Our Man in... (2012) is a three-part Channel 4 documentary that plants itself inside British consulates across Spain during the summer of 2011. The series shadows consular staff as they bail out holidaymakers and expatriates who have mislaid passports, landed in hospital cells or simply run out of money. Each episode is self-contained, hopping from the hedonistic chaos of Ibiza to the Costa del Sol’s retirement belt and finishing in Barcelona and Tenerife, where post-Olympic optimism collides with everyday bureaucracy.
The films were shot by Screenchannel TV with minimal narration, relying on overheard phone calls, fluorescent-lit interview rooms and the occasional tearful reunion to reveal how consular protection actually works. Viewers see a mother negotiating emergency travel documents for her stranded son, a stag party explaining why their mate is in handcuffs and an elderly couple pleading for help after a house sale collapses. The consuls themselves remain calm, practised and unfailingly polite, even when forced to explain that a lost passport cannot be replaced by sheer volume of shouting.
Broadcast across three consecutive Thursday nights in March 2012, the series drew modest but loyal audiences and was never recommissioned. Archive copies remain available sporadically on Channel 4’s on-demand platform, usually resurfacing during parliamentary debates about Britons abroad.
Production Details
Channel 4 / 1 Season / 3 Episodes / 2012
Main Cast
