LEAD IN:

For decades Britain's discontent over its European Union (EU) membership has simmered on, but then came the June referendum.

Nationalism surfaced and Britain's voted to leave the EU.

Brexit as it became known sent shockwaves through money markets and governments around the world.

STORY-LINE:

In the weeks running up to referendum judgement day, the British were busy with a little soul searching.

Mulling over their shared history, the country's pride in their democracy and heritage.

It was a year when Queen Elizabeth celebrated being the longest reigning UK monarch and the country celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

The pomp and ceremony from her recent jubilee were still a source of pride and were reminiscent of the heydays when London style was considered to be world leading.

In the 1960's British fashion and British pop were riding high.

That sense of being at the vanguard of style has continued, according to Robert Johnston the Fashion Director of GQ Magazine: "You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

Author Iain Aitch explained how a variety of heritages were now mixed up, making Britishness a more complex idea to communicate: "Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

But it wasn't this hipster, Brick Lane art and curry house side of Britain that won the vote.

The referendum on June 23rd was to signal the start of a long debate.

Britons for the first time had to absorb what being outside of the EU looked like.

Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community in January 1973.

This was ratified by a referendum in 1975 with a resounding 67% majority.

By the seventies, Britain was beset by strikes and disgruntled union workers.

Traditional industries such as manufacturing and coal were in decline in the mid seventies.

Unemployment exceeded one million for the first time in March 1975. By the August that figure had increased to 1.25 million.

Some 83,000 immigrants were living in the UK by 1975, mostly from the Commonwealth.

According to Migration Watch UK for the year ending December 2015, net migration to the UK was 333,000.

And the lady had yet to turn. Margaret Thatcher MP (then leader of the opposition) campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community.

Later as prime minister between 1979 and 1990, Thatcher was known for her tough line with Brussels, especially during negotiations for the Maastrict Treaty in 1992.

The city of Maastrict is the home of the treaty which created the EU.

As summer arrived, businesses, leading universities and research establishments were beginning to assess the impact of Brexit.

For science and medicine, concerns were two fold.

Britain had attracted thousands of top researchers as well as billions of Euros in grants.

They went into research like this at Kings College London.

This project is a multidisciplinary look at the potential causes and effects of autism. It's a long term project which is linked to other studies across Europe.

Doctors and scientists aren't worried about losing cash in the short term, but falling behind in the knowledge race in the long term, especially as Britain has sought to place itself as a central base for the new industrial technologies.

The other fear is losing the brains which have been drawn to British research, people who now fear they will need to move to other institutions to keep up with the cash and the research.

Lead scientist at King's College Professor Declan Murphy warned: "Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain, according to Murphy. He argues it will be the children with autism like Van Velzen who will lose out.

As an island nation, boat building and sales have been important to the UK.

The industry fears rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by the plunge in the pound's value.

Phil Popham, the CEO of Sunseeker International was cautious: "We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

Others like Russell Currie, the Managing Director of Fairline Yachts, says he already had cause to worry: "We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market."

British Marine's chief executive Howard Pridding tried to show more confidence in the course ahead: "Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic."

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, mostly France, Portugal and Spain according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But that's a conservative figure because many expats don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

At Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol, many Brits don't want to return to Blighty.

Used to the sun, sea and cafe society, some British residents are so concerned that their lives on the Costas are threatened, that after many years they're finally learning to speak Spanish.

According to Mijas' Mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado: "When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

Local traders are also keen to keep the British on the Costa.

Many are retired and spend their pensions here.

Bar owner Sergio Morales says: "Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

A cloud of uncertainty still hangs over British expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

And it's possible a string of similar nationality schools for expats may spring up.

Not everyone was bemoaning the onset of Brexit.

The art and antique market experienced a mini boom according to London dealers at this winter fair.

The weak pound against the dollar and Euro has seen American collectors in particular start to snap up bargains with savings of beween 25 and 30 per cent compared with six months ago.

Art dealers are reporting a similar trend.

They say investors see the arts market as a safe refuge in uncertain times.

As Christmas approaches the toy industry is bracing itself and Santa is wondering whether he'll have much to be jolly about.

It's the time of year when manufacturers and retailers count on making their biggest cash bonus of the year.

According to industry analyst Frederique Tutt: "Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

That's because toy retailers buy stock almost a year in advance and can keep prices stable, but the toy dealers here admit next year the stockings left out for Father Chrismas may have shrunk considerably.

There's nothing as Christmassy as a Christmas tree, but in Denmark the outlook for tree producers isn't quite so evergreen.

According to the Danish Christmas Tree Association, the small Scandinavian country grows around 11.5 million trees a year.

About 9.5 million of those are exported.

But these are challenging times and currency fluctuations are having an effect on trade.

Speaking about his members, Claus Jerram Christensen of the Danish Christmas Tree Association says: "They have experienced that the low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

The true impact of Brexit on Britain and Europe as a whole is still to an extent unknown.

The UK government had announced it was to trigger Article 50 next March to start negotiations to leave EU.

But since then, Brexit has twice been contested in the High Court.

One ruling has already stated Britain's law makers should be allowed a vote in Parliament beforehand.

Breaking up, it seems, really is hard to do.

AP Television

London, UK - 22 February 2016

1. Wide of UK Houses of Parliament as London bus passes

2. Close of clock face at the top of Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June 2016

3. Wide of Big Ben as seen from Buckingham Palace

4. Wide of Buckingham Palace

POOL

London, UK - 3 June 2012

5. Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip (centre), Charles (left) and Camilla (right) on royal barge during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

6. Mid of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on royal barge

7. Pull out of royal barge sailing down River Thames during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 11 June, 2016

8. Mid of Queen Elizabeth II in carriage during the Trooping of the Colour for her 90th birthday celebrations

9. Wide of Guardsmen in ceremonial marching during the celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 1960s

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

10. Close tilt down of man putting shirt in carrier bag

11. Wide of man by scooters

UNIVERSAL ARCHIVES

London, UK - 31 October 1963

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

12. Various of Beatles getting off plane in London

AP Television

London, UK - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Johnston, Fashion Director, GQ Magazine UK

"You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

AP Television

London, UK - 3 July 2012

14. Punk and goth street fashion in Camden

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Hipster in Brick Lane cafe

16. Pull focus of street sign reading: (English) "Brick Lane E1"

17. Various of curry houses on Brick Lane

AP Television

Margate, UK - 8 June 2016

18. Various of Margate beach and people relaxing in sunshine

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Iain Aitch, Author:

"Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

20. Various of takeaway fish and chips being served

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, April 30, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

21. Red buses on a London street

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, September 24, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

22. Tilt down of Ford workers walking out of various plants

23. Wide of Ford cars on a train

24. Various men take part in industrial action at Ford plant

AP Television

United Kingdom, February 10, 1974 - no exact location available

++4:3++

25. Various of non functioning coal mines during national coal strike

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, June 3, 1975 (MUTE)

++4:3++

26. Mid of Margaret Thatcher wearing a flags-of-Europe sweater, flanked by women also wearing pro-Europe sweaters

AP Television

Maastricht, Netherlands - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

27. Clocktower of Maastricht town hall with EU, Limburg and Maastricht flags

28. Wide of streets in the town

AP Television

London, UK - 7 July 2016

29. Various of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks against the clock

30. Close tilt down of the psychologist on the autism study at Kings College London timing Rens Van Velzen during test

31. Close of Van Velzen

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London:

"Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre or from one country."

33. Various of Van Velzen being tested in eye tracking unit at Kings College London

AP Television

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

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

35. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

36. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

37. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

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

"We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

39. Various of Fairline yacht

40. 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

41. Zoom out from cruise ship docked near boat show

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

"Industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic"

AP Television

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

43. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

44. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

45. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

46. Various of Juan Mayor Carlos Maldonado in his office

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

48. Various of family walking near beach

49. Pan from people walking up steps from the beach to the owner of Royal Beach cafe talking

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

AP Television

London, UK - 1 November 2016

51. Pull focus of bronze Japanese archer

52. Mid of men admiring antique chandelier

53. Art dealer Tanya Baxter showing painting to visitor

54. Close tilt down of painting 'Paper Bride in Waiting' by Zeng Chuanxing (price £120,000/ USD 147,000)

55. Wide of antique clock stand

AP Television

London, UK - 9 November 2016

56. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

57. Wide of girl playing with toy on chair

58. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

59. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

60. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

AP Television

Lundby, Denmark - 22 November 2016

61. Mid tilt up of Christmas tree plantation

62. Wide of plantation through tops of trees

AP Television

Copenhagen, Denmark - 21 November 2016

63. SOUNDBITE (English) Claus Jerram Christensen, Managing Director of the Danish Christmas Tree Association:

"The low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

64. Mid of large container truck filled with trees pulling out of yard stacked with trees

65. Pan across field of Christmas tree saplings for 2018 and beyond

WORLD BREXIT REVIEW

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY / POOL

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.44

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

London, UK - 22 February 2016

1. Wide of UK Houses of Parliament as London bus passes

2. Close of clock face at the top of Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June 2016

3. Wide of Big Ben as seen from Buckingham Palace

4. Wide of Buckingham Palace

POOL

London, UK - 3 June 2012

5. Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip (centre), Charles (left) and Camilla (right) on royal barge during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

6. Mid of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on royal barge

7. Pull out of royal barge sailing down River Thames during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 11 June, 2016

8. Mid of Queen Elizabeth II in carriage during the Trooping of the Colour for her 90th birthday celebrations

9. Wide of Guardsmen in ceremonial marching during the celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 1960s

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

10. Close tilt down of man putting shirt in carrier bag

11. Wide of man by scooters

UNIVERSAL ARCHIVES

London, UK - 31 October 1963

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

12. Various of Beatles getting off plane in London

AP Television

London, UK - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Johnston, Fashion Director, GQ Magazine UK

"You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

AP Television

London, UK - 3 July 2012

14. Punk and goth street fashion in Camden

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Hipster in Brick Lane cafe

16. Pull focus of street sign reading: (English) "Brick Lane E1"

17. Various of curry houses on Brick Lane

AP Television

Margate, UK - 8 June 2016

18. Various of Margate beach and people relaxing in sunshine

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Iain Aitch, Author:

"Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

20. Various of takeaway fish and chips being served

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, April 30, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

21. Red buses on a London street

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, September 24, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

22. Tilt down of Ford workers walking out of various plants

23. Wide of Ford cars on a train

24. Various men take part in industrial action at Ford plant

AP Television

United Kingdom, February 10, 1974 - no exact location available

++4:3++

25. Various of non functioning coal mines during national coal strike

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, June 3, 1975 (MUTE)

++4:3++

26. Mid of Margaret Thatcher wearing a flags-of-Europe sweater, flanked by women also wearing pro-Europe sweaters

AP Television

Maastricht, Netherlands - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

27. Clocktower of Maastricht town hall with EU, Limburg and Maastricht flags

28. Wide of streets in the town

AP Television

London, UK - 7 July 2016

29. Various of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks against the clock

30. Close tilt down of the psychologist on the autism study at Kings College London timing Rens Van Velzen during test

31. Close of Van Velzen

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London:

"Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre or from one country."

33. Various of Van Velzen being tested in eye tracking unit at Kings College London

AP Television

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

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

35. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

36. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

37. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

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

"We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

39. Various of Fairline yacht

40. 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

41. Zoom out from cruise ship docked near boat show

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

"Industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic"

AP Television

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

43. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

44. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

45. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

46. Various of Juan Mayor Carlos Maldonado in his office

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

48. Various of family walking near beach

49. Pan from people walking up steps from the beach to the owner of Royal Beach cafe talking

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

AP Television

London, UK - 1 November 2016

51. Pull focus of bronze Japanese archer

52. Mid of men admiring antique chandelier

53. Art dealer Tanya Baxter showing painting to visitor

54. Close tilt down of painting 'Paper Bride in Waiting' by Zeng Chuanxing (price £120,000/ USD 147,000)

55. Wide of antique clock stand

AP Television

London, UK - 9 November 2016

56. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

57. Wide of girl playing with toy on chair

58. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

59. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

60. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

AP Television

Lundby, Denmark - 22 November 2016

61. Mid tilt up of Christmas tree plantation

62. Wide of plantation through tops of trees

AP Television

Copenhagen, Denmark - 21 November 2016

63. SOUNDBITE (English) Claus Jerram Christensen, Managing Director of the Danish Christmas Tree Association:

"The low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

64. Mid of large container truck filled with trees pulling out of yard stacked with trees

65. Pan across field of Christmas tree saplings for 2018 and beyond

LEADIN:

For decades Britain's discontent over its European Union (EU) membership has simmered on, but then came the June referendum.

Nationalism surfaced and Britain's voted to leave the EU.

Brexit as it became known sent shockwaves through money markets and governments around the world.

STORYLINE:

In the weeks running up to referendum judgement day, the British were busy with a little soul searching.

Mulling over their shared history, the country's pride in their democracy and heritage.

It was a year when Queen Elizabeth celebrated being the longest reigning UK monarch and the country celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

The pomp and ceremony from her recent jubilee were still a source of pride and were reminiscent of the heydays when London style was considered to be world leading.

In the 1960's British fashion and British pop were riding high.

That sense of being at the vanguard of style has continued, according to Robert Johnston the Fashion Director of GQ Magazine: "You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

Author Iain Aitch explained how a variety of heritages were now mixed up, making Britishness a more complex idea to communicate: "Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

But it wasn't this hipster, Brick Lane art and curry house side of Britain that won the vote.

The referendum on June 23rd was to signal the start of a long debate.

Britons for the first time had to absorb what being outside of the EU looked like.

Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community in January 1973.

This was ratified by a referendum in 1975 with a resounding 67% majority.

By the seventies, Britain was beset by strikes and disgruntled union workers.

Traditional industries such as manufacturing and coal were in decline in the mid seventies.

Unemployment exceeded one million for the first time in March 1975. By the August that figure had increased to 1.25 million.

Some 83,000 immigrants were living in the UK by 1975, mostly from the Commonwealth.

According to Migration Watch UK for the year ending December 2015, net migration to the UK was 333,000.

And the lady had yet to turn. Margaret Thatcher MP (then leader of the opposition) campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community.

Later as prime minister between 1979 and 1990, Thatcher was known for her tough line with Brussels, especially during negotiations for the Maastrict Treaty in 1992.

The city of Maastrict is the home of the treaty which created the EU.

As summer arrived, businesses, leading universities and research establishments were beginning to assess the impact of Brexit.

For science and medicine, concerns were two fold.

Britain had attracted thousands of top researchers as well as billions of Euros in grants.

They went into research like this at Kings College London.

This project is a multidisciplinary look at the potential causes and effects of autism. It's a long term project which is linked to other studies across Europe.

Doctors and scientists aren't worried about losing cash in the short term, but falling behind in the knowledge race in the long term, especially as Britain has sought to place itself as a central base for the new industrial technologies.

The other fear is losing the brains which have been drawn to British research, people who now fear they will need to move to other institutions to keep up with the cash and the research.

Lead scientist at King's College Professor Declan Murphy warned: "Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain, according to Murphy. He argues it will be the children with autism like Van Velzen who will lose out.

As an island nation, boat building and sales have been important to the UK.

The industry fears rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by the plunge in the pound's value.

Phil Popham, the CEO of Sunseeker International was cautious: "We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

Others like Russell Currie, the Managing Director of Fairline Yachts, says he already had cause to worry: "We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market."

British Marine's chief executive Howard Pridding tried to show more confidence in the course ahead: "Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic."

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, mostly France, Portugal and Spain according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But that's a conservative figure because many expats don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

At Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol, many Brits don't want to return to Blighty.

Used to the sun, sea and cafe society, some British residents are so concerned that their lives on the Costas are threatened, that after many years they're finally learning to speak Spanish.

According to Mijas' Mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado: "When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

Local traders are also keen to keep the British on the Costa.

Many are retired and spend their pensions here.

Bar owner Sergio Morales says: "Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

A cloud of uncertainty still hangs over British expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

And it's possible a string of similar nationality schools for expats may spring up.

Not everyone was bemoaning the onset of Brexit.

The art and antique market experienced a mini boom according to London dealers at this winter fair.

The weak pound against the dollar and Euro has seen American collectors in particular start to snap up bargains with savings of beween 25 and 30 per cent compared with six months ago.

Art dealers are reporting a similar trend.

They say investors see the arts market as a safe refuge in uncertain times.

As Christmas approaches the toy industry is bracing itself and Santa is wondering whether he'll have much to be jolly about.

It's the time of year when manufacturers and retailers count on making their biggest cash bonus of the year.

According to industry analyst Frederique Tutt: "Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

That's because toy retailers buy stock almost a year in advance and can keep prices stable, but the toy dealers here admit next year the stockings left out for Father Chrismas may have shrunk considerably.

There's nothing as Christmassy as a Christmas tree, but in Denmark the outlook for tree producers isn't quite so evergreen.

According to the Danish Christmas Tree Association, the small Scandinavian country grows around 11.5 million trees a year.

About 9.5 million of those are exported.

But these are challenging times and currency fluctuations are having an effect on trade.

Speaking about his members, Claus Jerram Christensen of the Danish Christmas Tree Association says: "They have experienced that the low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

The true impact of Brexit on Britain and Europe as a whole is still to an extent unknown.

The UK government had announced it was to trigger Article 50 next March to start negotiations to leave EU.

But since then, Brexit has twice been contested in the High Court.

One ruling has already stated Britain's law makers should be allowed a vote in Parliament beforehand.

Breaking up, it seems, really is hard to do.

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The threat of Brexit is delivering a Christmas shopping bonanza to Northern Ireland, where thousands visiting daily from the euro-using Republic of Ireland are finding bargains driven by the battered pound.

In the malls of Newry, a Northern Ireland town barely five miles (eight kilometres) from the United Kingdom's only frontier with an EU partner, the surge in cross-border holiday shopping underscores how far the British currency has fallen amid anxiety over a UK exit.

While the euro these days is unusually weak, the pound is far weaker, boosting price differentials on most goods.

That's been the case since May, when a majority of British voters - including 44 percent of those in Northern Ireland - shocked pollsters by voting to leave the world's largest economic union.

The pound sterling suffered its biggest fall in decades and today is worth less than 1.20 euros, about 15 percent less than a year ago.

Traffic on the approach roads to Newry is running bumper to bumper as Christmas approaches, and the heavy presence of southern Irish shoppers is obvious from the license plates that display names of their home counties.

Once visitors find a parking spot and head inside, they are confronted by a stock market-style ticker display listing each shop's competing exchange rates - right beside the spot where children queue to see Santa on his sleigh.

Many shops offer bank-beating discounts to shoppers paying in euros; a few even take euros on equal value terms to pounds.

Cathal Austin, who has managed The Quays mall for 15 years, estimates that business from Republic of Ireland shoppers is running more than 50 percent higher than last Christmas.

He's spotted customers arriving by chartered bus from as far away as Tipperary, Cork and Kerry in Ireland's southwest, four hours away or more.

But Austin worries that this pre-Brexit party could leave a bitter hangover.

He remembers how smuggling thrived and legal commerce struggled before the EU's common market in the early 1990s abolished customs checks along Ireland's meandering 310-mile (499-kilometre) border.

He fears that Brexit, when it eventually comes, could mean the return of a hard border with enforced import restrictions.

Newry's gain is commonly Dundalk's loss.

Dundalk, barely 14 miles (22 kilometres) down the road, is the nearest Republic of Ireland town and main commercial rival to Newry.

While Newry heaves with shoppers on these December weekends, Dundalk struggles to attract a fraction of the trade.

It's boom time in Newry at the moment, but many are fearful of what the future holds, with the uncertainty of Brexit hanging over the Northern Irish border towns.

Newry, Northern Ireland – 19 December 2016

1. Wide pan right of M1 motorway from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland and the town of Newry

2. Exterior of the Quays shopping centre in Newry

3. Various of information board displaying exchange rates between the euro and the British pound

4. Sign showing one euro to one pound exchange rate

5. Shoppers in the Quays

6. Various set up shots of Cathal Austin, manager of Quays shopping centre

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Cathal Austin, manager of Quays shopping centre:

"We obviously had the Brexit vote and as a result, sterling collapsed to its lowest level for a number of years and it made Newry a more attractive shopping destination for our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland."

8. Various cutaways of Austin

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Cathal Austin, Manager, Quays shopping centre:

"We haven't seen these sorts of numbers since the 'Celtic Tiger' was laid to rest in 2008."

10. Various of Christmas tree

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Cathal Austin, Manager, Quays shopping centre:

"I have bumped into the odd person with rather a lot of vodka in their shopping trolley and wondered if they're still going to be alive in a couple of months time if they drink all that vodka. But one can assume that they're either buying it for friends and neighbours, or else possibly to sell on."

12. Various set up shots of shopper Fiachra MacRaghnaill showing the alcohol he has bought

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Fiachra MacRaghnaill, environmental scientist and Newry resident:

"We were here a couple of weeks ago and it was very busy and you could just tell all the licence plates of the cars were all Dublin, County Louth, County Meath – all the border counties. They were outnumbering the Northern (Irish) cars at least two-to-one."

14. Pan cars from the Republic of Ireland in the car park at the Quays

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Fiachra MacRaghnaill, environmental scientist and Newry resident:

"I don't see the difference between giving the profits to a multinational in one country or a multinational in another country - they're multinational. I would definitely shop local in places that pay their staff more, because I think that's a better way of putting money directly into the economy, but the profits of one rich man, or the profits of another rich man doesn't really sway me either way."

16. Snowman Christmas decoration in shopping centre

17. Shoppers outside clothes store

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Caitlin Doherty, resident of Drogheda, Republic of Ireland:

"Christmas presents, and makeup, and stuff like that, clothes."

Reporter: "How much have you spent and how much have you saved here?"

"I've spent 60 pounds and I've saved at least 30 euro."

19. Set up shot of shoppers loading car

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Simone Gray, shopper from the Republic of Ireland:

"You get a lot of people flock down for drink (alcohol) and there's really not a big difference. I wouldn't be flocking down for drink. You know, I'd buy one or two bottles of wine at home and that would be it anyway, but they do flock for drink, and people are coming from as far as Dublin and Drogheda, and places like that, but the border towns (in the Republic of Ireland) are suffering."

21. Various of man dressed as Santa Claus stacking presents

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Man dressed as Santa Claus:

"Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas - and euros or stirling, Santa accepts anything you like. You come and see me. Merry Christmas."

UK TOYS

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.02

SHOTLIST:

London, UK - 9 November 2016

1. Close tilt up of Hatchimals egg box the most popular toy

2. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

3. Various of Tiana Wilson and Santa Claus listening to toy hatch

4. Close of egg showing beak poking through eggshell

5. Close of Santa Claus watching

6. Various of Santa and Wilson releasing the hatching toy

7. Close of Wilson listening to the Hatchimal sing Happy Birthday

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tiana Wilson:

"So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

10. Mid of Hatchimal on the floor being stroked

11. Various of packaged Hatchimals

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

13. Mid of boy playing with toy gun

14. Close tilt down of girl playing with the new Bluetooth connected Furby which responds to what she does with her smartphone, or tablet computer

15. Wide of woman showing girl how the new Furby works

16. Low wide angle of the girl tickling the Furby toy

17. Pan from Christmas tree to wide of girl walking her toy dog on a lead

18. Close of toy dog on a lead walking

19. Mid zoom out of a girl seated cuddling an interactive puppy

20. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

21. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

22. Zoom out from wrapped Christmas presents in giant sack to reveal Santa Claus walking with analyst Frederique Tutt

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

24. Tracking shot past model wearing costume of Silly Sausage to boy and girl playing Silly Sausage

25. Various of Silly Sausage toys being played

26. Wide of new range of Barbie dolls

27. Close tilt up of one of the new 'curvy' Barbie

28. Close tilt down from new afro Caribbean Barbie

29. Various of Barbies

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can increase by ten percent (in 2017)."

31. Close of bendy and stretchy muscle man toy

32. UPSOUND: (English) voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars over tilt up shot of Vader model

"Release your anger. If you only knew the power of the dark side."

33. Wide of Darth Vader model

34. Various of children playing with dog in a bath toy

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

36. Zoom in of boy stroking interactive puppy

LEADIN:

Retailers in the UK have just revealed their top twelve 'must have' toys for boys and girls this Christmas.

The toy industry is predicting bumper sales, although it admits the US election of Donald Trump and Britain's EU exit vote earlier this year could lead to higher prices in 2017.

STORYLINE:

This is the toy everyone is raving about in the run up to Christmas.

Hatchimals respond to nurturing and warmth until eventually the egg cracks open and you have a new chick to take care of.

It's one of twelve toys which have made it to the list of Dream Toys which are selected each year by the industry.

Santa Claus and school girl Tiana Wilson are clearly fascinated and the excitement builds up as the chick starts hatching.

Wilson happily lists the toys attractions: "So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

A lot of interactive, or responsive toys like Hatchimals are most popular this winter, although the old favourites like Thomas the Tank Engine and Lego have secured places on the top toy list.

Toys like Furby have been updated with new technology so they are connected to computers via bluetooth.

Gary Grant the chairman of Dream Toys' selection committee says: "In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

Securing a Hatchimal this year might be tricky. According to Grant, there is already a worldwide shortage of the toy because the factory can't make enough of them.

Globally the demand for the Hatchimal is over a quarter of a million units, and the company expects to sell over 100,000 toys at around £60 each.

Grant says the shortage has meant some people are buying them to resell at a profit.

He says: "Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

One of the less expensive toys making the list this year is the Silly Sausage which tests your dexterity.

This is the new Barbie range developed to reflect the diversity in our societies.

The shape of the dolls is less extreme and more in keeping with natural proportions of young women.

There is even a 'curvy' Barbie, but you have to look closely to tell the difference between them.

There is a great deal of trepidation in the industry.

Analysts say 2015 was a record year with the global market valued at 86 billion dollars with an average growth of 7% across all the major markets.

But the US election and Britain's withdrawal from the EU is creating a great deal of uncertainty, over currency values and more importantly the security of existing trade deals.

Frederique Tutt, a global analyst who's a specialist on the toy industry says we shouldn't assume that it's going to be a gloomy future.

Tutt says: "Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

Toy retailers operate many months ahead so Tutt says there won't be price rises this year.

This is because trading is done in US dollars and most companies will have already stocked up on the currency to hedge against any drastic changes.

Tutt however admits price increases are likely next year and she says: "Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can rise by ten percent (in 2017)."

This Darth Vader is more of an adult toy.

Hidden sensors mean he can call out when you least expect him to.

Although there's the same old excitement about the approach of the winter holidays and the biggest gift buying time of the year, the industry is concerned about what lies ahead.

Grant says: "Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

They say a puppy isn't just for Christmas, but sometimes they are.

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LEAD IN:

Retailers in the UK have just revealed their top twelve 'must have' toys for boys and girls this Christmas.

The toy industry is predicting bumper sales, although it admits the US election of Donald Trump and Britain's EU exit vote earlier this year could lead to higher prices in 2017.

STORY-LINE:

This is the toy everyone is raving about in the run up to Christmas.

Hatchimals respond to nurturing and warmth until eventually the egg cracks open and you have a new chick to take care of.

It's one of twelve toys which have made it to the list of Dream Toys which are selected each year by the industry.

Santa Claus and school girl Tiana Wilson are clearly fascinated and the excitement builds up as the chick starts hatching.

Wilson happily lists the toys attractions: "So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

A lot of interactive, or responsive toys like Hatchimals are most popular this winter, although the old favourites like Thomas the Tank Engine and Lego have secured places on the top toy list.

Toys like Furby have been updated with new technology so they are connected to computers via bluetooth.

Gary Grant the chairman of Dream Toys' selection committee says: "In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

Securing a Hatchimal this year might be tricky. According to Grant, there is already a worldwide shortage of the toy because the factory can't make enough of them.

Globally the demand for the Hatchimal is over a quarter of a million units, and the company expects to sell over 100,000 toys at around £60 each.

Grant says the shortage has meant some people are buying them to resell at a profit.

He says: "Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

One of the less expensive toys making the list this year is the Silly Sausage which tests your dexterity.

This is the new Barbie range developed to reflect the diversity in our societies.

The shape of the dolls is less extreme and more in keeping with natural proportions of young women.

There is even a 'curvy' Barbie, but you have to look closely to tell the difference between them.

There is a great deal of trepidation in the industry.

Analysts say 2015 was a record year with the global market valued at 86 billion dollars with an average growth of 7% across all the major markets.

But the US election and Britain's withdrawal from the EU is creating a great deal of uncertainty, over currency values and more importantly the security of existing trade deals.

Frederique Tutt, a global analyst who's a specialist on the toy industry says we shouldn't assume that it's going to be a gloomy future.

Tutt says: "Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

Toy retailers operate many months ahead so Tutt says there won't be price rises this year.

This is because trading is done in US dollars and most companies will have already stocked up on the currency to hedge against any drastic changes.

Tutt however admits price increases are likely next year and she says: "Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can rise by ten percent (in 2017)."

This Darth Vader is more of an adult toy.

Hidden sensors mean he can call out when you least expect him to.

Although there's the same old excitement about the approach of the winter holidays and the biggest gift buying time of the year, the industry is concerned about what lies ahead.

Grant says: "Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

They say a puppy isn't just for Christmas, but sometimes they are.

London, UK - 9 November 2016

1. Close tilt up of Hatchimals egg box the most popular toy

2. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

3. Various of Tiana Wilson and Santa Claus listening to toy hatch

4. Close of egg showing beak poking through eggshell

5. Close of Santa Claus watching

6. Various of Santa and Wilson releasing the hatching toy

7. Close of Wilson listening to the Hatchimal sing Happy Birthday

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tiana Wilson:

"So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

10. Mid of Hatchimal on the floor being stroked

11. Various of packaged Hatchimals

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

13. Mid of boy playing with toy gun

14. Close tilt down of girl playing with the new Bluetooth connected Furby which responds to what she does with her smartphone, or tablet computer

15. Wide of woman showing girl how the new Furby works

16. Low wide angle of the girl tickling the Furby toy

17. Pan from Christmas tree to wide of girl walking her toy dog on a lead

18. Close of toy dog on a lead walking

19. Mid zoom out of a girl seated cuddling an interactive puppy

20. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

21. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

22. Zoom out from wrapped Christmas presents in giant sack to reveal Santa Claus walking with analyst Frederique Tutt

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

24. Tracking shot past model wearing costume of Silly Sausage to boy and girl playing Silly Sausage

25. Various of Silly Sausage toys being played

26. Wide of new range of Barbie dolls

27. Close tilt up of one of the new 'curvy' Barbie

28. Close tilt down from new afro Caribbean Barbie

29. Various of Barbies

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can increase by ten percent (in 2017)."

31. Close of bendy and stretchy muscle man toy

32. UPSOUND: (English) voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars over tilt up shot of Vader model

"Release your anger. If you only knew the power of the dark side."

33. Wide of Darth Vader model

34. Various of children playing with dog in a bath toy

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

36. Zoom in of boy stroking interactive puppy

The German Chancellor on Friday reiterated that the result of the British referendum was a "decisive turning point" in the development of the European Union (EU).

In a joint news conference with French President Francois Hollande in Berlin, Angela Merkel added that the affirmation of the remaining EU member states to stand together was "all the more important".

Ahead of a visit with Hollande to the Christmas market attack site in which 12 people died on 19 December, Merkel said that France and Germany were "closely aligned" in their response to extremism and "will not allow our way of life to be taken from us".

Merkel also referred, without directly referencing US President Donald Trump, to "dramatic and fast change" in the world, saying it was necessary to defend "a liberal-democratic society" and "free trade".

Berlin - 27 January 2017

1. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande arriving

2. SOUNDBITE (German) Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:

"There is much to be discussed, in a situation in which the European Union (EU) faces great internal and external challenges, which we can only solve together - as is our (Merkel's and Hollande's) joint conviction. We know that the referendum in Great Britain is a decisive turning point for the development of the European Union (EU). All the more important is the affirmation, which we also committed to in Bratislava (where representatives of 27 EU member states met in September 2016 without Britain), for the 27 member states to stand together and jointly and with ambition work to deal with the challenges."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

3. SOUNDBITE (German) Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:

"We are experiencing dramatic and fast change in the condition of global frameworks. And we have to answer to these new challenges, with regard to the defence of a liberal-democratic society, with regard to the defence of free trade, as well as the economic challenges that come with the increasing competitiveness of developing countries."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK++

4. SOUNDBITE (German) Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:

"Leter, and I am very happy about this, the French President (Francois Hollande) and I will go to the Breitscheidplatz to honour the victims of the terror attack before Christmas. We know that we are together in facing the danger of Islamist terrorism, and that only together we can ward off this danger. With our joint path we also want to make it clear that we will not allow our way of life to be taken from us, as the Parisians and French have so impressively demonstrated, and it is also in this answer to Islamist terrorism that we are closely aligned."

5. Merkel and Holland shaking hands and leaving

LEAD IN

Brexit uncertainty has led to some jitters within the travel industry ahead of the traditional getaway to tourist hotspots like Lapland.

Some are noticing later bookings than usual, but the delay in Brexit has been welcomed by others serving the UK market.

STORY-LINE

Santa doesn't have to worry about renewing his passport to travel the globe and visit UK children this year.

He was saved at the last minute by the latest January Brexit extension.

The UK is due to leave the European Union by the end of January, while Finland, the official home of Santa Claus, remains a member.

It's been three years since Brits voted in a referendum to leave the EU, and an air of uncertainty has hovered over many industries ever since.

Kirsi Jokela is originally from Lapland and now works in London for the Nordic travel company, Best Served Scandinavia.

She says one thing she has noticed since the referendum is that Brits are booking holidays to Lapland much later in the year than previously, a possible result of economic uncertainty.

However she says the quantity of bookings is still high:

"We are actually looking forward to one of our best Decembers yet, we still have a few rooms available."

She adds that due to counter currency exchange fluctuations and the weakening of the pound, they are now offering price guarentees.

"We've been offering a Brexit price guarantee which means that we will honour the exchange rate at the time of booking, which seems to be encouraging people to book."

Ilkka Lankinen is the chief experience officer at one of Lapland's main tourist attarctions, Santa Park.

Speaking in London he says the Brexit extension is " definitely good news for us, and also because the UK market is great for us, we love the UK guests and they love us. Now we have snow, now we have cold and now we have no Brexit at least at the moment so it's looking good for Christmas."

Sean Tipton from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) agrees that economic uncertainty around Brexit doesn't seem to be putting off the average Lapland tourist.

Firstly, he says, many choose package deals which are paid for in sterling and secondly most are aware that it is not a cheap holiday destination to begin with.

However he adds that there are two major practical considerations to take into account once Britain is no longer a member of the EU.

"First of all your European health insurance card gives you access to state medical care which is very good in Finland, you won't be able to use that, so you need to have decent travel insurance," he says.

"And check your passport, because you'll need at least 6 months validity left on the end of your passport, which currently you don't, but again that's only an issue if your passport is due for renewal. So if it is check it and renew it now, it doesn't take very long, it's a pretty efficient process."

Tipton advises that during these uncertain times, which have also recently seen major travel group Thomas Cook collapse, it's always safer to book a package holiday.

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2018

1. Low shot of Santa walking through forest at Santa Claus Village

2. Santa arriving at sleigh

Rovaniemi, Finland - 16 December 2018

3. Tracking of reindeer pulling sleigh at Santa Claus Village

4. Various of tourists taking reindeer sleigh rides

London, UK – 17 October 2019

5. Tilt down from World map to Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

6. Close of Best Served Scandinavia brochure where Jokela is looking at images of Lapland

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

"I think what we've noticed is that people are booking a lot later than they used to, which might sometimes mean that they don't get their first choice of holiday, but we are actually looking forward to one of our best Decembers yet, we still have a few rooms available."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2016

8. Pan right of sunrise on River Kemijoki

9. Close of frozen branch

10. Tilt up of snow-covered tree

11. Wide of sunrise on River Kemijoki

London, UK – 17 October 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

"So one thing that could change post Brexit is the currency exchange and we've been offering a Brexit price guarantee which means that we will honour the exchange rate at the time of booking, which seems to be encouraging people to book."

Rovaniemi, Finland – 9 December 2017

++NIGHT SHOTS++

13. Wide of Santa Claus Village

14. Tilt down of Santa Claus Village entrance

15. Santa Claus and elves packing presents

London, UK - 4 November 2019

16. Tilt down people dressed as Finnish characters at Visit Finland stand at World Travel Market at ExCeL London

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilkka Lankinen, Chief Experience Officer, Santa Park, Arctic World, Finland:

"Since Brexit is now at least postponed for some time, that's good news, and I think that the market feel at the moment at least that we are getting is that it's kind of a stand still because everybody is waiting to have a decision one way or another way."

18. Mid of people dressed as Finnish characters posing for photos with WTM visitor

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilkka Lankinen, Chief Experience Officer, Santa Park, Arctic World, Finland:

"It's definitely good news for us, and also because the UK market is great for us, we love the UK guests and they love us. Now we have snow, now we have cold and now we have no Brexit at least at the moment so it's looking good for Christmas."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

20. Low shot of child on ice slide at Snowman World ice bar

21. Pan left of children using ice slide

22. Pull out of corridor in ice bar, chandeliers hanging from ceiling

23. Pull focus between chandeliers

London, UK – 17 October 2019

24. Pull focus from orchid on desk to receptionist and sign reading (English) ABTA The Travel Association

25. Close of sign reading (English) ABTA The Travel Association

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"If you look at the ways that people get to go to Lapland on these trips to see Father Christmas they're generally packages. Now one of the advantages of a package is you pay it in Sterling, so you don't have to worry about fluctuations of exchange rates, obviously there will be maybe day to day expenses when you get there but people are aware of the fact that it's not the cheapest destination to travel to so I don't think budget is really a problem for most people going, and again once you are there it's a pretty magical experience and it's not something you're going to do every year it's probably a one off when your kids are very small."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 16 December 2018

27. Various of tourists melting marshmallows by fire

London, UK – 17 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"First of all, your European health insurance card gives you access to state medical care, which is very good in Finland. You won't be able to use that. So you need to have decent travel insurance. And the chances are you are not going to fall ill but it's always a possibility so have decent travel insurance."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

29. Wide of Santa and sleigh

30. Close of reindeer

London, UK – 17 October 2019

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"And check your passport, because you'll need at least 6 months validity left on the end of your passport, which currently you don't, but again that's only an issue if your passport is due for renewal. So if it is check it and renew it now, it doesn't take very long, it's a pretty efficient process."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2018

++NIGHT SHOTS++

32. Wide of lights at 'Santa Claus Village' at night

33. Pan from Christmas tree to building

34. Pull focus of lights on Christmas tree

35 . Various of Santa Claus reading letter

London, UK – 17 October 2019

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"By Thomas Cook going that's created opportunities for the travel companies that are left so that is a way is a form of boost to them. But I can't deny there might be other travel companies going out of business, that's why it's important that you book a package holiday, because as we saw with Thomas Cook if you've got a package you will continue with your holiday as normal, if they go out of business while you're there and they'll bring you home free of charge. And if you're due to go you'll get a full refund. So don't worry about it in that sense, but the chances of you being personally affected by a travel company failure are pretty small."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

37. Various of Santa Claus riding away on sleigh

LEAD IN

Brexit uncertainty has led to some jitters within the travel industry ahead of the traditional getaway to tourist hotspots like Lapland.

Some are noticing later bookings than usual, but the delay in Brexit has been welcomed by others serving the UK market.

STORY-LINE

Santa doesn't have to worry about renewing his passport to travel the globe and visit UK children this year.

He was saved at the last minute by the latest January Brexit extension.

The UK is due to leave the European Union by the end of January, while Finland, the official home of Santa Claus, remains a member.

It's been three years since Brits voted in a referendum to leave the EU, and an air of uncertainty has hovered over many industries ever since.

Kirsi Jokela is originally from Lapland and now works in London for the Nordic travel company, Best Served Scandinavia.

She says one thing she has noticed since the referendum is that Brits are booking holidays to Lapland much later in the year than previously, a possible result of economic uncertainty.

However she says the quantity of bookings is still high:

"We are actually looking forward to one of our best Decembers yet, we still have a few rooms available."

She adds that due to counter currency exchange fluctuations and the weakening of the pound, they are now offering price guarentees.

"We've been offering a Brexit price guarantee which means that we will honour the exchange rate at the time of booking, which seems to be encouraging people to book."

Ilkka Lankinen is the chief experience officer at one of Lapland's main tourist attarctions, Santa Park.

Speaking in London he says the Brexit extension is " definitely good news for us, and also because the UK market is great for us, we love the UK guests and they love us. Now we have snow, now we have cold and now we have no Brexit at least at the moment so it's looking good for Christmas."

Sean Tipton from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) agrees that economic uncertainty around Brexit doesn't seem to be putting off the average Lapland tourist.

Firstly, he says, many choose package deals which are paid for in sterling and secondly most are aware that it is not a cheap holiday destination to begin with.

However he adds that there are two major practical considerations to take into account once Britain is no longer a member of the EU.

"First of all your European health insurance card gives you access to state medical care which is very good in Finland, you won't be able to use that, so you need to have decent travel insurance," he says.

"And check your passport, because you'll need at least 6 months validity left on the end of your passport, which currently you don't, but again that's only an issue if your passport is due for renewal. So if it is check it and renew it now, it doesn't take very long, it's a pretty efficient process."

Tipton advises that during these uncertain times, which have also recently seen major travel group Thomas Cook collapse, it's always safer to book a package holiday.

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2018

1. Low shot of Santa walking through forest at Santa Claus Village

2. Santa arriving at sleigh

Rovaniemi, Finland - 16 December 2018

3. Tracking of reindeer pulling sleigh at Santa Claus Village

4. Various of tourists taking reindeer sleigh rides

London, UK – 17 October 2019

5. Tilt down from World map to Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

6. Close of Best Served Scandinavia brochure where Jokela is looking at images of Lapland

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

"I think what we've noticed is that people are booking a lot later than they used to, which might sometimes mean that they don't get their first choice of holiday, but we are actually looking forward to one of our best Decembers yet, we still have a few rooms available."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2016

8. Pan right of sunrise on River Kemijoki

9. Close of frozen branch

10. Tilt up of snow-covered tree

11. Wide of sunrise on River Kemijoki

London, UK – 17 October 2019

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsi Jokela, Scandinavia Product & Trade Sales Manager, 'Best Served Scandinavia'

"So one thing that could change post Brexit is the currency exchange and we've been offering a Brexit price guarantee which means that we will honour the exchange rate at the time of booking, which seems to be encouraging people to book."

Rovaniemi, Finland – 9 December 2017

++NIGHT SHOTS++

13. Wide of Santa Claus Village

14. Tilt down of Santa Claus Village entrance

15. Santa Claus and elves packing presents

London, UK - 4 November 2019

16. Tilt down people dressed as Finnish characters at Visit Finland stand at World Travel Market at ExCeL London

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilkka Lankinen, Chief Experience Officer, Santa Park, Arctic World, Finland:

"Since Brexit is now at least postponed for some time, that's good news, and I think that the market feel at the moment at least that we are getting is that it's kind of a stand still because everybody is waiting to have a decision one way or another way."

18. Mid of people dressed as Finnish characters posing for photos with WTM visitor

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilkka Lankinen, Chief Experience Officer, Santa Park, Arctic World, Finland:

"It's definitely good news for us, and also because the UK market is great for us, we love the UK guests and they love us. Now we have snow, now we have cold and now we have no Brexit at least at the moment so it's looking good for Christmas."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

20. Low shot of child on ice slide at Snowman World ice bar

21. Pan left of children using ice slide

22. Pull out of corridor in ice bar, chandeliers hanging from ceiling

23. Pull focus between chandeliers

London, UK – 17 October 2019

24. Pull focus from orchid on desk to receptionist and sign reading (English) ABTA The Travel Association

25. Close of sign reading (English) ABTA The Travel Association

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"If you look at the ways that people get to go to Lapland on these trips to see Father Christmas they're generally packages. Now one of the advantages of a package is you pay it in Sterling, so you don't have to worry about fluctuations of exchange rates, obviously there will be maybe day to day expenses when you get there but people are aware of the fact that it's not the cheapest destination to travel to so I don't think budget is really a problem for most people going, and again once you are there it's a pretty magical experience and it's not something you're going to do every year it's probably a one off when your kids are very small."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 16 December 2018

27. Various of tourists melting marshmallows by fire

London, UK – 17 October 2019

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"First of all, your European health insurance card gives you access to state medical care, which is very good in Finland. You won't be able to use that. So you need to have decent travel insurance. And the chances are you are not going to fall ill but it's always a possibility so have decent travel insurance."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

29. Wide of Santa and sleigh

30. Close of reindeer

London, UK – 17 October 2019

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"And check your passport, because you'll need at least 6 months validity left on the end of your passport, which currently you don't, but again that's only an issue if your passport is due for renewal. So if it is check it and renew it now, it doesn't take very long, it's a pretty efficient process."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 12 December 2018

++NIGHT SHOTS++

32. Wide of lights at 'Santa Claus Village' at night

33. Pan from Christmas tree to building

34. Pull focus of lights on Christmas tree

35 . Various of Santa Claus reading letter

London, UK – 17 October 2019

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Sean Tipton, Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) spokesperson:

"By Thomas Cook going that's created opportunities for the travel companies that are left so that is a way is a form of boost to them. But I can't deny there might be other travel companies going out of business, that's why it's important that you book a package holiday, because as we saw with Thomas Cook if you've got a package you will continue with your holiday as normal, if they go out of business while you're there and they'll bring you home free of charge. And if you're due to go you'll get a full refund. So don't worry about it in that sense, but the chances of you being personally affected by a travel company failure are pretty small."

Rovaniemi, Finland - 10 December 2016

37. Various of Santa Claus riding away on sleigh

UK BREXIT CHRISTMAS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTIONS: AP CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6:26

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

London, UK - 29 October 2018

1. Close of British Lion Christmas decoration, by Aerloom London, at the Spirit of Christmas Fair 2018 at Olympia London

2. Mid of crown Christmas decoration being placed between two British Bulldog decorations

3. Wide of display featuring various Christmas decorations by Aerloom London

4. Founder of Aerloom London Ania Zankowska speaking to customer

UPSOUND (English) Customer: "Are these sprouts or cabbages?"

Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London: "Sprouts. The idea was to create a Brussels Sprout"

5. Mid of stand of Brussels Sprout decorations next to Aerloom London gift bags

6. Top shot of Brussels Sprouts decorations next to cracker decoration reading 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"It was just natural to go with the British theme to celebrate the fact that I live in the Kingdom, which obviously was very unusual for me coming from Poland. So the first collection comprised of typically British pieces and they are very popular now, not just in Britain but all around the world."

8. Mid of Queen decoration in front of Corgi decoration

9. Pull focus on side angle of Queen decoration

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"I'm not feeling it (Brexit) yet, of course we're all very much curious about what's going to happen in the future. I'm remaining very positive. I work very closely with the Department of Trade and Investment, who assure me that the situation will be well monitored and the support I've received will be continued."

11. Mid of stand of Brussels Sprouts decoration

12. Top shot of Zankowska organising boxes of decorations

13. Tilt down wreath with decorations

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"The best sellers in my collection are the Queen ornaments, the bulldogs and the lions and this is very much supported by the sales with the British retailers and I think everyone feels immensely proud to be British during Christmas time."

15. Close of bow being tied on gift bag

16. Wide of visitors walking past Christmas tree at Spirit of Christmas event

17. Tilt down from ceiling of Olympia to stands at Spirit of Christmas

18. Wide of visitors walking past Village Workshop stand

19. Tilt up of gingerbread Big Ben

20. Wide of gingerbread Big Ben

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"I was really looking for something iconic that will relate to England, and if you see Big Ben then immediately it's London, it's England."

22. Mid of Radcliffe arranging gingerbread houses on stand

23. Mid of gingerbread items on stand

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"We sell through online shops and they distribute to Europe and they haven't given us any indication that things will be changing. For this year definitely we haven't seen any change, no repercussions at all."

25. Tilt up gingerbread Big Ben

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"Well I think people like to associate what they are buying as made in England. I think on that line, yes, here people are quite aware of where it's coming from, so made in England is quite a lot of difference."

27. Close of top of Big Ben

28. Wide of Eadie family members working on The Oxton Liqueur Company stand

29. Mid of customer trying flavoured liqueur

30. Various of flavoured liqueur bottles

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Eadie, Owner, The Oxton Liqueur Company

"Well in the run up to Brexit we've seen the currency move from about 140 to about 110 (British pound to Euro), so we've seen an increase in the price of goods that we buy from Europe of about 25 per cent. So that for us is all our glass, that comes from Italy, from Germany and from France. So already there's been a huge impact, what will happen after Brexit we'll have to see, but time will tell."

32. Mid of flavoured liqueur bottles

33. Customer trying flavoured liqueur

34. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Eadie, Owner, The Oxton Liqueur Company

"You know the exchange rate swung 25 percent, it may turn around, there may be a movement in the other direction, that would be good. Obviously for people exporting it's been incredibly beneficial. So it depends on which side you're on as to whether you've benefited or whether you haven't."

35. Mid of flavoured liqueur bottles on front of stand

36. Wide of visitors climbing stairs in event hall with shopping bags

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Stuart Hunter, Portfolio Director, Clarion Events (Organisers of Spirit of Christmas Fair)

"At the moment in terms of Brexit having any impact to us and the show we're not seeing any, but obviously we do have a lot of conversations with our exhibitors and obviously there's some nervousness, I think certainly probably overall this year in terms of the trade side of business, there's been a bit of a sluggish approach to some of the retail elements."

38. Mid of packaged Christmas puddings

39. Mid of Christmas pudding in front of wooden boxes reading (English) "Made in the UK"

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Stuart Hunter, Portfolio Director, Clarion Events (Organisers of Spirit of Christmas Fair)

"It remains to be seen whether the spend will be the same as we are on site this week, we'll find that out, exhibitors will tell us. We measure that post show as well so we do lots of research. But on the evidence of today it's felt busy, buzzy, lots of shopping bags going out of the doors, so it feels like it's business as usual for us."

41. Mid of bauble on Christmas tree

LEADIN:

The UK is preparing for its final Christmas before leaving the European Union.

Retailers at the annual Spirit of Christmas event in London have mixed feelings about how Brexit will affect future trade.

STORYLINE

The British lion: a symbol of pride and patriotism in the UK.

But as Britain prepares to leave the EU there is ongoing uncertainty about the country's future - not least about how it will affect trade.

At this year's Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia in London, retailers and exhibitors are showcasing their goods for the festive period.

Ania Zankowska, the founder of Aerloom London, has an array of quintessentially British looking Christmas decorations. As well as a lion she has the Queen, corgis, crowns and British bulldogs.

And as we approach Brexit she's even got "Brussels" Sprouts.  

As someone who originated from Europe - she was born in Poland - her British pieces were originally a celebration of her move to the UK.

She says they remain incredibly popular to this day: "Not just in Britain but all around the world."

With business still booming Zankowska says she hasn't suffered any negative effects from Brexit yet:

"I'm remaining very positive. I work very closely with the Department of Trade and Investment, who assure me that the situation will be well monitored and the support I've received will be continued," she says.

Another exhibitor selling iconic British images this Christmas is the founder of Village Workshop, Itet Radcliffe.

Amongst her traditional gingerbread houses stands a large, gingerbread Big Ben, with Santa hanging off the top.

She says unless the online sites she sells through change their rules, after Britain officially leaves the EU on 29 March 2019, her business should remain stable:

"We sell through online shops and they distribute to Europe and they haven't given us any indication that things will be changing. For this year definitely we haven't seen any change, no repercussions at all," she says.

And she believes there is something about British made goods which still gives people the confidence to buy:

"Well I think people like to associate what they are buying as made in England. I think on that line, yes, here people are quite aware of where it's coming from, so made in England is quite a lot of difference."

While decorations representing British culture look to become a trend this Christmas, another product which will be popular is flavoured spirits and liqueurs.

The Oxton Liqueur Company is a family run business which hand makes fruity liqueurs from a farm in Nottinghamshire.

This year, alongside their Elderflower Gin and Bramble Whisky, they are showing off a Christmas Vodka.

But while the drinks themselves are very much made in Britain - the glass they sell them in comes from Europe. Owner of The Oxton Liqueur Company Christopher Eadie says Brexit related fluctuations in currency have come at a cost for him:

"We've seen an increase in the price of goods that we buy from Europe of about 25 per cent. So that for us is all our glass, that comes from Italy, from Germany and from France. So already there's been a huge impact, what will happen after Brexit we'll have to see," he says.

The Spirit of Christmas Fair is all about shopping and often a good indicator of consumer confidence and spending power.

Organisers say this year was a record year for visitor and exhibitor attendance.

Stuart Hunter is a Portfolio Director at Clarion Events which organises the Spirit of Christmas Fair.

He says Brexit is hot topic: "We do have a lot of conversations with our exhibitors and obviously there's some nervousness,"

However he adds:

"On the evidence of today it's felt busy, buzzy, lots of shopping bags going out of the doors, so it feels like it's business as usual for us."

The Spirit of Christmas Fair 2018 is on at Olympia London from 29 October to 4 November 2018.

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STORYLINE

Britain and the European Union warned December 8th that talks on a post-Brexit free-trade deal are teetering on the brink of collapse, with just over three weeks until an economic rupture that will cause upheaval for businesses on both sides of the English Channel.

Officials downplayed the chances of a breakthrough when Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to Brussels for face-to-face talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the next few days.

With negotiators deadlocked on key issues after months of tense talks, German European Affairs Minister Michael Roth said the bloc’s confidence in Britain was hanging in the balance.

Johnson’s Downing Street office said the situation was “very tricky” and collapse of the talks was a distinct possibility.

Johnson and von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive arm, spoke by phone December 7th for the second time in 48 hours.

They said afterwards that “significant differences” remained on three key issues - fishing rights, fair-competition rules and the governance of future disputes - and “the conditions for finalizing an agreement are not there.”

The two leaders said in the joint statement that they planned to discuss the remaining differences “in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days.”

Leaders of the EU's 27 nations are holding a two-day summit in Brussels starting Thursday.

***

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Brussels on December 9th, ahead of crunch Brexit trade talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the evening.

The leaders of Britain and the European Union will meet for a dinner that could pave the way to a post-Brexit trade deal - or tip the two sides toward a chaotic economic rupture at the end of the month.

They have just a few hours over a multi-course meal to unstick negotiations that are deadlocked on key aspects of the future relationship for the EU and Britain.

The U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31st after 47 years of membership, but remains within the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union until the end of the year.

Reaching a trade deal by then would ensure there are no tariffs or quotas on trade in goods on Jan. 1st, although there would still be new costs and red tape for businesses.

Failure to secure a trade deal would mean tariffs and other barriers that would hurt both sides, although most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit because the U.K. does almost half of its trade with the bloc.

***

As Brexit talks enter their decisive final days, there's still a big catch: the fishing industry.

It is holding up the trade deal between the European Union and recently departed Britain, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of billions of euros in annual production losses.

French fishermen are anxious about a looming no-deal Brexit, following months of talks by negotiators seeking to cobble together a trade deal in the wake of their Brexit divorce.

While French and other European fishermen currently take much of their catch in UK waters, a no-deal Brexit could end or significantly limit that.

Twenty-eight year old fisherman Mathieu Pinto is concerned about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit.

Docking his boat, L'Ophelea, in the French port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer after a night of fishing sea-snails or whelk, Pinto said that the vast majority of his catch comes from British waters and there will be a "huge impact" on his business.

Pinto believes the consequences of the end of the current fishing policies would mean war amongst European boats fishing across the same coastal waters in France.

There is essentially not enough to go around, he said.

Pinto talks with other fishermen here in Boulogne and he says they are all just as scared as he is.

He says he is not yet ready to sell his boat but as someone who learned the trade handed down through his family, he is quickly losing his passion.

As well as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Denmark are among those directly implicated by the potential closing off of UK waters.

Brussels has proposed a 12-month period for continued reciprocal access to fishing waters but Britain has suggested this could be rejected.

For centuries, foreign fishermen shared the plentiful waters off Britain, and it has been no different since the UK joined the EU in 1973.

But as catches dwindled, sometimes to a fraction of their previous numbers because of ruthless overexploitation, the number of British fishermen has dwindled from 22,000 in 1975 to 12,000 in 2018.

Rightly or wrongly, EU trawlers venturing freely in UK waters came to be seen as a symbol of plunder and exploitation.

When Britain voted to leave, saving UK waters for UK fishermen became a rallying cry.

In an ideal scenario, British fishermen would have all the waters to themselves, able to expand what so long has been a diminishing industry but it's not that simple.

The EU came into the trade negotiations demanding that its boats continue being allowed to fish.

Even though Brexit left the bloc in a much weaker position, UK exports gave it leverage.

Some 80% of fish landed in the UK is exported, and three-quarters of that goes to the EU.

If the continent closes off its markets, fish would be left rotting on British quays.

The debate during the final days centers on how the issues of fishing rights for EU trawlers could be reconciled with low or no tariffs for UK exports through fish-processing hubs like Boulogne-sur-Mer.

***

Lorries travelling to the UK port of Dover were stuck in traffic jams that stretched back several kilometres on December 12th.

The queues built up even though it's three weeks before Britain leaves the European Union.

Logistics companies have reported a surge in demand for imports ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit.

The British government has warned that even with a deal, there could be queues as long as 100 kilometres if companies don't prepare the new paperwork.

***

Tensions were high in Dover on December 23rd as thousands of drivers remained stranded at the UK port.

Police were confronted by frustrated drivers in the road leading to the ferries, before backing away from the crowd.

People ran to return to their vehicles after officers signalled to move the traffic towards the port.

Many have been stuck in Dover for three days now after France banned travel from the UK on Sunday following news of a new variant of coronavirus spreading across south east England.

A deal was reached between the two countries to resume travel on December 23rd, as long as travellers showed a negative COVID test result from within the last 72 hours.

British Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said around 4,000 trucks may be waiting in the county of Kent to cross the Channel and urged other truckers not to head there until the backlog is cleared.

It will take “a few days” to test all the drivers before they can travel to France, he said.

***

Scuffles broke out at the UK's Dover Port on December 23rd when police attempted to clear a route for health workers to arrive as efforts to clear a backlog of stranded drivers continued.

A police escort led in a group of cars carrying National Health Service test and trace workers and people were instructed to return to their vehicles as testing was about to commence.

However, some drivers who were stranded at the port were protesting by blocking vehicles from leaving the port.

A man was removed by police officers when he laid down in front of a truck.

Another protester attempted to stop a bus of port workers from entering.

Gridlock at the English port had kept thousands of truckers and travellers stranded on Wednesday despite a deal with France to lift a two-day blockade imposed because of a new variant of the coronavirus that had isolated Britain and raised fears of food shortages.

Nations around the world began barring people from Britain over the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that scientists said a new version of the virus whipping around London and England's southeast may be more contagious.

***

Britain's Brexit negotiator David Frost left the UK Mission in Brussels to go to the EU Commission on December 24th, as the two sides appeared to be on the cusp of striking a trade deal.

Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and right into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides on New Year's Day.

After resolving the remaining fair-competition and almost all fisheries issues on December 23rd, negotiators combed through hundreds of pages of legal text that should become the blueprint for a post-Brexit relationship.

As during much of the nine-month negotiations, the issue of EU fleets in British waters proved the most intractable and divisive, with negotiators still haggling over quotas for some individual species as dawn came.

Still, sources on both sides said the long and difficult negotiations were on the cusp of being wrapped up as negotiators, holed up at EU headquarters in Brussels with a stack of pizzas, worked to deliver the text to their leaders on Thursday.

***

While corks may have popped in London and Brussels over reaching the relative certainty of a post-Brexit trade deal after years of delays and negotiations, there was one rocky speck of British soil still left in limbo.

Gibraltar, known colloquially as The Rock, is a UK colony jutting off the southern tip of Spain's mainland.

But it was not included in the agreement announced on Christmas Eve between the European Union and the UK to reorganise commercial and trade relations between the now 27-member bloc and the first nation to exit the group

The deadline for Gibraltar remains January 1st, when a transitionary period regulating the short frontier between Gibraltar and Spain expires.

If no deal is reached, there are serious concerns that a hard border would cause disruption for the workers, tourists and major business connections across the two sides.

More than 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, making up about 50% of Gibraltar's labour force, and their cross-border journeys help make up the 30 million annual crossings.

Oscar Aguilera is a 40-year-old resident of La Linea De La Concepcion, the Spanish town that borders Gibraltar.

Every day, he crosses the frontier to work for a cleaning company based on The Rock.

Aguilera says he relies heavily on a fluid border for his daily work commute and worries about what will happen if there is no deal.

The Rock was ceded to the UK in 1713, and for three centuries, the strategic outcrop of high terrain has given its navy command of the narrow seaway linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Spain, however, has never dropped its claim to sovereignty over it and throughout the Brexit talks, it insisted it wants a say on the future of Gibraltar.

It succeeded in convincing the EU to separate the issue of Gibraltar from the wider Brexit negotiations, meaning that Madrid is handling all talks directly with its counterparts in Gibraltar and London.

The Spanish foreign ministry has warned that if an agreement is not reached before 1 January, the long lines of stranded truck drivers seen at the English Channel crossing could be repeated.

On Monday Spain's foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya reiterated that her government wants to reach a deal, adding that "there's no plan B", and that "either there's a deal with the United Kingdom or there's a hard border."

Lorenzo Pérez-Periañez, who represents the La Linea Association of Small and Medium enterprises, has no doubt that a hard border would be devastating for the economies of both Gibraltar and Spain.

But he is keen to stress that it's not all about the financial impact, as border restrictions will impact families living on both sides.

Gibraltar's population of about 34,000 was overwhelmingly against leaving the EU.

In the UK's 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU, because they felt the trade bloc would give them more leverage to deal with Madrid.

***

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 30th signed the post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

Johnson told the media after the signing that "this is not the end, it is a new beginning".

Britain’s House of Commons voted to approve the deal, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the UK’s years-long Brexit journey.

With just a day to spare, lawmakers voted 521-73 December 30th to approve the agreement sealed between the UK government and the EU last week.

It will become British law once is passes through the unelected House of Lords on December 30th and gets formal royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II.

The UK left the EU almost a year ago, but remained within the bloc’s economic embrace during a transition period that ends at midnight Brussels time -- 11 p.m. in London - on December 31st.

02:01:31

00:00:00

GVs of EU buildings as Brexit stalemate remains

4300778

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 08 December 2020

1. Close of front of the European Commission logo

2. Wide of Christmas trees for sale in front of the European Commission

00:07:15

UK PM arrives at ambassador residence in Brussels

4301040

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 9 December 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

3. Various of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at the residence of the U.K. ambassador to Belgium ahead of Brexit talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

00:12:07

French fishermen anxious over no-deal Brexit

4301166

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boulogne-Sur-Mer - 10 December 2020

4. French fishing boat L'Ophelea arriving into Boulogne port after fishing overnight

5. Shellfish catch - whelk or sea snails- being unloaded from the boat

6. Fish and fishmongers

00:25:16

Lorries in long queues at Dover ahead of Brexit

4301496

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 12 December 2020

7. Various of queues of lorries heading to Dover port

8. Dover port from the cliffs

00:37:16

Tensions high in Dover as some vehicles start move

4303112

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

9. Man confronts police officer in front of lorry

10. Row of police formed in front of lorry

00:45:16

Scuffles as police try to clear route for testing in Dover

4303155

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

11. Wide of man being removed from road by police officers

12. People demonstrating, one man stepping in front of bus

13. Police officers in front of road sign reading (English) "Return to vehicles, testing to commence"

00:57:16

Frost in Brussels on cusp of striking Brexit trade deal

4303207

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 24 December 2020

14. The UK's chief Brexit negotiator leaving the UK mission getting into car to go to the EU Commission, car leaving

01:05:08

Gibraltar’s post-Brexit border with Spain in limbo

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gibraltar - 22 December 2020

15. Workers crossing border into Gibraltar from Spain

16. Spanish worker Oscar Aguilera entering Gibraltar

Gibraltar - 19 December 2020

17. Various of people walking in town, at cafe

01:24:18

Johnson signs post Brexit trade deal

4303951

UK POOL

London - 30 December 2020

18. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signing trade deal, UPSOUND (English) Boris Johnson: " Here it is folks, this is it. And I know the question you will all be asking yourselves is, have I read it? The answer is yes. And it's an excellent deal for this country. But also, for our friends and partners. "

LEADIN:

The UK is preparing for its final Christmas before leaving the European Union.

Retailers at the annual Spirit of Christmas event in London have mixed feelings about how Brexit will affect future trade.

STORYLINE

The British lion: a symbol of pride and patriotism in the UK.

But as Britain prepares to leave the EU there is ongoing uncertainty about the country's future - not least about how it will affect trade.

At this year's Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia in London, retailers and exhibitors are showcasing their goods for the festive period.

Ania Zankowska, the founder of Aerloom London, has an array of quintessentially British looking Christmas decorations. As well as a lion she has the Queen, corgis, crowns and British bulldogs.

And as we approach Brexit she's even got "Brussels" Sprouts.  

As someone who originated from Europe - she was born in Poland - her British pieces were originally a celebration of her move to the UK.

She says they remain incredibly popular to this day: "Not just in Britain but all around the world."

With business still booming Zankowska says she hasn't suffered any negative effects from Brexit yet:

"I'm remaining very positive. I work very closely with the Department of Trade and Investment, who assure me that the situation will be well monitored and the support I've received will be continued," she says.

Another exhibitor selling iconic British images this Christmas is the founder of Village Workshop, Itet Radcliffe.

Amongst her traditional gingerbread houses stands a large, gingerbread Big Ben, with Santa hanging off the top.

She says unless the online sites she sells through change their rules, after Britain officially leaves the EU on 29 March 2019, her business should remain stable:

"We sell through online shops and they distribute to Europe and they haven't given us any indication that things will be changing. For this year definitely we haven't seen any change, no repercussions at all," she says.

And she believes there is something about British made goods which still gives people the confidence to buy:

"Well I think people like to associate what they are buying as made in England. I think on that line, yes, here people are quite aware of where it's coming from, so made in England is quite a lot of difference."

While decorations representing British culture look to become a trend this Christmas, another product which will be popular is flavoured spirits and liqueurs.

The Oxton Liqueur Company is a family run business which hand makes fruity liqueurs from a farm in Nottinghamshire.

This year, alongside their Elderflower Gin and Bramble Whisky, they are showing off a Christmas Vodka.

But while the drinks themselves are very much made in Britain - the glass they sell them in comes from Europe. Owner of The Oxton Liqueur Company Christopher Eadie says Brexit related fluctuations in currency have come at a cost for him:

"We've seen an increase in the price of goods that we buy from Europe of about 25 per cent. So that for us is all our glass, that comes from Italy, from Germany and from France. So already there's been a huge impact, what will happen after Brexit we'll have to see," he says.

The Spirit of Christmas Fair is all about shopping and often a good indicator of consumer confidence and spending power.

Organisers say this year was a record year for visitor and exhibitor attendance.

Stuart Hunter is a Portfolio Director at Clarion Events which organises the Spirit of Christmas Fair.

He says Brexit is hot topic: "We do have a lot of conversations with our exhibitors and obviously there's some nervousness,"

However he adds:

"On the evidence of today it's felt busy, buzzy, lots of shopping bags going out of the doors, so it feels like it's business as usual for us."

The Spirit of Christmas Fair 2018 is on at Olympia London from 29 October to 4 November 2018.

London, UK - 29 October 2018

1. Close of British Lion Christmas decoration, by Aerloom London, at the Spirit of Christmas Fair 2018 at Olympia London

2. Mid of crown Christmas decoration being placed between two British Bulldog decorations

3. Wide of display featuring various Christmas decorations by Aerloom London

4. Founder of Aerloom London Ania Zankowska speaking to customer

UPSOUND (English) Customer: "Are these sprouts or cabbages?"

Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London: "Sprouts. The idea was to create a Brussels Sprout"

5. Mid of stand of Brussels Sprout decorations next to Aerloom London gift bags

6. Top shot of Brussels Sprouts decorations next to cracker decoration reading 2018

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"It was just natural to go with the British theme to celebrate the fact that I live in the Kingdom, which obviously was very unusual for me coming from Poland. So the first collection comprised of typically British pieces and they are very popular now, not just in Britain but all around the world."

8. Mid of Queen decoration in front of Corgi decoration

9. Pull focus on side angle of Queen decoration

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"I'm not feeling it (Brexit) yet, of course we're all very much curious about what's going to happen in the future. I'm remaining very positive. I work very closely with the Department of Trade and Investment, who assure me that the situation will be well monitored and the support I've received will be continued."

11. Mid of stand of Brussels Sprouts decoration

12. Top shot of Zankowska organising boxes of decorations

13. Tilt down wreath with decorations

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ania Zankowska, Founder, Aerloom London

"The best sellers in my collection are the Queen ornaments, the bulldogs and the lions and this is very much supported by the sales with the British retailers and I think everyone feels immensely proud to be British during Christmas time."

15. Close of bow being tied on gift bag

16. Wide of visitors walking past Christmas tree at Spirit of Christmas event

17. Tilt down from ceiling of Olympia to stands at Spirit of Christmas

18. Wide of visitors walking past Village Workshop stand

19. Tilt up of gingerbread Big Ben

20. Wide of gingerbread Big Ben

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"I was really looking for something iconic that will relate to England, and if you see Big Ben then immediately it's London, it's England."

22. Mid of Radcliffe arranging gingerbread houses on stand

23. Mid of gingerbread items on stand

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"We sell through online shops and they distribute to Europe and they haven't given us any indication that things will be changing. For this year definitely we haven't seen any change, no repercussions at all."

25. Tilt up gingerbread Big Ben

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Itet Radcliffe, Founder, Village Workshop

"Well I think people like to associate what they are buying as made in England. I think on that line, yes, here people are quite aware of where it's coming from, so made in England is quite a lot of difference."

27. Close of top of Big Ben

28. Wide of Eadie family members working on The Oxton Liqueur Company stand

29. Mid of customer trying flavoured liqueur

30. Various of flavoured liqueur bottles

31. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Eadie, Owner, The Oxton Liqueur Company

"Well in the run up to Brexit we've seen the currency move from about 140 to about 110 (British pound to Euro), so we've seen an increase in the price of goods that we buy from Europe of about 25 per cent. So that for us is all our glass, that comes from Italy, from Germany and from France. So already there's been a huge impact, what will happen after Brexit we'll have to see, but time will tell."

32. Mid of flavoured liqueur bottles

33. Customer trying flavoured liqueur

34. SOUNDBITE (English) Christopher Eadie, Owner, The Oxton Liqueur Company

"You know the exchange rate swung 25 percent, it may turn around, there may be a movement in the other direction, that would be good. Obviously for people exporting it's been incredibly beneficial. So it depends on which side you're on as to whether you've benefited or whether you haven't."

35. Mid of flavoured liqueur bottles on front of stand

36. Wide of visitors climbing stairs in event hall with shopping bags

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Stuart Hunter, Portfolio Director, Clarion Events (Organisers of Spirit of Christmas Fair)

"At the moment in terms of Brexit having any impact to us and the show we're not seeing any, but obviously we do have a lot of conversations with our exhibitors and obviously there's some nervousness, I think certainly probably overall this year in terms of the trade side of business, there's been a bit of a sluggish approach to some of the retail elements."

38. Mid of packaged Christmas puddings

39. Mid of Christmas pudding in front of wooden boxes reading (English) "Made in the UK"

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Stuart Hunter, Portfolio Director, Clarion Events (Organisers of Spirit of Christmas Fair)

"It remains to be seen whether the spend will be the same as we are on site this week, we'll find that out, exhibitors will tell us. We measure that post show as well so we do lots of research. But on the evidence of today it's felt busy, buzzy, lots of shopping bags going out of the doors, so it feels like it's business as usual for us."

41. Mid of bauble on Christmas tree

In Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, many described their fatigue and dismay with Brexit, even after a deal was reached on the eve of Christmas.

The Scottish National Party is expected to seek a mandate to hold a second Scottish independence referendum after the 2021 elections for the Scottish Parliament.

People in Scotland voted to remain in the European Union by a majority of over 60% in the 2016 Brexit referendum.

"I can remember life before we joined Europe and I can remember things getting better, in every way," said Jaime Taylor, a retired engineer.

Many Scots back Scottish independence from the United Kingdom Union as a possible way for the nation to get back into the EU.

Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Thursday that should avert economic chaos on New Year's and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil.

Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas after the U.K. breaks fully free of the EU on Jan. 1.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom - 24 December 2020

1. Close of Scottish flag hanging from an apartment window in Edinburgh

2. Wide of Edinburgh town centre Christmas lights

3. Close of Christmas lights

4. Wide of Christmas tree in Edinburgh town centre

5. Wide of the Scottish Parliament

6. Mid of Scottish flag, Union Flag and EU flags in front of Scottish Parliament

7. Mid of Scottish parliament sign with "Sorry we're closed" on it

8. Close of Scottish parliament sign

9. SOUNDBITE (English) James Craig, Maintenance worker:

"I don't know enough about it (the Brexit deal) but we are probably better having some kind of deal. But, whether the fishermen would agree with the deal that is on offer is another story. There could well be European boats in British waters for the next 10 years."

10. Wide of people in front of the Scottish parliament

11. SOUNDBITE (English) James Craig, Maintenance worker:

"My feeling is we'll be writing a wrong that was committed 300 years ago. That is it in a nutshell. (about Scottish independence)."

12. Wide of Alba Bistro (Alba is another name for Scotland)

13. Close of Scottish flags painted on Alba Bistro

14.  SOUNDBITE (English) James Armour, Project Manager for a clean technology firm:

"I think if I were to sum up my feelings about Brexit in one word, it would be fatigue. Maybe that is also because of everything that is going on with Covid. I mean I personally lived in Denmark for three years and I have a lot of affinity for Europe. And I loved that I could go and study there for free, being part of the European Union, which was really cool. I had a great experience and it is a shame I  guess that people in the future might not have that opportunity from Britain. But, I am fatigued because it has been going on for so long, it is happening now, the ball is rolling. I think we should just finish it. But, I do appreciate the people in Scotland, on the whole actually wanted to stay in the EU. So, I can see how that is difficult for us being up here and being part of the Union with the rest of the United Kingdom."

15. Wide of closed "Wee Scottish Pub"

16. Close up of "Wee Scottish Pub"

17. Wide of Grassmarket square in the middle of Edinburgh

18. SOUNDBITE (English) Pamela Tosh, Teacher:

"I think it makes me feel relieved,because over the past couple of weeks there has just been so much hype and misinformation in the media. And then I guess all the queues at Dover and the threat that we might have restrictions in terms of the food that we have. So, hopefully it would get rid of all of that and get rid of a lot of the uncertainty. But, personally I would prefer Scotland to be part of the Europe. So that is the way I am going to vote in future. I will vote for independence and for Scotland to be part of the European Union in the future."

19. Wide of Alba store

20. Close of Alba store

21.  SOUNDBITE (English) Jaime Taylor, Retired engineer:

"I hate Brexit. I think it is a completely retrograde step. I can remember life before we joined Europe and I can remember things getting better, in every way. I think the feeling of being part of a multinational, international, outwardly looking community has been absolutely fantastic. I have always been very excited about everything about being in Europe. And I have been miserable the last four years. I have been following it almost every second of every day. And it is a completely retrograde thing going backwards into an isolated.. Trying to shrink the size of Britain, really England trying to drag Scotland with it. "

22. Wide of Edinburgh Kilt Maker shop

23. Wide of a food stand in Edinburgh town centre called "French connection"

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Jaime Taylor, Retired engineer:

"It feels very much that it is time for the Union (the United Kingdom Union) to be dissolved. Most of us in Scotland would rather be part of the European Union than the British Union, well I am speaking for myself, but there is a definite feeling that way. And, we are stuck now with this Tory party that are governing Westminster."

25. Mid of Jaime cycling away

26. Wide of French restaurant next to an Italian restaurants in Edinburgh town centre

27. Close of a sign saying Petit Paris restaurant is closed

28. Wide of the Scottish parliament

LEADIN:

Christmas is coming and Britons are indulging in Christmas food and drink, despite fears about Brexit.

At the Christmas Eat and Drink Festival in London, traditional fare and festive tipples are drawing the crowds, in the face of rising costs.

STORYLINE:

From giant-sized gingerbread houses, to cakes shaped like the Nutcracker and Grinch... there are plenty of sweet treats to tempt you this Christmas.

Alongside the fruitcake and marzipan, there's also a sprinkling of humour, and plenty of luxurious extras.

But this year London's 'Eat and Drink Festival' has the shadow of Brexit looming over it.

If Britain leaves the European Union without any agreement, many businesses and most economists view that as a worst-case scenario for the British economy.

It would mean a return of tariffs on trade between Britain and the EU as well as border checks on goods.

That could delay shipments of everything from food and fuel to clothing and cars. Some companies have been stockpiling to prepare for such a possibility.

Justin Levitt, Organiser of The Ideal Home and Christmas Eat and Drink Show says smaller food producers are unlikely to be overly impacted by Brexit.

"I think it depends who you are, so if you're a local producer or more of an artisan food maker, and you're producing food locally like many of our exhibitors are, then it's less of a concern. For some of the bigger brands that maybe are importing food from overseas, or drinks from overseas, yes it is a factor for some of them and we've certainly witnessed a bit of that. But a lot of our food producers are local, and it's craft food and craft drink, and some of that produced locally is less affected by Brexit."

Celebrity chefs play to the crowds who are eager to learn a tip or two for Christmas.  

TV chef Rosemary Shrager says despite a looming Brexit, people will still be celebrating the festive season.

"You know the British are funny people. We like celebrations. I think people will think about it. Companies are certainly thinking about it now. Everybody is thinking about it. But, in a way, people want to enjoy themselves, so I still think Christmas will be expensive for people. I don't think they'll be thinking we can't spend it because we don't know what's going to happen, because they're hoping everything's going to be alright. We are optimistic people. We are born with optimism. That's what it's all about."

Cocktails are on the festive menu, with mixologists adding ingredients like honey, fruit and flowers to a range of drinks.

For those who prefer soft drinks there are delicious non-alcoholic mocktails - finished with a bio-degradable paper straw.

Mike Yudt, a mixologist at Honest Folk Bars, says he's looking to the past for inspiration.

"You've got the classic festive drinks. So obviously eggnogs, mulled wine, things like that. But we're also trying to bring back some of the 80's drinks, like a Snowball as well, so we can have a bit of fun with that as well, as well as looking at healthy-living cocktails. We're doing a lot of cocktails with Vermouth, a lot of cocktails with liqueurs, wines, just to focus in on the healthy-living, active lifestyle, where alcohol doesn't have to be bad for you. Alcohol can be good for you."

There's a buzz around the bars here, with a range of festive flavours to tempt the taste buds of visitors who have come to sample what's on offer.

Visitor Louisa Swanell says the experience is making her excited for Christmas.

"With the flavoured alcohol, it's a lot of Christmas flavours, like the nut and the cinnamon flavours, and the mulled wine flavours, things like that, that are really getting me in the mood for Christmas," she says.

Organic food and drink is on the table too. Gin-lovers can press their own juniper berries - by foot - using a pair of pink Wellington boots to make their own pink gin.

For those who would rather watch, there's plenty of traditional cooking on display. It's time to eat, drink, be merry and prepare for the Christmas season ahead.

London - November 21, 2018

1. Various of large gingerbread house made from real gingerbread

2. Various of Christmas cakes

3. Zoom into venue, Kensington, Olympia, London

4. Various of women drinking refreshments

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Justin Levitt, Organiser, The Ideal Home and Christmas Eat and Drink Show:

"I think it depends who you are, so if you're a local producer or more of an artisan food maker, and you're producing food locally like many of our exhibitors are, then it's less of a concern. For some of the bigger brands that maybe are importing food from overseas, or drinks from overseas, yes it is a factor for some of them and we've certainly witnessed a bit of that. But a lot of our food producers are local, and it's craft food and craft drink, and some of that produced locally is less affected by Brexit."

6. Set up of chef Rosemary Shrager on stage

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rosemary Shrager, chef:

"You know the British are funny people. We like celebrations. I think people will think about it. Companies are certainly thinking about it now. Everybody is thinking about it. But, in a way, people want to enjoy themselves, so I still think Christmas will be expensive for people. I don't think they'll be thinking we can't spend it because we don't know what's going to happen, because they're hoping everything's going to be alright. We are optimistic people. We are born with optimism. That's what it's all about."

8. Various of mixologist making a non-alcoholic cocktail

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mike Yudt, mixologist, Honest Folk Bars:

"You've got the classic festive drinks. So obviously eggnogs, mulled wine, things like that. But we're also trying to bring back some of the old 80's drinks, like a Snowball as well, so we can have a bit of fun with that, as well as looking at healthy-living cocktails. We're doing a lot of cocktails with Vermouth, a lot of cocktails with liqueurs, wines, just to focus in on the healthy-living, active lifestyle, where alcohol doesn't have to be bad for you. Alcohol can be good for you."

10. Various of cocktail bar

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Louisa Swanell, visitor:

"With the flavoured alcohol, it's a lot of Christmas flavours, like the nut and the cinnamon flavours, and the mulled wine flavours, things like that, that are really getting me in the mood for Christmas."

12. Various of juniper berries being pressed by foot

13. Various of cooking demonstrations

14. Close of raw turkey

LEAD IN

Retailers have been stockpiling toys ahead of Christmas, as uncertainty over Brexit continues across the UK.

For some, the changing deadlines for leaving the EU have led to increased imports from traditional toy makers within continental Europe, plus months of planning to avoid festive disappointment.

STORY-LINE

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in London's iconic Covent Garden arcade dates back to Victorian times.

Pollock opened the store in 1880 to sell toy theatres, which are still stocked today, along with an array of traditional children's toys and games.

But here in the UK, toy retailers are facing ongoing uncertainty as the deadline for the country to leave the European Union continues to be in doubt.

"Toy making traditions actually do come out mostly from Europe, so Eastern Europe, Germany, and modern designed toys are a lot from France, Spain, so most of our toys that we source are actually from Europe," explains Louise Heard, owner of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop.

Heard adds that she has been stockpiling toys in case it becomes more difficult or costly to source them from EU countries.

And she says she worries for small traditional toy makers in Europe and the impact Brexit might have.

"What I'm hearing from my suppliers in Europe is that the transport costs have gone up, and then obviously there's currency fluctuations, so we are looking for prices to be going up. And whether the availability, we're going to have them, it's all unknown, we don't know," she says.

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson had insisted the UK would leave the EU with or without a deal on 31 October.

Now, that's all changed.

Heard says if sourcing from the EU does become increasingly complicated, she may have to rely on more traditional British skills, such as printing and making toy theatres.

QT Toys is another retailer based in the British capital.

It stocks some traditional toys, but the majority of its products are modern, with many sourced from China.

Co-owner Joseph Yap says Brexit uncertainty has also led to him stockpiling toys too.

Fluctuations in the British pound have seen costs of toys from various parts of the world increase.

Yap adds that one of his major products is Denmark's LEGO, which imports into the UK from Denmark, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The company has been in touch to try to avoid supply disruption.

"For the past couple of years we've been getting the occasional correspondence, whenever there's been a build up to 'Oh we're going to leave', like on 31st March this year, we did get quite a lot of communication from LEGO saying be prepared for a 'No Deal', there will be extended delivery times," says Yap.

Yap adds that Brexit uncertainty is affecting consumer confidence.

"It's how long are you going to be in limbo for, I suppose, and, of course, I think that affects customers as well in terms of how much they're saving and what they're spending their money on," he says.

Whatever happens, the traditional Christmas bank holiday is still expected to take place on December 25th and 26th.

London, UK - 17 October 2019

1. Wide of Nutcracker toys either side of Christmas Nativity scene

2. Close of Nativity scene

3. Pull focus to Nutcracker toy

4. Close of children's Christmas crackers

5. Tilt down to Louise Heard, Owner of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop, in Covent Garden

6. Close of Heard opening pop up card of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"Toy making traditions actually do come out mostly from Europe, so Eastern Europe, Germany, and modern designed toys are a lot from France, Spain, so most of our toys that we source are actually from Europe. So, for us, we have been doing a little bit of stockpiling, so I don't think anybody's going to be disappointed this year. But I am worried about those very small traditional makers that we use, how difficult it will be to source in the future."

8. Close of sign, reading (English) "Pollocks Toy Theatres"

9. Wide of interior of Covent Garden arcade, which houses Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

10. Mid of entrance to Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

11. Wide of cabinet of toys

12. Pull focus from toy theatre to teddy bear

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"Now what I'm hearing from my suppliers in Europe is that the transport costs have gone up, and then obviously there's currency fluctuations, so we are looking for prices to be going up. And whether the availability, we're going to have them, it's all unknown, we don't know."

14. Various of Benjamin Pollock's toy theatres

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"I think we're going to have to think on our feet. And we might have to go back to what we do do well, which is the printing and that goes back to the Victorian times and we have started to do that ourselves and that's something we might have to look at even more."

16. Child looking at toys in shop

17. Traditional children's board games

18. Mid of box of puppets

19. Rag dolls in suitcase

20. Wide of shop interior

21. Mid of shop counter

22. Close of Nutcracker doll

London, UK - 22 October 2019

23. Tilt down to Joseph Yap, Co-Owner of QT Toys, with toy car

24. Close of toy car driving off

25. Pull focus from cuddly toys to plastic dolls in shop

26. Tilt up of cuddly toys

27. Close of cuddly toys

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"The only thing we can do is probably just order a lot more than we usually do for Christmas. I know I ordered quite a lot before 31st March, which was really annoying because then we had a stockroom full of toys I didn't really want, well not that we didn't really want, but we had a stockroom over full, because of that whole situation. And now it's happening again for October. So, we are ordering maybe a little bit more than we normally do, just to make sure that we do have enough."

29. Pull focus from cuddly toys to skateboards

30. Close of skateboards

31. Close of various European languages on kite

32. Various of LEGO products

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"So yeah, one of our biggest suppliers is LEGO and I know that they do ship from Europe and for the past couple of years we've been getting the occasional correspondence, whenever there's been a build up to 'Oh we're going to leave', like on 31st March this year, we did get quite a lot of communication from LEGO saying be prepared for a 'No Deal', there will be extended delivery times."

34. Little girl playing with toy house

35. Various close shots of toy house

36. Various of plastic toy models

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"In a weird sort of way, the longer it's delayed, it is kind of good for us because it just means that things go on as normal, for the time being. But it's how long are you going to be in limbo for, I suppose, and, of course, I think that affects customers as well in terms of how much they're saving and what they're spending their money on. So yeah, let's see what happens."

38. Mid of child playing with party horn

39. Wide of Yap serving father and his children

40. Mid of Yap at till

41. Tilt up of wooden scooter

42. Mid of scooter rolling away

LEAD IN

Retailers have been stockpiling toys ahead of Christmas, as uncertainty over Brexit continues across the UK.

For some, the changing deadlines for leaving the EU have led to increased imports from traditional toy makers within continental Europe, plus months of planning to avoid festive disappointment.

STORY-LINE

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in London's iconic Covent Garden arcade dates back to Victorian times.

Pollock opened the store in 1880 to sell toy theatres, which are still stocked today, along with an array of traditional children's toys and games.

But here in the UK, toy retailers are facing ongoing uncertainty as the deadline for the country to leave the European Union continues to be in doubt.

"Toy making traditions actually do come out mostly from Europe, so Eastern Europe, Germany, and modern designed toys are a lot from France, Spain, so most of our toys that we source are actually from Europe," explains Louise Heard, owner of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop.

Heard adds that she has been stockpiling toys in case it becomes more difficult or costly to source them from EU countries.

And she says she worries for small traditional toy makers in Europe and the impact Brexit might have.

"What I'm hearing from my suppliers in Europe is that the transport costs have gone up, and then obviously there's currency fluctuations, so we are looking for prices to be going up. And whether the availability, we're going to have them, it's all unknown, we don't know," she says.

The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson had insisted the UK would leave the EU with or without a deal on 31 October.

Now, that's all changed.

Heard says if sourcing from the EU does become increasingly complicated, she may have to rely on more traditional British skills, such as printing and making toy theatres.

QT Toys is another retailer based in the British capital.

It stocks some traditional toys, but the majority of its products are modern, with many sourced from China.

Co-owner Joseph Yap says Brexit uncertainty has also led to him stockpiling toys too.

Fluctuations in the British pound have seen costs of toys from various parts of the world increase.

Yap adds that one of his major products is Denmark's LEGO, which imports into the UK from Denmark, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

The company has been in touch to try to avoid supply disruption.

"For the past couple of years we've been getting the occasional correspondence, whenever there's been a build up to 'Oh we're going to leave', like on 31st March this year, we did get quite a lot of communication from LEGO saying be prepared for a 'No Deal', there will be extended delivery times," says Yap.

Yap adds that Brexit uncertainty is affecting consumer confidence.

"It's how long are you going to be in limbo for, I suppose, and, of course, I think that affects customers as well in terms of how much they're saving and what they're spending their money on," he says.

Whatever happens, the traditional Christmas bank holiday is still expected to take place on December 25th and 26th.

London, UK - 17 October 2019

1. Wide of Nutcracker toys either side of Christmas Nativity scene

2. Close of Nativity scene

3. Pull focus to Nutcracker toy

4. Close of children's Christmas crackers

5. Tilt down to Louise Heard, Owner of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop, in Covent Garden

6. Close of Heard opening pop up card of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"Toy making traditions actually do come out mostly from Europe, so Eastern Europe, Germany, and modern designed toys are a lot from France, Spain, so most of our toys that we source are actually from Europe. So, for us, we have been doing a little bit of stockpiling, so I don't think anybody's going to be disappointed this year. But I am worried about those very small traditional makers that we use, how difficult it will be to source in the future."

8. Close of sign, reading (English) "Pollocks Toy Theatres"

9. Wide of interior of Covent Garden arcade, which houses Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

10. Mid of entrance to Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

11. Wide of cabinet of toys

12. Pull focus from toy theatre to teddy bear

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"Now what I'm hearing from my suppliers in Europe is that the transport costs have gone up, and then obviously there's currency fluctuations, so we are looking for prices to be going up. And whether the availability, we're going to have them, it's all unknown, we don't know."

14. Various of Benjamin Pollock's toy theatres

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Heard, Owner, Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop:

"I think we're going to have to think on our feet. And we might have to go back to what we do do well, which is the printing and that goes back to the Victorian times and we have started to do that ourselves and that's something we might have to look at even more."

16. Child looking at toys in shop

17. Traditional children's board games

18. Mid of box of puppets

19. Rag dolls in suitcase

20. Wide of shop interior

21. Mid of shop counter

22. Close of Nutcracker doll

London, UK - 22 October 2019

23. Tilt down to Joseph Yap, Co-Owner of QT Toys, with toy car

24. Close of toy car driving off

25. Pull focus from cuddly toys to plastic dolls in shop

26. Tilt up of cuddly toys

27. Close of cuddly toys

28. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"The only thing we can do is probably just order a lot more than we usually do for Christmas. I know I ordered quite a lot before 31st March, which was really annoying because then we had a stockroom full of toys I didn't really want, well not that we didn't really want, but we had a stockroom over full, because of that whole situation. And now it's happening again for October. So, we are ordering maybe a little bit more than we normally do, just to make sure that we do have enough."

29. Pull focus from cuddly toys to skateboards

30. Close of skateboards

31. Close of various European languages on kite

32. Various of LEGO products

33. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"So yeah, one of our biggest suppliers is LEGO and I know that they do ship from Europe and for the past couple of years we've been getting the occasional correspondence, whenever there's been a build up to 'Oh we're going to leave', like on 31st March this year, we did get quite a lot of communication from LEGO saying be prepared for a 'No Deal', there will be extended delivery times."

34. Little girl playing with toy house

35. Various close shots of toy house

36. Various of plastic toy models

37. SOUNDBITE (English) Joseph Yap, Co-Owner, QT Toys:

"In a weird sort of way, the longer it's delayed, it is kind of good for us because it just means that things go on as normal, for the time being. But it's how long are you going to be in limbo for, I suppose, and, of course, I think that affects customers as well in terms of how much they're saving and what they're spending their money on. So yeah, let's see what happens."

38. Mid of child playing with party horn

39. Wide of Yap serving father and his children

40. Mid of Yap at till

41. Tilt up of wooden scooter

42. Mid of scooter rolling away