French TV crew charmed by the Isle of Wight

A French TV crew have been filming on the Island this week.

The team from TF1 (French Television 1) are making a programme about the Isle of Wight for their lunchtime news programme, which broadcasts to 8 million viewers a day.

Francois Wasson is the journalist who has been touring the Island with cameraman Thierry Chartier to find out what it is about the Isle of Wight that makes it such a special place.

He says that he was given the chance to choose a place in Northern Europe: ‘We’re preparing some magazine reports focusing on the most beautiful sights all around the world. These will be broadcasted on the first week of January. For Europe, we choose the Isle of Wight, because of its beautiful landscapes. It’s a really high-quality report, the goal is to make French people discover the beauty of the Island.’

The filming was facilitated by Visit Isle of Wight, the tourist board for the Island, who were able to provide support and act as a liaison between the television crew and relevant tourism providers.

Sue Emmerson, Press Officer for Visit Isle of Wight said: ‘Visit Isle of Wight acts as the first point of contact for many productions. We have the contacts and a lot of research into required locations.

‘Francois was incredibly courteous and professional, and it was a pleasure to help him. I can’t wait to see the results in January.’

The small team were given a guided tour of Osborne, visited the Needles Landmark Attraction, sheep breeding at Cheverton Farm and took a stroll around Godshill with Kathy Domaille, the owner of luxury B&B businesses, Godshill Park Barn. They also met local rambler David Howarth as part of the Island’s walking reputation and visited Newport Ale House to capture the atmosphere of a local pub with live music.

Francois Wasson said he was very taken by the Island’s beauty and the people: ‘I was pleased to discover that the Island is really preserved, the natural sites are really beautiful. I think in the small village we discovered all around the coast and inland, there was a kind of ‘out of time’ atmosphere.

‘We felt that it was good for people to live here and they want to keep it away from all the problems, all the issues of the world. It’s kind of like a secret garden, it’s beautiful.’

The report will be broadcast in France in the New Year.