This article takes the crisis that erupted in summer 2001 around the accommodation centre at Sangatte in northern France as a textbook example of a British migration crisis with an added twist—the role of Eurotunnel. It begins with a brief description of the centre and its short history. The ‘crisis’ as it was construed by a number of different actors, and their relationship with the media are then outlined. These include Eurotunnel and the cross‐Channel carriers, the Conservatives and Labour in Britain. Although the focus of the article is the British government's handling of the ‘crisis’, the role of the French authorities and their responses to the British government are important and are also examined. The shifts in the approaches of the two governments are explored, before the final solution is evaluated.