1957: No-Passport Trip to Boulogne
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A 'Behind the Scenes' news report that follows a group of passengers as they travel to France on this 'no passport needed' bank holiday day trip. The reporter accompanies the travellers onto the ferry and chats to them about what they hope to do in France (eat frogs' legs and buy perfume). He also finds an English taxi driver working in Boulogne who gives his opinions on British visitors.
The facility to travel to France for day trips without using a passport was withdrawn in 1939. With encouragement from ferry companies, this was reinstated in 1955, initially allowing travel only on specified routes. However, it wasn't exactly a bureaucracy-free service, as a four-page identity paper had to be filled in and three passport photographs supplied. There was also a Β£10 limit on currency that could be taken on the trip.
This item has incomplete sound.
From the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Archives. Originally broadcast 09 August 1957