More 4 has 'Thicker Than Water' from those loveable Scandinavians who've provided so much great tv in Britain of late and the BBC has 'Undercover'. The first is gripping, as is 'Blue Eyes', incidentally, also current and as was 'The Bridge', 'Trapped' and '1864'. Further back 'Borgen' was excellent too. It's a great time to be a couch potato in the UK.
Compare the best of British and Scandinavian drama with the supposed benchmark of Hollywood and it looks to me as if Hollywood is coming up short. John Travolta produced and acted in 'The People Versus OJ Simpson', which was informative and entertaining just not unmissable.
'Undercover' is very British with highly topical content, and, as a dyed in the wool conspiracy theorist who thinks the police meddle in politics which they should leave alone, whilst letting down victims of crime almost all the time, 'Undercover' could have been made for me. I'm not convinced about UK police ethics concerning race or violence either, so 'Undercover' panders to my suspicions nicely.
However, the Scandinavians win by a short head for me, for years we were indoctrinated that British is best, not necessarily so. After years of travelling to supposedly dangerous places, my boat got burgled back home at Gallions Reach Marina in good old London. One of the things I most regretted losing was a DVD of the movie 'Pelle The Conqueror'. Great acting from Swedish legend of the cinema Max Von Sydow and a powerfully moving Scandinavian story, brilliantly told by all concerned. In fact we Brits think we're outward looking but a lot of Scandinavian history seems to have passed us by. Drama isn't fact but it is providing a degree of education.
I'm a big fan of the UK film industry and mentor to a young British film maker, but the Scandinavian film and tv industries are producing truly great viewing. It's a shame when it's on a commercial channel and spoiled by ads, but still, better than not at all. Thank you to all those involved in bringing Scandinavian drama to our shores, if you've missed it then settle down and take a look soon.
Artwork from the author of this blog.
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