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

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

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorm, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, British expats expressed their concerns about what a Brexit can mean for them, with work permits, health care and pensions among the top worries.

Their situation will be one of the things to be negotiated between the UK and the European Union in the coming months and years after Britain voted Thursday to leave the bloc.

The British expat community in Spain was split between those who could vote and those, like bar owner Chuck Daulson, who have lived away from Britain for longer than 15 years, disqualifying them from voting in the referendum.

He was concerned he would have to go back to Britain and lose all he's worked for in the 23 years he's lived and worked in Spain.

While being one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 officially registered as residents, Spain is a key holiday destination for British tourists.

The outcome of the vote was also a concern for Spaniards making a living off the tourism industry, which, in places like Benidorm, depends heavily on British travellers.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorm, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, British expats expressed their concerns about what a Brexit can mean for them, with work permits, health care and pensions among the top worries.

Their situation will be one of the things to be negotiated between the UK and the European Union in the coming months and years after Britain voted Thursday to leave the bloc.

The British expat community in Spain was split between those who could vote and those, like bar owner Chuck Daulson, who have lived away from Britain for longer than 15 years, disqualifying them from voting in the referendum.

He was concerned he would have to go back to Britain and lose all he's worked for in the 23 years he's lived and worked in Spain.

While being one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 officially registered as residents, Spain is a key holiday destination for British tourists.

The outcome of the vote was also a concern for Spaniards making a living off the tourism industry, which, in places like Benidorm, depends heavily on British travellers.

Benidorm - June 24 2016

1. Various of beach in Benidorm

2. Various of tourists watching British Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation on TV in a bar

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Chuck Daulson, Englishman living in Spain for 23 years, 51-year-old bar owner:

"We're very scared because I've been here 23 years, I've got my house, my kids were born here, they've been to Spanish school, I've got a bar, I've got a lot to lose. If I go back to England, I've got nothing. No house. Nothing."

4. England flags hanging in the bar

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Chuck Daulson, Englishman living in Spain for 23 years, 51-year-old bar owner:

"We don't know how we're going to be now, we might have no pension, we might have no medical, we may have to sell our properties, we've lived here for a lot of years, we don't know how it's going to affect us anymore."

6. Various of Sarah, no last name given, serving customers in bar

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Sarah, 28-year-old Londoner living in Benidorm for 3 years, waitress:

"I've got my mum to vote on my behalf for me, I voted 'in' obviously. If we leave the EU, then it's bad on us expats who live here, obviously we'll lose our medical care, we'll lose our right to work without a work permit. Me and my boyfriend, we've lived here for 3 years, we won't get a chance to get a mortgage or anything like that now."

8. Various of people watching the news on TV at a terrace bar

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Julianne, (no last name given), 75-year-old English tourist in Benidorm, retired:

"We want to control our borders and make our own decisions, and for my grandchildren I think it would be better that we're on our own."

10. Various of newspaper stand

11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gemma, (no last name given), Benidorm native working in the tourism industry:

"We make a living out of foreign people, I think 80 percent of tourists coming here to Benidorm and all the coast around are English."

12. Shot of tourist post at the beach

13. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Gemma, (no last name given), Benidorm native working in the tourism industry:

"We think it can affect us a lot in our business, in the work that we do, so we're concerned about what can happen, and yes we're a little bit scared."

14. Various of Sterling vs Euro currency exchange sign being changed in the street

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted on whether to remain within or leave the European Union.

Spain has one of the largest communities of British people living abroad, with around 300-thousand Brits officially registered as residents.

It is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, Brits expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

Most people were going out as usual and most clubs didn't broadcast the TV specials on the referendum, although early after polls closed in Britain some people were seen watching the results in at least a couple of bars in the area of Levante Beach.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted on whether to remain within or leave the European Union.

Spain has one of the largest communities of British people living abroad, with around 300-thousand Brits officially registered as residents.

It is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, Brits expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

Most people were going out as usual and most clubs didn't broadcast the TV specials on the referendum, although early after polls closed in Britain some people were seen watching the results in at least a couple of bars in the area of Levante Beach.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Benidorm - 23 June 2016

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Various of coast promenade in Benidorm

2. Close of Union Jack bunting

3. Various of nightclubs

4. Television screen showing news programme on EU Referendum

5. Louise Bell, 42-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Spain for 19 years, watching television programme on EU referendum

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Bell, born in Nottingham but has been living in Spain for 19 years:

"I believe that it's not going to make much difference if we come out of the Euro (sic.). I think everything will stay more or less the same as it was 19 years ago; it's just that you would have to have a work permit to come over to Spain, which I think is more safer for the people travelling around, people with no papers will be more controlled. And my vote is out, because I'm English and I think I deserve, for my country, for my family, that they get the best from their own country."

7. Jim Lions and his wife, UK tourists, watching television coverage

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Lions, 58-years-old, UK tourist in Benidorm:

"I have not voted because I've been here in Benidorm on holiday."

9. Close of Jim Lions

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Lions, 58-years-old, UK tourist in Benidorm:

"I vote we stay in because it's good for a lot of British, could be a lot of problems if we go alone, it's good for companies, the company I work for we deal all over Europe, so it's very good for us."

11. Close of sign reading "Titanic Bar"

12. Bar customers having a drink and watching television coverage

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Denise Wood, 60-years-old, UK tourist:

"I voted by proxy before I came away, I voted to come out of the EU and I don't think that our country benefits from the EU, and I don't think that the politicians know what to do with the country."

14. Various of bars in Benidorm

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted whether to reamain a part of, or leave the European Union.

While one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 Brits officially registered as resident, Spain is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, beachgoers expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Some of the British people holidaying in Spain expressed their oppinion about the referendum.

British residents in Spain were among those watching the EU referendum result closely on Thursday as the UK voted whether to reamain a part of, or leave the European Union.

While one of the largest communities of British people living abroad with around 300,000 Brits officially registered as resident, Spain is also a key holiday destination for British tourists.

In the sunny seaside resort city of Benidorn, which has a vibrant British community of around 3,500 people, beachgoers expressed their concerns on Thursday about what a 'Leave' vote would mean for local British residents and tourists, with a possible weaker pound being a key worry for some.

The British expat community in Spain is split between those who can vote and those who have lived away from Britain for longer than fifteen years, disqualifying them from a say on whether the UK remains in union with their adopted country.

Many of them are afraid of the consequences of a potential Brexit for their status in Spain, which would depend on negotiations between the EU and the UK should the 'Leave' side triumph.

Some of the British people holidaying in Spain expressed their oppinion about the referendum.

Benidorm - 23 June 2016

1. Various of beach in Benidorm

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Maining, 50-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Benidorm for 23 years, translator and teacher, cannot vote in the referendum:

"I'm unable to vote because I've lived here over the 10 year period, which makes me a permanent resident of Spain, but I'm obviously British born"

3. Beach

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Maining, 50-years-old, UK-born but has been living in Benidorm for 23 years, translator and teacher, cannot vote in the referendum:

"I think a lot of people are very scared to leave; they'd like to leave but they're scared for the one reason that they live in Spain. I think the majority here that can vote would vote for in, because they're scared that they would have to leave. Again, that's a shame, because that's lack of information. You know, I don't think ... Spain does very well out of tourism, and I don't think in any instance would Spain want to lose the tourism that it has."

5. British tourists seated on a bar terrace

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald George, 71-years-old, Englishman traveling as tourist in Benidorm, voted 'Remain' via postal vote:

"If we leave the EU, I'm sure that the rate of Sterling against the Euro would … "Whooosh" (gesturing upwards with hands)…. It would explode, we couldn't afford to take our holidays in Europe anymore".

7. Various of Becky and her daughter playing on the beach

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Becky (no surname given), 25-years-old, from Leeds, housewife, voted 'Remain' via postal vote:

"I've postal-voted in for the sake of our country to be united and safe and welcoming to all".

9. Various of beach

10. Crowds drinking at bar

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:

German business confidence rose more than expected last month (December 2016), with sentiment improving in the key manufacturing sector and elsewhere, according to the Ifo (Information and Forschung) Institute for Economic Research.

Germany has kept its manufacturing traditions at the heart of its strong economy... and in one region it is making of instruments that have sustained economic growth.

STORY-LINE:

Skilled musicians demand the best instruments.

In recent decades mass production of orchestral instruments is dominated by factories in China.

But quality production of instruments can still be found in the region of Vogtland in Saxony, where more than 1,300 craftsmen in more than 100 workshops continue the craft of their ancestors.

Many workshops boast 4th or 5th generation artisans and the majority of the companies are family businesses.

Jurgen Voigt is one of the medium size companies in Markneukirchen employing 30 people.

The company has been in the current owner's family for 10 generations, and it produces a variety of brass instruments and spare parts.

Kerstin Voigt says one of the extra advantages of the company is that they are able to offer not only high quality instruments but also custom made instruments.

Musicians can ask for changes on the catalogued instruments or can design new ones.

Despite the company's long tradition in handcrafting instruments, they have also embraced industrial machinery, using machines alongside the craftsmen.

At the beginning of the 20th century, factories with thousands of workers were based in Vogtland.

China has become one of the biggest producers of music instruments in recent years.

But for the manufacturers of Vogtland this does not present a threat.

"The cheap products from the Asia made the beginners (pupils) music instrument market unreachable to us.", says Kerstin Voigt.

"It has broken away (from us). They (the clients) were going there (They are all buying Chinese instruments). But professionals, (music university) students and today's very dedicated amateurs demand more and more to have custom made instruments."

Neither mass production having moved to another country or the recent economic crisis has posed a substantial threat to Voigts' company.

"You could say that the crisis of the last years, either the economic crisis or Brexit and Grexit, was to our benefit. Interests in the money market are low, and so people started investing in which are durable and have great value," she says.

Musical instruments have been manufactured for more than 350 years in the southern region of Saxony, close to the Bavarian and the Czech border.

Björn Stoll's family has been in the music production industry since 1836. Stoll is now the owner of the family business working alongside his father producing cellos and double basses.

"We deliver worldwide. From the USA, to Japan, Indonesia, Austria, Spain, China. Especially in China they build a lot of cheap instruments but there are also a lot of good musicians searching for high quality instruments. They are coming to us to order customised instruments," says Stoll.

"Most of our clients want that the instrument look used even if they get it new. Because old instruments have the image that they are the best.The old Italians for example. That's because we make new instruments look like old ones. There you can see scratches and hits in the varnish. Wear marks we put on the new instruments which you would see generally not until hundreds of years. The vintage look," he adds.

A tourism industry has evolved to complement the instrument making tradition, with workshops opening their doors to visitors.

Frank Bilz is the manager of Musicon Valley association, an organisation that is promoting tourism in the area.

"Tourism generates revenues of which we had no idea until a few years ago (it was possible)," he says.

For the visitors this is an opportunity to learn something new while visiting a relatively undiscovered region.

"I wanted to see this here because I didn't know about it. I am 55 years old but I was amazed that they make everything by hand at not as you might think by machine," says visitor Ilona Rossberger.

Vogtland instruments are indeed well regarded in the music world.

Frank Meyer, is the co-owner of Ludwig Frank & Frank Meyer music instrument shop in Berlin, which specialises in woodwind instruments.

"The clients which are buying instruments from Vogtland and especially from our company are mostly professionals. They are coming from broadcast orchestras, from opera (orchestras) and from all around the world, Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and let's not forget Beijing," he says.

Balazs piri Arpad, an oboist of the Slovenian National Opera orchestra has driven from Slovenia to buy an instrument made in Vogtland.

Balazs piri Arpad has driven from Slovenia with his colleague in order to try one these instruments.

"My colleague from philharmonic, he has already got this instrument, and I tried and it is very nice, warm sound, good intonation, flexible tones, so..."

In 2014 UNESCO recognised Vogtland Musical Instrument Construction in Markneukirchen and the Surrounding Area as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 7, 2016

1. Medium zoom out of man playing the trumpet

2. Various shots of employees producing brass instruments

3. Various of Kirstin Voigt walking and talking with employees

4. SOUNDBITE (Germany) Kerstin Voigt, owner of brass instruments company Jürgen Voigt :

"The cheap products from Asia made the beginners (pupils) music instrument market unreachable to us. It has broken away (from us). They (the clients) were going there (They are all buying Chinese instruments). But professionals, (music university) students and today's very dedicated amateurs demand more and more to have custom made instruments"

5. Various of electronic heavy machinery being operated by an employee

6. SOUNDBITE (Germany) Kerstin Voigt, owner of brass instruments company Jürgen Voigt :

"You could say that the crisis of the last years, either the economic crisis or Brexit and Grexit, was to our benefit. Interests in the money market are low, and so people started investing in things which are durable and have great value"

7. Close up of frame with old advertising poster

8. Various of Björn Stoll's father attaching strings to a cello

9. Various of Björn Stoll carving the wooden top of a cello

10. SOUNDBITE (German) Björn Stoll, luthier and owner of Contrabass workshop :

"We deliver worldwide. From the USA, to Japan, Indonesia, Austria, Spain, China. Especially in China they build a lot of cheap instruments but there are also a lot of good musicians searching for high quality instruments. They are coming to us to order customised instruments"

11. Various of Björn's father tuning a cello

12. SOUNDBITE (German) Björn Stoll, Luthier and owner of Contrabass workshop:

"Most of our clients want that the instrument look used even if they get it new. Because old instruments have the image that they are the best.The old Italians for example. That's because we make new instruments look like old ones. There you can see scratches and hits in the varnish. Wear marks we put on the new instruments which you would see generally not until hundreds of years. The vintage look"

13. Various of employee and father of Björn Stoll working on cellos

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 8, 2016

14. Wide of Markneukirchen

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 7, 2016

15. Wide exterior of Musicon Valley association building

16. Medium of Tourists arriving at the Musicon Valley and being greeted by Frank Bilz

17. Close up of date on building

18. Medium of Frank Bilz talking to the tourists

19. Medium of frame on the wall with old pictures of music craftsmen working

20. Close up of picture of craftsman working on a bass

21. SOUNDBITE (German) Frank Bilz, Manager of Musicon Valley:

At the end of the day they can say that the added value has arisen here. Tourism generates revenues of which we had no idea until a few years ago (it was possible)"

22. Medium of luthier giving a seminar to tourists

23. Close up of violin handles on the wall

24. SOUNDBITE (German) Ilona Rossberger, Visitor

"I wanted to see this here because I didn't know about it. I am 55 years old but I was amazed that they make everything by hand at not as you might think by machine"

Berlin - December 10, 2016

25. Various exterior of wind instruments shop

26. Various of owner Frank Meyer, co owner of Ludwig Frank music shop, entering room with instruments and arranging instruments on the display

27. SOUNDBITE (German) Frank Meyer, Ludwig Frank music shop:

"The clients which are buying instruments from Vogtland and especially from our company are mostly professionals. They are coming from broadcast orchestras, from opera (orchestras) and from all around the world, Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and let's not forget Beijing"

28. Various of Oboist Balazs piri Arpad of the Slovenian National Opera playing an oboe

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Balazs piri Arpad, oboist at Slovenian National Opera:

"My colleague from philharmonic, he has already got this instrument, and I tried and it is very nice, warm sound, good intonation, flexible tones, so..."

30. Zoom in of Balazs piri Arpad of the Slovenian National Opera playing an oboe

LEAD IN:

German business confidence rose more than expected last month (December 2016), with sentiment improving in the key manufacturing sector and elsewhere, according to the Ifo (Information and Forschung) Institute for Economic Research.

Germany has kept its manufacturing traditions at the heart of its strong economy... and in one region it is making of instruments that have sustained economic growth.

STORY-LINE:

Skilled musicians demand the best instruments.

In recent decades mass production of orchestral instruments is dominated by factories in China.

But quality production of instruments can still be found in the region of Vogtland in Saxony, where more than 1,300 craftsmen in more than 100 workshops continue the craft of their ancestors.

Many workshops boast 4th or 5th generation artisans and the majority of the companies are family businesses.

Jurgen Voigt is one of the medium size companies in Markneukirchen employing 30 people.

The company has been in the current owner's family for 10 generations, and it produces a variety of brass instruments and spare parts.

Kerstin Voigt says one of the extra advantages of the company is that they are able to offer not only high quality instruments but also custom made instruments.

Musicians can ask for changes on the catalogued instruments or can design new ones.

Despite the company's long tradition in handcrafting instruments, they have also embraced industrial machinery, using machines alongside the craftsmen.

At the beginning of the 20th century, factories with thousands of workers were based in Vogtland.

China has become one of the biggest producers of music instruments in recent years.

But for the manufacturers of Vogtland this does not present a threat.

"The cheap products from the Asia made the beginners (pupils) music instrument market unreachable to us.", says Kerstin Voigt.

"It has broken away (from us). They (the clients) were going there (They are all buying Chinese instruments). But professionals, (music university) students and today's very dedicated amateurs demand more and more to have custom made instruments."

Neither mass production having moved to another country or the recent economic crisis has posed a substantial threat to Voigts' company.

"You could say that the crisis of the last years, either the economic crisis or Brexit and Grexit, was to our benefit. Interests in the money market are low, and so people started investing in which are durable and have great value," she says.

Musical instruments have been manufactured for more than 350 years in the southern region of Saxony, close to the Bavarian and the Czech border.

Björn Stoll's family has been in the music production industry since 1836. Stoll is now the owner of the family business working alongside his father producing cellos and double basses.

"We deliver worldwide. From the USA, to Japan, Indonesia, Austria, Spain, China. Especially in China they build a lot of cheap instruments but there are also a lot of good musicians searching for high quality instruments. They are coming to us to order customised instruments," says Stoll.

"Most of our clients want that the instrument look used even if they get it new. Because old instruments have the image that they are the best.The old Italians for example. That's because we make new instruments look like old ones. There you can see scratches and hits in the varnish. Wear marks we put on the new instruments which you would see generally not until hundreds of years. The vintage look," he adds.

A tourism industry has evolved to complement the instrument making tradition, with workshops opening their doors to visitors.

Frank Bilz is the manager of Musicon Valley association, an organisation that is promoting tourism in the area.

"Tourism generates revenues of which we had no idea until a few years ago (it was possible)," he says.

For the visitors this is an opportunity to learn something new while visiting a relatively undiscovered region.

"I wanted to see this here because I didn't know about it. I am 55 years old but I was amazed that they make everything by hand at not as you might think by machine," says visitor Ilona Rossberger.

Vogtland instruments are indeed well regarded in the music world.

Frank Meyer, is the co-owner of Ludwig Frank & Frank Meyer music instrument shop in Berlin, which specialises in woodwind instruments.

"The clients which are buying instruments from Vogtland and especially from our company are mostly professionals. They are coming from broadcast orchestras, from opera (orchestras) and from all around the world, Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and let's not forget Beijing," he says.

Balazs piri Arpad, an oboist of the Slovenian National Opera orchestra has driven from Slovenia to buy an instrument made in Vogtland.

Balazs piri Arpad has driven from Slovenia with his colleague in order to try one these instruments.

"My colleague from philharmonic, he has already got this instrument, and I tried and it is very nice, warm sound, good intonation, flexible tones, so..."

In 2014 UNESCO recognised Vogtland Musical Instrument Construction in Markneukirchen and the Surrounding Area as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 7, 2016

1. Medium zoom out of man playing the trumpet

2. Various shots of employees producing brass instruments

3. Various of Kirstin Voigt walking and talking with employees

4. SOUNDBITE (Germany) Kerstin Voigt, owner of brass instruments company Jürgen Voigt :

"The cheap products from Asia made the beginners (pupils) music instrument market unreachable to us. It has broken away (from us). They (the clients) were going there (They are all buying Chinese instruments). But professionals, (music university) students and today's very dedicated amateurs demand more and more to have custom made instruments"

5. Various of electronic heavy machinery being operated by an employee

6. SOUNDBITE (Germany) Kerstin Voigt, owner of brass instruments company Jürgen Voigt :

"You could say that the crisis of the last years, either the economic crisis or Brexit and Grexit, was to our benefit. Interests in the money market are low, and so people started investing in things which are durable and have great value"

7. Close up of frame with old advertising poster

8. Various of Björn Stoll's father attaching strings to a cello

9. Various of Björn Stoll carving the wooden top of a cello

10. SOUNDBITE (German) Björn Stoll, luthier and owner of Contrabass workshop :

"We deliver worldwide. From the USA, to Japan, Indonesia, Austria, Spain, China. Especially in China they build a lot of cheap instruments but there are also a lot of good musicians searching for high quality instruments. They are coming to us to order customised instruments"

11. Various of Björn's father tuning a cello

12. SOUNDBITE (German) Björn Stoll, Luthier and owner of Contrabass workshop:

"Most of our clients want that the instrument look used even if they get it new. Because old instruments have the image that they are the best.The old Italians for example. That's because we make new instruments look like old ones. There you can see scratches and hits in the varnish. Wear marks we put on the new instruments which you would see generally not until hundreds of years. The vintage look"

13. Various of employee and father of Björn Stoll working on cellos

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 8, 2016

14. Wide of Markneukirchen

Markneukirchen, Vogtland - December 7, 2016

15. Wide exterior of Musicon Valley association building

16. Medium of Tourists arriving at the Musicon Valley and being greeted by Frank Bilz

17. Close up of date on building

18. Medium of Frank Bilz talking to the tourists

19. Medium of frame on the wall with old pictures of music craftsmen working

20. Close up of picture of craftsman working on a bass

21. SOUNDBITE (German) Frank Bilz, Manager of Musicon Valley:

At the end of the day they can say that the added value has arisen here. Tourism generates revenues of which we had no idea until a few years ago (it was possible)"

22. Medium of luthier giving a seminar to tourists

23. Close up of violin handles on the wall

24. SOUNDBITE (German) Ilona Rossberger, Visitor

"I wanted to see this here because I didn't know about it. I am 55 years old but I was amazed that they make everything by hand at not as you might think by machine"

Berlin - December 10, 2016

25. Various exterior of wind instruments shop

26. Various of owner Frank Meyer, co owner of Ludwig Frank music shop, entering room with instruments and arranging instruments on the display

27. SOUNDBITE (German) Frank Meyer, Ludwig Frank music shop:

"The clients which are buying instruments from Vogtland and especially from our company are mostly professionals. They are coming from broadcast orchestras, from opera (orchestras) and from all around the world, Paris, New York, London, Milan, Tokyo and let's not forget Beijing"

28. Various of Oboist Balazs piri Arpad of the Slovenian National Opera playing an oboe

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Balazs piri Arpad, oboist at Slovenian National Opera:

"My colleague from philharmonic, he has already got this instrument, and I tried and it is very nice, warm sound, good intonation, flexible tones, so..."

30. Zoom in of Balazs piri Arpad of the Slovenian National Opera playing an oboe

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

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