Big, burnt and boozy: German tabloid scoffs at Brits abroad
Bild reels off British holiday ailments, from 'underwear amnesia' to 'Prince Harry syndrome'
British holidaymakers are drunk, fat and sunburnt, according to a scathing piece published this week in the German tabloid Bild.
After thousands of Brits complained about developing a cough from drinking cheap vodka in Spanish resorts, Bild has put together a list of other British holiday "ailments".
The cheeky piece, entitled "Bild explains the English Patients (of Majorca)", pokes fun at British men with "wandering-hands disease" and women with "underwear amnesia".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Brits abroad put on too much weight from drinking, it says, and develop "toasting arm", a pain akin to tennis elbow caused by lifting too many pints.
"If you burn red and white abstract art onto your body by unprotected sunbathing, you must allow us a little schadenfreude," it says.
Tattoos are branded "Anglo-Saxon rash" ("Men have 'Made in England', women have paws in green ink") and British women are accused of thinking they can have a free holiday by offering sexual favours to men.
Bild also refers to "balcony leg", in which Brits injure themselves trying to jump into the hotel pool from their balcony, and "Prince Harry syndrome", a pathological need to undress in public at every opportunity.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"Anyone who has encountered the German love of naturism may find this a touch hypocritical," says the Daily Telegraph, while The Times says the piece shows such "stunning rudeness" it is "tantamount to an act of war".
It adds: "As the anniversary of the beginning of First World War approaches, and the talk throughout Europe is of peace and reconciliation, one might have thought that traditional Anglo-German rivalries would be, temporarily, at least, laid to rest. Sadly not."
The Sun is also duly defensive, with an attempt to even the score. "Germans poke fun at Brits on hol," says its headline, "but at least we don't nick the sunbeds."
-
Train Dreams pulses with ‘awards season gravitas’The Week Recommends Felicity Jones and Joel Edgerton star in this meditative period piece about a working man in a vanished America
-
Crossword: November 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Middleland: Rory Stewart’s essay collection is a ‘triumph’The Week Recommends The Rest is Politics co-host compiles his fortnightly columns written during his time as an MP
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come