I have never been a great
subscriber to populism. Prefer to do my own thing rather than follow the latest
trend. If I had been born a greyhound I would have been so slow out of the
traps I reckon the hare would have lapped me before I got going. Take your time
I says, assess the situation, gather the facts. Form your own opinion. Stunningly
astute or plain bloody lazy? Take your pick. I have no idea but it has saved me
wasting a lot of precious time on things that, when you sweep away the hype,
are patently abysmal. Following this sensible maxim has saved me from the worst
excesses of Fifty Shades of Grey, The Da Vinci Code, Britain’s Got Talent, Downtown
Abbey, The Daily Mail, November Moustaches, and Nick Clegg. To name but a few.
Equally I have no desire to bungee jump for charity, wear a badge proclaiming
my beliefs, or do anything on television. If it’s the fashion, the perceived
wisdom, or the popular view I tend to veer the other way. Sheer bloody
mindedness and a strong desire not to be controlled. Probably explains why I
loathe practically all government initiatives. Especially the ones telling us
what to do or think.
Does have its downside, of
course. Except for Nick Clegg. Being so stubborn in my refusal to join in with
fashionable hype or hysteria I have missed out on a few things. Took me years
to discover the joys of an iPod, Calvin Klein underpants, and Robert Goddard’s
cerebral mysteries. But I soon catch up. Eventually. Bt Infinity, Stieg
Larsson, and Quantitative Easing are a cinch at my dinner table discussions. I
particularly like Stieg Larsson. The success of his Millennium Trilogy
obliquely launched numerous Scandinavian dramas and, belatedly, the TV
executive suits woke up to a blindingly obvious fact. A lot of us can actually
cope with subtitles. Suddenly BBC4 was awash with cerebral crime dramas which a
few years ago would have not got a look in. Took me a while to find them but Arne Dahl and The Bridge on Saturday nights soon became a must see in our house.
Belatedly I have been splashing out on sundry Nordic Noir DVD’s and it will
surprise few who lap up this genre that I am completely hooked.
The Bridge (Series One and Two) still ranks as my favourite in
spite of over stretched plots. The chemistry between the autistic Swedish
detective (Sofia Helin) and her philandering Danish counterpart (Kim Bodnia) is
quality acting of the highest order. In narrative that grips throughout,
detailed police procedure interspersed with pleasingly complex storylines, attention
is permanently held in a way that British TV crime drama rarely does. The Killing (Series One and Two)
matches, and probably exceeds, The Bridge
for in depth relationship and convinces me that my first taste of this latest
fashion was no happy accident. These Scandinavians know how to craft and
develop gripping stories that require a heavy dollop of attention span and
trust they have an audience capable of applying it. Sofie Grabol as Sarah Lund,
famed now for her unprepossessing jumpers, gives a performance that deserves
every award thrown at her. Her dysfunctional detective is surrounded by quality
actors, Morten Surballe is superb as her boss Lennart Brix, and in series one
Ann Eleonora Jorgensen gives a riveting performance as the murder victim’s mother.
If you see no other modern Scandinavian crime drama you could do worse than try
series one of The Killing as a taster.
It is long, twenty episodes covering twenty days, but its mix of police procedure,
political intrigue, and domestic grief and recriminations gains a hold on your
attention that never lets go. Or it did for me.
So I am now following a
fashionable trend, even if a bit late in the day. Have just bought The Killing (Series Three) and Those Who Kill from the same director.
So I have a lot to look forward to in the evenings when dreary British TV
schedules offer up the same load of rubbish that they have been churning out
for years. There are exceptions (37 Days
on BBC2 was riveting World War One factual political drama) but they are like
hen’s teeth. I generally prefer the radio. But I like, no love, these Nordic crime
dramas. They tick all my appreciation boxes. And, actually, I quite like Nick Clegg. Just
being provocative. It’s Paddy Ashdown I can’t stand. Roy Hall
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