Nothing To Declare - Why on earth am I still watching it?

Oh, thought you meant the terrible sitcom with Keith Baron!

I love Judge Judy. Used to watch Nothing to declare which is pretty addictive. I was especially amused at how much food Chinese visitors to Australia would pack into their suitcases. Have visited Sydney on several occasions and you can quite easily buy Chinese food in their own supermarkets, not sure what relatives think they are doing, especially when they are repeat offenders.
I don’t watch it now, have broken the habit. But instead I watch true crime documentaries instead 😬

Basgetti

Oh, thought you meant the terrible sitcom with Keith Baron!

That is duty free 🤣

Oh I love nothing to declare, if I wake in the middle of the night and can't sleep I put it on. The food smuggling ones are my favourites.

The food people try to smuggle in is amazing. I never, ever think to even take food with me on a plane trip and when I watch the stuff they pack and think they can get away with it, it staggers me.

I will admit to watching it at the weekends, when there are rolling episodes. Something about it is a bit addictive. I too, am amazed at the food Chinese people try to bring in.

I’m semi-addicted to JJ too.

Not as bad as my addiction which is Made in Chelsea. It’s absolute rubbish these days (arguably has always been rubbish) and watching rich privileged people being paid to go on nice holidays just so they can argue with each other should go against my socialist principles but I can’t get out of the habit of watching it. Which probably started because of me wanting to live in London in the swinging sixties.

Primrose53

The food people try to smuggle in is amazing. I never, ever think to even take food with me on a plane trip and when I watch the stuff they pack and think they can get away with it, it staggers me.

And a lot of the food 'contraband' is often badly wrapped, slimy, vile and sometimes crawling with insects having been stuffed in backpacks or suitcases for absolute hours.

But when the customs officials attempt to confiscate it they get hysterics, abuse, screaming tantrums, etc, etc.

Why so much food though? Do they think they'll never see a supermarket again?

I wonder if is a custom to bring relatives food from their homeland. If so surely the relatives should tell any visitors not to bring any food whatsoever.

One needs these reality quirky TV shows as it's about everyday things but "how on earth could they......" a welcome chunk of human imput trivia....

JJ is a fab watch: I watch the cop stuff too and sometimes the ambulance ones, (sometimes a hankie job),

but I wont watch real life serious crime, not ever but certainly not late night stuff.

I'd forgotten that programme, thanks for the reminder!!

Australia is very strict on border control, you're not allowed to take certain foods, eg bananas, between States either.

I remember they were very suspicious about teabags which I had decanted from the box into a polythene bag so they fitted into my case more easily, plus Marmite for DD. They did let me through with them "You Brits and your Marmite!" 😀

I used to be an avid viewer of nothing to declare but not for the past 12 months or so . My new obsession is the QVC shopping channel. It’s on in the background while I am reading or scrolling on my phone . Really I should get myself a sinus or something so that I can stream music instead .

I did not know about this, but have been tempted and am on my second episode - just look what you have done!

We like NtD, even though we know some of the programs so well we can preempt the speech.
My favourite is Rita’s, “If you put it in your mouth, it’s food!”
Or the “my mum, brother, sister, aunt packed my suitcase,” excuse.
Some are sickening e.g. the man with loads of bear bile medication, boasting that his brother has a farm so the stuff is very well made!
Some are sad, and some are amazingly funny when “entitled” travellers think rules don't apply to them and then claim they’re being picked on.

I particularly love it when the border force staff confiscate all their food and then give them a hefty fine. 👍

Luckygirl3

I did not know about this, but have been tempted and am on my second episode - just look what you have done!

😂😂😂
Your guilty pleasure.

Always a good one for we insomniacs!

I love the way the narrator tries to ramp up the drama by telling us that "they could be prosecuted for this amount of undeclared food" - I've never seen anyone prosecuted even with suitcases overflowing with food - and I must have seen each episode at least 6 times

We watch it because everything else on at breakfast time is worse rubbish

I’ve stopped watching the one about hugely overweight people in the USA, who go to see this specialist doctor who puts them on a strict diet, which they don’t stick to, and then are upset they are still big.

‘200 pounds’ or similar title.

I must confess to watching Nothing to Declare.
I have to admire a country where someone trying to enter Australia without the proper documentation is sent home on the next available flight. Not put up in a comfy hotel and given cash and perks like we do here.
I remember one programme where a lady arriving from China had a huge amount of food with her that she had not declared. The Border Control lady was trawling her way through bagful's of food when she found a plastic tub containing something slimy. It turned out to be pureed frog!

Yes, you’re right 🥴

I have a love hate thing about Storage Wars! Hate the OTT people on it but love looking inside the containers that have been abandoned and the fact they turn it all into profit (sometimes)

I watched this for a long time but I got fed up because they were just repeats most of the time. It's amazing how many people get caught out and then up in arms because the food is taken off them. Makes me wonder how much actually gets through.
Then there's all the people trying to get in falsely. Pity our own country isn't as strict.