# Make me a German



## James3214

Anybody watch the UK BBC2 TV programme about a UK family trying to become an average German family by living and working in Nürnberg?

BBC Two - Make Me a German

Very accurate I thought!


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## Sirtravelot

I didn't watch it, but I read that the reviews weren't very good.

I could probably make a better "documentary".


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## James3214

True, it could of been a lot better, and I am sure some of the scenes have been stage managed (texting at work, neighbour complaining about the kids making noise on Sun morning) but it did point out some of the 'cultural differences' that took me a while to understand. 

It seems to be 'German week' on the BBC after the program about the German/UK car industry and Rick Stein's German Food. It even made me dig out my 'kraftwerk' Autobahn CD!


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## Sirtravelot

James3214 said:


> True, it could of been a lot better, and I am sure some of the scenes have been stage managed (texting at work, neighbour complaining about the kids making noise on Sun morning) but it did point out some of the 'cultural differences' that took me a while to understand.
> 
> It seems to be 'German week' on the BBC after the program about the German/UK car industry and Rick Stein's German Food. It even made me dig out my 'kraftwerk' Autobahn CD!


Is there going to be more or was that it? It would be interesting to see more than just one Brit in Germany. Something like one in Munich, one in Hamburg, one in Leipzig to see the differences between the countries and the regions.

I think Hamburg would be quite interesting, there's quite a few Brits living there.


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## James3214

No, it was just a 'one off' and you are right, the regional differences would be interesting, like in a lot of countries, including the UK!


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## Sirtravelot

I watched it now. I thought it was all right, but far too short. What bothered me immensely was how the English guy always talked English to the Germans, expecting them to understand him.

I heard that people were up in arms a bit because of the racist cop, but I didn't find him to be that racist. 

The "Waldkindergarten" was total crap. They made it sound as if such a thing was a norm. It seemed like Green propaganda.

The whole "stay at home" Hausfrau, is also quite misleading. They made it seem like all German women can't wait to be mothers. Not the case! The German birth-rate is so much lower than in Britain.

Anyway, if I was in charge of that, I would try to make it better, a bit deeper. It's also kinda hard to be "typical German", because nobody really knows what that is. Just my two cents.


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## lindalounder

I watched that documentary too - I am from USA and when I went to study in Germany the tips were very helpful


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## cheefbadger

i watched it too and thought it was a bit weak. So much of it was overly staged, i agree, but i guess it had to be. it did point out some of the cultural differences but overplayed quite a few of them. Everyones experience is different of course but in mine the sunday quiet law was definitely overplayed. Where I live, and its mostly Germans, everyone just goes about their business. True, i am less likely to blast out slipknot and crank it up to the gigawatts but my neighbour certainly didn't have to politely ask their dogs to use their inside voices or stop their children from playing as children do. i personally have never been told off for using my phone in work, but then I work for Vodafone so maybe thats why.
The one good thing was that my friends back gome watched it and so they have more of an idea what to expect when they visit. According to the programme at least I will come home early afternoon from my manufacturing job to my wife who will be most of the way through her days housework, looking after three quarters of a child and preparing a heart attacks worth of swine for dinner.


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