Skip to main content

tv   The Travel Show  BBC News  September 7, 2019 10:30am-11:00am BST

10:30 am
than those of extra energy, a company which went into administration 10 months ago, and is still sending out bills. dan whitworth has been covering this story for radio 4's money box — hejoins me now in the studio. people are getting bills after so long that the companies have based? itches isn't just long that the companies have based? itches isn'tjust the time here, nine or ten months after the company goes back into administration, it is the size of the bills that is the issue. money box heard from one listener who was presented with a bill for £4151. this is for a two bed terraced house. a lot of energy she says she has not used. she says she says she has not used. she says she does not oh the money. the time it has taken to get the bill, and the size of the bill has been an issue here. what are peoples options? who do they complain to? normally, if you are an energy company and you are not happy with how your complaint has been dealt with you have regulatory framework. there is the energy watchdog, you
10:31 am
have the energy ombudsman. the final port of call for complaints. in this instance, extra energy does not exist anymore as a company and the administrators of extra energy are pwc. if you want to complain about your bill, go to pwc and complain but afterwards you cannot go to the ombudsman, ofgem, because pwc is not an energy company. i've had it described as a regulatory black hole in this. has anyone from nc described as a regulatory black hole in this. has anyone from m the company commented? they said they are looking at bills of 130,000 companies, they say they have done a sig can majority and anyone with a problem with their bill, pwc is encouraging them to get in touch. and how would you change things? is it about changing regulations? at the moment, it has been described as a regulatory black hole, something needs to change to protect those customers once the supply has gone into administration. thanks very much. you can listen to the full
10:32 am
report on radio four at midday today. weekend weather is shaping up to be fine and dry with some sunshine. there are some isolated showers on the cards, but many of us will avoid the cards, but many of us will avoid the showers through the weekend. this afternoon, the cloud will break up this afternoon, the cloud will break upfor this afternoon, the cloud will break up for most places, so a good deal of sunshine. some heavy showers for east anglia and the far south—east, and perhaps a view toward the south—west as well, but mostly staying dry. cooler along the east coast with the breeze from the north sea. into this evening, a dry story, clear spells ever night for many of us, which means it will be a chilly night with light weapons. the odd fog patch forming early tomorrow morning, and perhaps a touch of frost. sunday, a largely dry, settled day with decent conditions. cloud moving in from the north—west
10:33 am
bringing patchy rain to the west of scotla nd bringing patchy rain to the west of scotland and northern ireland later in the day, top ten to 15—18dc. goodbye. —— temperature. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines: borisjohnson could face another legal challenge if he ignores new legislation aimed at stopping a no—deal brexit. a warning that four in ten uk businesses haven't done even a basic risk assessment of the consequences of a no—deal brexit. as people flee the devastation of hurricane dorian, there are fears the death toll will rise significantly from the 43 confirmed dead. keeping children safe from gangs and violence — a call to open schools in the evening and weekends. india's hopes of becoming the first country to land a spacecraft on the south pole of the moon appear to have ended in failure.
10:34 am
now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show, which this week is in switzerland at the world's biggest wine festival. coming up on this week's programme: i'm in switzerland at one of the world's most colourful and crazy wine festivals. the sun is blazing, it's so hot, i'm melting, totally worth it. look at this atmosphere! we're in london with the city's longest serving waitress. i have served the beatles, the stones, freddie mercury, eric clapton, pete townsend, take that, carnabys — — god, so many — and jackie and joan collins, they were my favourite. we're in the philippines with the people who risk their lives preserving a dangerous art. plus, i'll be finding out why the natural wine movement is on the rise. that's really nice.
10:35 am
hello and welcome to the travel show with me, lucy hedges. this week i'm in vevey, a small swiss town on the shores of lake geneva, as it hosts the world's biggest and perhaps most infrequent wine festival. as well as being home to unesco—projected lavaux vineyards, vevey is known for its living tradition, the fete des vignerons, a three—weeklong celebration of wine that transforms the town. while switzerland might not spring to mind when you think of wine, they actually produce around
10:36 am
100 million litres a year, exporting only 2% of it. it is said that during the fete des vignerons, visitors to this unsuspecting lakeside town work their way through — are you ready — over half a million bottles of wine. the festival itself actually began as a one—day feast, hosted by an ancient brotherhood, as a way to reward the best winemaker in the region, and it clearly takes locals a while to recover, as the festival only takes place once every 20 to 25 years. the fete des vignerons began in 1797 as a small parade through the streets of vevey. but because of unrest in the region over the next couple of decades, the next event was not organised for another 22 years. a cycle that has remained ever since.
10:37 am
unbelievably, this yea r‘s fate is only that 12th festival since then, with each year's show growing in size and spectacle. today, the climax of the celebration is a daily show that takes place in a specially built stadium, and features over 5000 volunteers. and this year, the show has been created by the man behind cirque du soleil. i'm loving the vibe back here — there's people in costumes, there's props everywhere. now, as the creator of this incredible show — what's going to be an incredible show — what is it like creating something that only happens once every 20 years? it is something very unusual, in some form, and it is like, really, a theatre show, but with 5000 actors, maybe more, 6000, something like that. you can be very precise and tell the story about the work that the people are... ..or you can try to find a different form to bring them like in a strange journey.
10:38 am
it is about using your imagination, not doing things conventionally, doing things a little bit outside the box, having a bit of fun with it, basically? yeah. so with 5000 people in your show, do you think you've got room for one more? dance with your hands, do this... dance with my hands? yeah (laughs). does that mean i'm in? you're in! the show itself represents a year in the life of a vineyard and, in order to have enough roles for that many volunteers, it means even the bugs and birds get their moment in the spotlight. talk me through what i'm going to be doing. right, so you're going to be an etourneau dancer, a starling dancer. the idea is that your upper body is completely separated from your lower body, and that your arms feel like wings and you can fly. you make that look really easy. i think i'm getting it. yeah, you're looking great. be honest.
10:39 am
no, i'm being honest, you're definitely getting it. i'm believing you. ok, so, at the minute, ifeel like im a little bit stiff, especially on the left—hand side, but i've got time to perfect my wingspan movements. i'm quite looking forward to getting involved in the show, so bring it on. so i've got my moves, now it's time to get my costume. these are huge! how do i look? am i working it? you're amazing! (laughs). then the three—hour extravaganza began. the crowd sounds huge. a little bit scary. the first—ever festival for the fete des vignerons held a capacity of 2000 people, i'm about to perform in front of almost 20,000 people!
10:40 am
showtime! it wasn't until i ran out into the stadium that the olympic scale of the show truly sank in. the sun is blazing, it's so hot, i am melting. totally worth it! look at this atmosphere! i can't think of another place where multiple generations from one family get the chance to be involved in such an epic experience together. this really means a lot to a lot of people, a lot of emotions running high, and i can see why. applause. the choreography wasn't as important in the end, everyone was restyling, but it looked really good and what an honour to take part
10:41 am
in some thing that only happens once every 20 year. i ain't going to be this limber in 20 years, i tell you that now! now to london, and a tradition that does not go back quite as far as the swiss event, but nevertheless has become a bit of an institution, attracting celebrities from across the globe. the city's original hard rock cafe opened its doors in 1971, and we caught up with its longest serving waitress, rita gilligan, who started on day one and never left. good morning, sir, how are you today? just come in, sir. my name is rita gilligan mbe, i am 78 years old, and i'm working here at the hard rock for the past 48 years. i tell you, i've got the gold leaf burger and it is absolutely fabulous. i was in the back garden with my husband, 1971, and he spotted an advert
10:42 am
on the evening standard paper, and they were looking for waitresses with bundles of personality. so i came down, i'd worked in every hotel along here and, as i approached, there was a guy standing at the door, long hair and a pair ofjeans, and i said i was looking for the headwaiter or the manager? my name's peter morton and i'm the founder, he said. you know what, you're great but you're too young, so i said to him, listen, i'm the best you're going to bloody get, you better take me, isaid. so he went back in his chair, put his hand up — i didn't know what he was doing — gave me a high—5, i want you to start now. now, my darling, this is the world's best steak burger, gold leaf. i want you to enjoy it. i'll be back to double check, 0k, enjoy. if you came in and wanted a cup of coffee at my tables, it's not a lot, it's £1.50 whatever of that, you know, but i'm going to make it — when you walk out that door with a memory. and life is all about memories. i want people to know that they are in london, and whether they are spending £1
10:43 am
of £500, i treat every customer the same. now, my darling, this is the sparkling blue hawaiian. you enjoy it, ok? i have served the beatles, the stones, freddie mercury, eric clapton, pete townsend, take that, carnabys — um, god, so many — and jackie and joan collins, they were my favourites, they were fantastic to serve. now, eric clapton, he came in a few years ago, because he gave the first guitar to the hard rock. of course, pete townsend heard about this, and a week or so later, he sent his down with a note saying, "mine's as good as his — get it up." what does hard rock mean to me? well, they gave me a job in 1971, a job that i've walked in every day and every second, minute, hour of the day, i've enjoyed every second of it. there you are, my darling, whenever you're ready, you pay me, and come back, and bring yourfriends, 0k? great to see you. well, stay with us here
10:44 am
on the travel show, because coming up, we'll be meeting the filipino islanders keeping a perilous tradition alive. plus, i'll be asking just what goes into natural wine? madam, for you today, the cheese fondue! oh, my god! pepperman. merci. bye. i was not expecting that...at all. i think, as far as entrances go, that was quite extravagant. now you might not know this about me but i absolute the love fondue. so i'm in heaven right now. and usually this is the kind of meal that is communal, but clearly, i'm billy no—mates right now, but honestly i have no problem consuming all of this by myself. now, if you have never had the pleasure of having fondue, what you've got here is a burner at the bottom that keeps the cheese
10:45 am
consistently melted and smooth and delicious and cheesy, and what you do is you grab some bread, or you can use it with meat, eat it with meat or vegetables, whack it on your fork, dip it in the cheesy goodness, oh, and let heaven take over. that is delicious. next up, we head to the philippines to meet islanders of pabellon, who have maintained a unique art for generations. nest gatherers risk their lives climbing up cliff faces with their bare hands. we went to find out why this dangerous tradition continues.
10:46 am
10:47 am
10:48 am
10:49 am
now, i'm heading to the swiss alps to meet a winemaker who is doing things a little bit differently. peter hans—schmidt set up mythopia when the natural wine movement was taking off.
10:50 am
today, the consumption of natural wine is on the rise, with emerging names creeping onto wine lists in most of the world's best restaurants. there is no official definition as to what makes a natural wine but it is all about low intervention, letting nature do the work without using any chemicals or additives. and i've heard peter's vineyard is a pretty good example of this. that was quite the trek. i am used to vineyards being a bit more — a bit tidier. there's a lot going on, there's brambles, there's bushes, there's loads of wild plants — this is not your typical vineyard, is it? the thing is to have really a living space for nature. there is a method behind the wildness? there is definitely a method. we do not need any fertiliser, so it only comes from the greens that we have planted here. there's a beehive!
10:51 am
not really a beehive. this is for wild bees and we put these holes and they put their eggs into the holes. so not only are you making natural wine, with bees on the decline, you're actually doing something for the planet as well. that's brilliant. yeah, we have increased biodiversity, in fact, this area here is one of the places with the highest biodiversity in the whole country. i'm starting to see what you are talking about. this is definitely your patch, this isn't. no. it looks quite barren, there's no undergrowth. you look this way, it's wildflowers, bees, butterflies. there's a lot going on on this side. i mean, this is the traditional way, like winegrowing was done here for the last 50 years and more. and all our vineyards, they looked exactly like this. very dense production. we took out half the wines to make space and to give light. peter has clearly put a lot of effort into making his vines
10:52 am
as wild as possible. apparently his vineyards are home to 64 species of butterfly. but having never tried natural wine, i'm looking forward to tasting how it differs from the wine i'm used to. so, peter, what are we tasting? the disobedience is a white wine. but if you see, the colour is more like golden. they call it like orange. yeah, it's a nice colour. not one you would expect when someone says white wine. in the old days the wine had four colours — there was red and white, and it was rose and orange. when we did this wine we broke all the rules. it is like doing all in the wrong way so in the end it comes to this. that is really nice. it is quite tangy but really flavoursome but very different to the white wines i'm used to. i've never had orange wine before, i've never heard of orange wine before. i did not actually know
10:53 am
that it existed so i am learning something too. you only can only make this type of natural wines a continuation of your work in the vineyard. you need the stable system where you do not interfere. every bottle is made by billions of microorganisms that's why we call it also living fine. —— wine. they're still inside. peter's clearly not one to shy away from a memorable name. next up, his red wine, illusion. it definitely tastes like red, and red is my favourite. it is difficult to describe just with adjectives what happens inside your mouth. a lot of young people never drinking wine, they come to natural wines and say, oh, i like it. it's steep here, yeah. speaking to peter has made me realise that natural winemaking is as much a philosophy as it is a process. that part of the excitement within the movement is the unpredictability of nature
10:54 am
that helps make each bottle different from the last, something traditional winemakers have spent centuries trying to avoid. he has also made it clear that even the wildest of vineyards need taming. so he's agreed to let me have a go on his little red tractor. from the outside, it looks wild, but if you do not manage it, it is just all overgrown and after a three years there is nothing to harvest anymore. so it is controlled wildness. yes. it is myjob to manoeuvre the roller backwards, down the hill, flattening the grass that will then act as a natural fertiliser for the soil underneath. but i've never been that good at reversing. this is a lot harder to manoeuvre than i thought.
10:55 am
i have done many things for the travel show but driving a tractor backwards down the swiss alps, definitely was not in the originaljob description, but i think i nailed it, right. i think it is fair to say that a lot of us have got expectations of how wine should taste based on what we have been told so it is quite a refreshing and fascinating to see people like peter refusing to conform and it's easy to see that, by using more natural methods, not only is he doing his bit for the environment, but he's shaking up the wine industry a little bit too. and that's it for this week's travel show. but coming up next week: ade's in amsterdam to see researchers prepare to restore rembrandt‘s the night watch in full view of the paying public. wow. oh, man, so that's it? all of this scrutiny and all of this work for one artist. i really think that he would think we are crazy.
10:56 am
so make sure you catch that and, in the meantime, don't forget, you can check us out on social media. but for now, from me, lucy hedges, and the rest of the travel show team, here in switzerland, it's goodbye. hello. whilst hurricane dorian remains a powerful storm pushing into eastern canada, this side of the atlantic the weather is looking quite a bit quieter. here is the picture out there this morning in camborne in cornwall. blue skies, fair weather cloud, and a cute showers through the course of the
10:57 am
weekend but mostly dry and settled weather with some sunshine on offer. high pressure is building in from the west, with the wind rotating around the high pressure, they will be coming from a northerly direction, so quite a chilly feel to the weather in parts of eastern england and scotland. some heavy showers for east anglia and down to the south—east, but elsewhere those showers should ease away into the afternoon, and the sunshine breaking the cloud app nicely, feeling reasonably pleasant, 17—20dc. cooler around the eastern coast. the ashes are set to continue today at old trafford. it looks like we won't see too much in the way of rainfall, so sunny spells and temperatures up to 17 celsius. this evening and overnight, largely clear, dry weather, which means temperatures are going to be falling quite quickly. they could be a touch of frost across parts of eastern scotla nd frost across parts of eastern scotland and north—east england. further south, in single figures, so a fresh start to sunday morning. for
10:58 am
the great north run, a chilly start to the morning, but decent running conditions, not too hot, up to 15 celsius with a light wind. we keep the sunshine tomorrow across england and wales, eastern scotland holding on to some sunshine. further west, cloud will build in getting a cute spots of light, patchy rain during the afternoon. temperatures 15—18, so the afternoon. temperatures 15—18, $03 the afternoon. temperatures 15—18, so a touchdown on today. this weather front vent moves in from the west, heading slowly eased as we move into monday. a soggy start to the new working week for many of us, but it won't feel particularly warm, only 14—16dc. temperatures should recover and we will see a good deal of dry weather, breezy and damp through wednesday, but otherwise not a bad week ahead. goodbye.
10:59 am
11:00 am
this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. borisjohnson could face another legal challenge, if he ignores new legislation aimed at stopping a no—deal brexit. a warning that four in ten uk businesses haven't done even a basic risk assessment of the consequences of a no—deal brexit. as people flee the devastation of hurricane dorian, there are fears the death toll will rise significantly from the 43 confirmed dead. a prisoner swap between russia and ukraine appears to be underway — it's hoped it will ease tensions between the two neighbours. keeping children safe from gangs and violence — a call to open schools in the evening and weekends.

44 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on