Japanese TV crew visits for knitting documentary

A Japanese film crew has visited the island as part of a knitting documentary which includes the Guernsey jumper.

Nippon Hoso Kyokai or NHK, which is Japan's publicly funded broadcaster, has brought over a small crew to Guernsey and is making the programme which will air in Japan later in 2025.

Sophie Noakes, the owner of The Bean Jar cafe in Guernsey, featured in the programme and said she hoped it would have a positive impact on local businesses and it was a "fantastic opportunity".

She said: "To be able to be so proud of a culture that you feel like you're from and be able to broadcast that to the other side of the world is just such an incredible feeling."

The documentary is about the history of knitting in the British Isles.

While in the island, the crew rallied islanders to gather in their Guernsey jumpers by the Victor Hugo statue.

Crew co-ordinator and researcher for NHK, Mayumi Oxborrow, said: "We asked people to come to the square with jumpers on and hundreds of people gathered with their jumpers on and they sang the national anthem.

"It made us cry to be honest.

"We really feel that the Guernsey is the kind of national uniform and it has a really good story behind it."

She said: "Guernsey jumpers are really popular in Japan and also we knew the long history so we wanted to uncover the history from the knitting industry."

The team has visited some of the Bailiwick's manufacturers and interviewed them for the documentary.

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