| Afers exteriors | |
|---|---|
.png/1280px-Afers_exteriors_(TV3).png) | |
| Genre | Travel documentary |
| Directed by | Miquel Calçada |
| Presented by | Miquel Calçada |
| Country of origin | Catalonia |
| Original language | Catalan |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 99 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Ferran Cera Miquel Calçada Sergi Garcia |
| Running time | 25–45 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Televisió de Catalunya |
| Release | 29 January 2003 (2003-01-29) – 2016 (2016) |
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Afers exteriors (lit. "Foreign Affairs") is a Catalan television travel show created and presented by Miquel Calçada. It was produced and broadcast by Televisió de Catalunya. Each episode focuses on a different country or region of the world, usually with the aim of showing the life of the Catalan diaspora there.[1][2]
The show premiered in 2003 and ran for seven seasons on channels TV3 and El 33, ending in 2016.[3]
Format
The programme typically follows a documentary format narrated and hosted by Catalan journalist Miquel Calçada, with occasional snippets of his own personal opinions and humour.[4] In each episode, he visits a different region of the world to meet with people from the Catalan Countries who have emigrated there.[4] In addition, the series highlights the historical impact of Catalans in these territories and frequently explores the social reality of the locals.[5]
Seasons 6 and 7 were exceptionally more focused on the social issues of the time, such as the economic crisis, the war in Afghanistan and the Catalan sovereignty movement.[6][7] They feature visits to countries that recently achieved independence (South Sudan) or countries with unsettled identity questions (Scotland and Gibraltar), with some themed episodes, such as those dedicated to the European Union and its economic situation.[6][1][3]
Release
The series first aired on 29 January 2003 and ran for five annual seasons until it was ended on 24 December 2009.[8] Afers exteriors was brought back for a sixth season in 2014 and a seventh and final season in 2016.[2][9] The final episode, a rewind of the entire series, aired on TV3 on 17 April 2016.[3]
Seasons
| Season | Original TV3 broadcast date | |
|---|---|---|
| First episode | Last episode | |
| 1 | 29 January 2003 | 21 May 2003 |
| 2 | 14 April 2004 | 7 July 2004 |
| 3 | 6 October 2005 | 2 February 2006 |
| 4 | 22 May 2007 | 28 August 2007 |
| 5 | 17 September 2009 | 24 December 2009 |
| 6 | 20 January 2014 | 5 May 2014 |
| 7 | 10 January 2016 | 17 April 2016 |
Episodes
Season 1 (2003)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Israel" | Israel | 29 January 2003 (2003-01-29) |
| 2 | 2 | "Àfrica" | Mali, Burkina Faso | 2 February 2003 (2003-02-02) |
| 3 | 3 | "Austràlia" | Australia | 12 February 2003 (2003-02-12) |
| 4 | 4 | "Espanya" | Madrid, Spain | 19 February 2003 (2003-02-19) |
| 5 | 5 | "Xile" | Chile | 26 February 2003 (2003-02-26) |
| 6 | 6 | "Suècia" | Sweden | 12 March 2003 (2003-03-12) |
| 7 | 7 | "L'Argentina" | Argentina | 19 March 2003 (2003-03-19) |
| 8 | 8 | "Cuba" | Cuba | 26 March 2003 (2003-03-26) |
| 9 | 9 | "Islàndia" | Iceland | 2 April 2003 (2003-04-02) |
| 10 | 10 | "El Brasil" | Brazil | 16 April 2003 (2003-04-16) |
| 11 | 11 | "Mèxic" | Mexico | 3 April 2003 (2003-04-03) |
| 12 | 12 | "Costa Rica" | Costa Rica | 7 May 2003 (2003-05-07) |
| 13 | 13 | "Els Estats Units" | United States | 14 May 2003 (2003-05-14) |
| 14 | 14 | "Resum" | Season recap | 21 May 2003 (2003-05-21) |
Season 2 (2004)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "Puerto Rico" | Puerto Rico | 14 April 2004 (2004-04-14) |
| 16 | 2 | "El Marroc" | Morocco | 14 April 2004 (2004-04-14) |
| 17 | 3 | "Àustria" | Austria | 21 April 2004 (2004-04-21) |
| 18 | 4 | "Nàpols" | Naples | 28 April 2004 (2004-04-28) |
| 19 | 5 | "Els Estats Units 1" | United States | 5 May 2004 (2004-05-05) |
| 20 | 6 | "Els Estats Units 2" | United States | 12 May 2004 (2004-05-12) |
| 21 | 7 | "Còrsega" | Corsica | 19 May 2004 (2004-05-19) |
| 22 | 8 | "Veneçuela" | Venezuela | 2 June 2004 (2004-06-02) |
| 23 | 9 | "El Vaticà" | Vatican City | 9 June 2004 (2004-06-09) |
| 24 | 10 | "El Japó 1" | Japan | 16 June 2004 (2004-06-16) |
| 25 | 11 | "El Japó 2" | Japan | 23 June 2004 (2004-06-23) |
| 26 | 12 | "República Txeca" | Czech Republic | 30 June 2004 (2004-06-30) |
| 27 | 13 | "Egipte" | Egypt | 7 July 2004 (2004-07-07) |
| 28 | 14 | "Resum" | Season recap | 7 July 2004 (2004-07-07) |
Season 3 (2005–06)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 1 | "Vietnam" | Vietnam | 6 October 2005 (2005-10-06) |
| 30 | 2 | "Perú" | Peru | 13 October 2005 (2005-10-13) |
| 31 | 3 | "L'Índia 1" | India | 20 October 2005 (2005-10-20) |
| 32 | 4 | "L'Índia 2" | India | 27 October 2005 (2005-10-27) |
| 33 | 5 | "Jordània" | Jordan | 3 November 2005 (2005-11-03) |
| 34 | 6 | "Holanda" | Holland, Netherlands | 10 November 2005 (2005-11-10) |
| 35 | 7 | "La Xina 1" | China, Hong Kong | 17 November 2005 (2005-11-17) |
| 36 | 8 | "La Xina 2" | China, Hong Kong | 1 December 2005 (2005-12-01) |
| 37 | 9 | "Irlanda" | Ireland | 8 December 2005 (2005-12-08) |
| 38 | 10 | "Amazones" | Amazonas, Brazil | 5 January 2006 (2006-01-05) |
| 39 | 11 | "Rússia" | Russia | 12 January 2006 (2006-01-12) |
| 40 | 12 | "La Patagònia" | Argentina | 19 January 2006 (2006-01-19) |
| 41 | 13 | "El Quebec" | Quebec, Canada | 26 January 2006 (2006-01-26) |
| 42 | 14 | "Resum" | Season recap | 2 February 2006 (2006-02-02) |
Season 4 (2007)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 1 | "Haití" | Haiti | 22 May 2007 (2007-05-22) |
| 44 | 2 | "Albània" | Albania | 29 May 2007 (2007-05-29) |
| 45 | 3 | "Finlàndia" | Finland | 12 June 2007 (2007-06-12) |
| 46 | 4 | "Tanzània" | Tanzania | 19 June 2007 (2007-06-19) |
| 47 | 5 | "Algèria 1" | Algeria | 26 June 2007 (2007-06-26) |
| 48 | 6 | "Algèria 2" | Algeria | 3 July 2007 (2007-07-03) |
| 49 | 7 | "Portugal" | Portugal | 10 July 2007 (2007-07-10) |
| 50 | 8 | "Les Filipines" | Philippines | 17 July 2007 (2007-07-17) |
| 51 | 9 | "El País Basc" | Basque Country, Spain | 24 July 2007 (2007-07-24) |
| 52 | 10 | "República de Sud-àfrica 1" | South Africa | 31 July 2007 (2007-07-31) |
| 53 | 11 | "República de Sud-àfrica 2" | South Africa | 7 August 2007 (2007-08-07) |
| 54 | 12 | "Nicaragua" | Nicaragua | 14 August 2007 (2007-08-14) |
| 55 | 13 | "La Polinèsia Francesa" | French Polynesia | 21 August 2007 (2007-08-21) |
| 56 | 14 | "Resum" | Season recap | 28 August 2007 (2007-08-28) |
Season 5 (2009)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | 1 | "Guina Equatorial" | Equatorial Guinea | 17 September 2009 (2009-09-17) |
| 58 | 2 | "Anglaterra clàssica" | England | 24 September 2009 (2009-09-24) |
| 59 | 3 | "Anglaterra moderna" | England | 1 October 2009 (2009-10-01) |
| 60 | 4 | "Corea del Nord" | North Korea | 8 October 2009 (2009-10-08) |
| 61 | 5 | "Grècia" | Greece | 15 October 2009 (2009-10-15) |
| 62 | 6 | "El somni americà 1" | United States | 22 October 2009 (2009-10-22) |
| 63 | 7 | "El somni americà 2" | United States | 29 October 2009 (2009-10-29) |
| 64 | 8 | "Dubai" | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 5 November 2009 (2009-11-05) |
| 65 | 9 | "Suïssa 1" | Switzerland | 12 November 2009 (2009-11-12) |
| 66 | 10 | "Suïssa 2" | Switzerland | 19 November 2009 (2009-11-19) |
| 67 | 11 | "L'Uruguai" | Uruguay | 26 November 2009 (2009-11-26) |
| 68 | 12 | "Les Seychelles" | Seychelles | 3 December 2009 (2009-12-03) |
| 69 | 13 | "Turquia" | Turkey | 10 December 2009 (2009-12-10) |
| 70 | 14 | "Mongòlia" | Mongolia | 17 December 2009 (2009-12-17) |
| 71 | 15 | "Adéu i gràcies" | Season recap | 24 December 2009 (2009-12-24) |
Season 6 (2014)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 1 | "L'Afganistan" | Afghanistan | 20 January 2014 (2014-01-20) |
| 73 | 2 | "Escòcia" | Scotland | 27 January 2014 (2014-01-27) |
| 74 | 3 | "El Pakistan" | Pakistan | 10 February 2014 (2014-02-10) |
| 75 | 4 | "Economia" | Economics-themed episode | 17 February 2014 (2014-02-17) |
| 76 | 5 | "Gibraltar" | Gibraltar | 24 February 2014 (2014-02-24) |
| 77 | 6 | "Israel" | Israel | 3 March 2014 (2014-03-03) |
| 78 | 7 | "Bolívia 1" | Bolivia | 10 March 2014 (2014-03-10) |
| 79 | 8 | "Bolívia 2" | Bolivia | 17 March 2014 (2014-03-17) |
| 80 | 9 | "Europa segle XX" | European history-themed episode | 31 March 2014 (2014-03-31) |
| 81 | 10 | "Unió Europea" | European Union (Brussels, Strasbourg) | 7 April 2014 (2014-04-07) |
| 82 | 11 | "Sicília" | Sicily | 14 April 2014 (2014-04-14) |
| 83 | 12 | "Els Estats Units" | United States | 21 April 2014 (2014-04-21) |
| 84 | 13 | "Xipre" | Cyprus | 28 April 2014 (2014-04-28) |
| 85 | 13 | "Últim capítol" | Season recap | 5 May 2014 (2014-05-05) |
Season 7 (2016)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Area visited | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | 1 | "El Sudan del Sud" | South Sudan | 10 January 2016 (2016-01-10) |
| 87 | 2 | "Qatar" | Qatar | 17 January 2016 (2016-01-17) |
| 88 | 3 | "Eslovènia" | Slovenia | 24 January 2016 (2016-01-24) |
| 89 | 4 | "Kènia" | Kenya | 7 February 2016 (2016-02-07) |
| 90 | 5 | "Corea del Sud 1" | South Korea | 14 February 2016 (2016-02-14) |
| 91 | 6 | "Corea del Sud 2" | South Korea | 21 February 2016 (2016-02-21) |
| 92 | 7 | "Malta" | Malta | 28 February 2016 (2016-02-28) |
| 93 | 8 | "Noruega" | Norway | 6 March 2016 (2016-03-06) |
| 94 | 9 | "Colòmbia 1" | Colombia | 13 March 2016 (2016-03-13) |
| 95 | 10 | "Colòmbia 2" | Colombia | 20 March 2016 (2016-03-20) |
| 96 | 11 | "Singapur" | Singapore | 27 March 2016 (2016-03-27) |
| 97 | 12 | "Jamaica" | Jamaica | 3 April 2016 (2016-04-03) |
| 98 | 13 | "Romania" | Romania | 10 April 2016 (2016-04-10) |
| 99 | 14 | "Resum" | Full series recap and finale | 17 April 2016 (2016-04-17) |
Reception
During original air time, the programme was generally extraordinarily well received in terms of audience ratings. The premiere of the second season achieved a 23.1% share,[10] with the fifth season peaking at 23.3% and the sixth season averaging 16.2%.[6][11] Just after its first season, the show won the Catalunya Exterior award, presented to journalistic projects focused on the Catalan diaspora.[12][5] After the end of the fifth season, it won the Ràdio Associació award.[13]
Regarding critical remarks, in 2010, Hèctor López, writing for Avui, made reference to the North Korea episode, in which Calçada meets Alejandro Cao de Benós, a representative of the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He noted that the episode depicted an overly entertaining view from urban areas, without enabling viewers to see "the villages plunged into misery."[14]
In 2014, the series' sixth season was criticised by parties PSC and PP for featuring a CiU electoral candidate and for the presence of a Catalan estelada badge worn by Calçada.[15][16]
References
- ^ a b Delclós, Tomàs (6 April 2016). "La indulgent diplomàcia d'«Afers exteriors»". El País (in Catalan). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b "'Afers exteriors' torna cinc anys després - 17 gen 2014". El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b c Roca, Albert Castellví (10 January 2016). "'Afers exteriors' visita des d'avui països que han lluitat "per existir"". Ara (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b "TV3 estrena la segona temporada de la sèrie documental "Afers exteriors"". 3/24 (in Catalan). 6 April 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b "La Xarxa - Corporatiu - Els Afers Exteriors de Mikimoto tornen a TV3". www.laxarxa.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "Escòcia i Gibraltar, nous destins d'«Afers exteriors»". Nació (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Miquel Calçada se enfrenta a nuevos 'Afers exteriors'". El Periódico (in Spanish). 16 January 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ ""Afers exteriors" fa un recorregut emocional pels Estats Units". TV3 (in Catalan). 21 October 2009. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Juanico, Núria (17 January 2014). "'Afers exteriors' s'enlaira de nou". Ara (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ ""Afers Exteriors" regresa con éxito a TV3". Vertele (in Spanish). 15 April 2004. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Ara (18 February 2014). "TV3 lidera el 'prime time' i 'Afers exteriors' fa el segon millor resultat". Ara (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ ""Mikimoto" guanya el premi Catalunya Exterior pel programa "Afers exteriors"". 3/24 (in Catalan). 16 July 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ ""Eduqueu les criatures" i "Afers exteriors", distingits amb els premis Ràdio Associació". 3/24 (in Catalan). 23 March 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Bofill, Hèctor López. "Conflictes a Corea - 21 des 2010". El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ "Pinça de PP i PSC contra Miquel Calçada per l'Afers Exteriors'". VilaWeb (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Redacció (31 January 2014). "El PP treu foc pels queixals per l'estelada de Miquel Calçada a l'Afers Exteriors". La República (in Catalan). Retrieved 25 August 2025.
External links
- Official site
- Afers exteriors at IMDb
