arco lamp to British wallpaper by Nina Campbell

16. Wide of the Pan European Living Room exhibit - a room furnished with designs from each of the 28 member states of the EU

17. Pan left of blinds in the colours of EU member state flags#

18. Mid of Romanian coffee pot by Ero on a coffee table

19. Various set up shots of Justin McGuirk

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Justin McGuirk, chief curator, Design Museum:

"The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

21. Wide of Pan European Living Room exhibit with photograph of Rotterdam in 1945, destroyed after World War II as a backdrop

22. Various set up shots of Alice Black

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Black, deputy director of the Design Museum:

"So behind me you will see a crowdsourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

24. Mid of crowdsourced design wall with Underground sign in centre

25. Close of Fisher Price talking telephone

26. Pan right from violin to Game Boy and Bible

27. Various exterior shots of Design Museum

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4066587

LEAD IN:

Designs inspired by the London Underground and Brexit are now on show in the new-look Design Museum in Kensington.

The new space is in a Grade-II listed piece of 1960s modernist architecture, three times larger than the Museum's previous home.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Mimus the mechanical robot who only wants to be your friend.

This 1,200kg industrial arm has been programmed to respond and interact with passersby.

Mimus is the one of the attractions in the new Design Museum in London.

Art critic Estelle Lovatt is one of the first people to get a look around the museum

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh at it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead of, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now," she says.

The Design Museum outgrew its previous home on the South Bank of the Thames and has moved into Kensington, a district well-known for its important museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The new building occupies a Grade-II listed modernist site created in the 1960s for the Commonwealth Institute.

The restoration of the empty building took five years and required an £83 million investment.

Museum director Deyan Sudjic explains the importance of the move.

He says: "The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience why design is important."

The Design Museum opens with a striking exhibition called Fear and Love, which challenged 11 designers to react to a wide range of issues that affect the modern world.

Dutch designer Christien Meinderstma's installation Fibre Market explores the possibility of recycling our clothes and sorting them into their constituent parts.

The work displays mounds of brightly coloured wools.

A New York architect has created a space that looks at how social networking is affecting our pursuit of sex.

His work explores the phenomenon of the gay networking site Grindr.

One of the most topical works in the exhibition is Pan European Living Room.

In post-Brexit Britain the piece looks at how our interior design is so closely connected across Europe.

It takes a typical living room and furnishes it with furniture, wallpaper and designs from the 28 EU member states.

Justin McGuirk, chief curator at the Design Museum, says: "The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

The centre-piece of the room is a vertical blind featuring a barcode design of the EU member states' flags.

When the blind opens it reveals a vista of the shattered city of Rotterdam in 1945 at the end of World War II - a stark reminder of what can happen when European countries stop cooperating.

The Design Museum's deputy director Alice Black wants people to feel that they are involved in the evolving story of design.

She created a crowd-sourced feature asking people to nominate items in their everyday lives.

Black explains: "So behind me you will see a crowd-sourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

There surely can't be many museums where a Fisher Price talking telephone, a Nintendo Gameboy and the Holy Bible all share the same wall space.

The new Design Museum is expected to attract up to 650,000 visitors in its first year and is free to enter, for the first time.

London, UK - 17 November 2016

1. Wide of robotic arm

2. Close of same

3. Various set up shots of Estelle Lovatt taking selfie with robotic arm

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Estelle Lovatt, independent art critic:

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh with it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now."

5. Mid of robotic arm

6. Tilt up of entrance to Design Museum with stairs doubling up as seats

7. Wide tilt down from concrete ceiling to museum entrance

8. Various set up shots of walking up stairs and through museum

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Deyan Sudjic, director of Design Museum:

"The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience about why design is important."

10. Mid of exhibit Room Tone that uses wearable technology to record London city life

11. Various of exhibit Fibre Market that demonstrates how wool clothes can be recycled and sorted by colour

12. Mid of neon panel reading: (English) "Love/Fear"

13. Various of exhibit looking at the Grindr ( gay social network app) phenomenon

14. Various of exhibit by Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke who uses ancient wooden looms to create the fashions

15. Pull focus from Italian Arco lamp to British wallpaper by Nina Campbell

16. Wide of the Pan European Living Room exhibit - a room furnished with designs from each of the 28 member states of the EU

17. Pan left of blinds in the colours of EU member state flags#

18. Mid of Romanian coffee pot by Ero on a coffee table

19. Various set up shots of Justin McGuirk

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Justin McGuirk, chief curator, Design Museum:

"The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

21. Wide of Pan European Living Room exhibit with photograph of Rotterdam in 1945, destroyed after World War II as a backdrop

22. Various set up shots of Alice Black

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Black, deputy director of the Design Museum:

"So behind me you will see a crowdsourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

24. Mid of crowdsourced design wall with Underground sign in centre

25. Close of Fisher Price talking telephone

26. Pan right from violin to Game Boy and Bible

27. Various exterior shots of Design Museum

LEAD IN:

Designs inspired by the London Underground and Brexit are now on show in the new-look Design Museum in Kensington.

The new space is in a Grade-II listed piece of 1960s modernist architecture, three times larger than the Museum's previous home.

STORY-LINE:

Meet Mimus the mechanical robot who only wants to be your friend.

This 1,200kg industrial arm has been programmed to respond and interact with passersby.

Mimus is the one of the attractions in the new Design Museum in London.

Art critic Estelle Lovatt is one of the first people to get a look around the museum

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh at it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead of, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now," she says.

The Design Museum outgrew its previous home on the South Bank of the Thames and has moved into Kensington, a district well-known for its important museums, including the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The new building occupies a Grade-II listed modernist site created in the 1960s for the Commonwealth Institute.

The restoration of the empty building took five years and required an £83 million investment.

Museum director Deyan Sudjic explains the importance of the move.

He says: "The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience why design is important."

The Design Museum opens with a striking exhibition called Fear and Love, which challenged 11 designers to react to a wide range of issues that affect the modern world.

Dutch designer Christien Meinderstma's installation Fibre Market explores the possibility of recycling our clothes and sorting them into their constituent parts.

The work displays mounds of brightly coloured wools.

A New York architect has created a space that looks at how social networking is affecting our pursuit of sex.

His work explores the phenomenon of the gay networking site Grindr.

One of the most topical works in the exhibition is Pan European Living Room.

In post-Brexit Britain the piece looks at how our interior design is so closely connected across Europe.

It takes a typical living room and furnishes it with furniture, wallpaper and designs from the 28 EU member states.

Justin McGuirk, chief curator at the Design Museum, says: "The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

The centre-piece of the room is a vertical blind featuring a barcode design of the EU member states' flags.

When the blind opens it reveals a vista of the shattered city of Rotterdam in 1945 at the end of World War II - a stark reminder of what can happen when European countries stop cooperating.

The Design Museum's deputy director Alice Black wants people to feel that they are involved in the evolving story of design.

She created a crowd-sourced feature asking people to nominate items in their everyday lives.

Black explains: "So behind me you will see a crowd-sourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

There surely can't be many museums where a Fisher Price talking telephone, a Nintendo Gameboy and the Holy Bible all share the same wall space.

The new Design Museum is expected to attract up to 650,000 visitors in its first year and is free to enter, for the first time.

London, UK - 17 November 2016

1. Wide of robotic arm

2. Close of same

3. Various set up shots of Estelle Lovatt taking selfie with robotic arm

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Estelle Lovatt, independent art critic:

"You know what I think of the new building, and I use the word sit as well, I love the fact that as soon as you walk in you can walk up the stairs and you can also sit on them. That struck me that there's so much humour here as well. You know I love the fact that this piece here behind me, I don't know whether to laugh with it or be afraid of it but it's the interactiveness of this museum that will make it steps ahead, leap years ahead of the other museums that we go into now."

5. Mid of robotic arm

6. Tilt up of entrance to Design Museum with stairs doubling up as seats

7. Wide tilt down from concrete ceiling to museum entrance

8. Various set up shots of walking up stairs and through museum

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Deyan Sudjic, director of Design Museum:

"The design museum is here in its new home in Kensington, new home? Actually the transformation of a building from the 60s. We've moved from a charming converted banana ripening warehouse next to Tower Bridge here to this great piece of 60s architecture brought back to life. We've moved because we think design is to important to leave to the specialists, to the priesthood, we're trying to do here for contemporary design and architecture what the Tate Modern did for contemporary art. Turning something that was seen as on the margins of the wider conversation into something right at the centre. So we have three times the space, 100,000 square feet, we can offer free admission. We have a chance really to talk to a much wider audience about why design is important."

10. Mid of exhibit Room Tone that uses wearable technology to record London city life

11. Various of exhibit Fibre Market that demonstrates how wool clothes can be recycled and sorted by colour

12. Mid of neon panel reading: (English) "Love/Fear"

13. Various of exhibit looking at the Grindr ( gay social network app) phenomenon

14. Various of exhibit by Chinese fashion designer Ma Ke who uses ancient wooden looms to create the fashions

15. Pull focus from Italian Arco lamp to British wallpaper by Nina Campbell

16. Wide of the Pan European Living Room exhibit - a room furnished with designs from each of the 28 member states of the EU

17. Pan left of blinds in the colours of EU member state flags#

18. Mid of Romanian coffee pot by Ero on a coffee table

19. Various set up shots of Justin McGuirk

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Justin McGuirk, chief curator, Design Museum:

"The average European living room, or our idea of the domestic interior, is really a construct of European cooperation and collaboration, trade agreements, designers from Britain and Holland working with manufacturers in Italy and Sweden and so in some senses the idea that one can pull out of that is an illusion."

21. Wide of Pan European Living Room exhibit with photograph of Rotterdam in 1945, destroyed after World War II as a backdrop

22. Various set up shots of Alice Black

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Alice Black, deputy director of the Design Museum:

"So behind me you will see a crowdsourced wall, so what we did we asked our audiences what they wanted to see in a design museum, we sort of turned the table on them and said what do you think is good design, what in your every day design objects make a better life or a more beautiful life around you. So they sent us about 850 nominations from about 25 different countries and we selected 250 pieces that are on the wall behind me."

24. Mid of crowdsourced design wall with Underground sign in centre

25. Close of Fisher Price talking telephone

26. Pan right from violin to Game Boy and Bible

27. Various exterior shots of Design Museum