BBC Knowledge Loves Scandinavia
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BBC Knowledge Loves Scandinavia A wintery season dedicated to the wonders of Scandinavia TX: From 5 December at 21.30 BBC Knowledge brings you a festive flurry of must-see television, celebrating the natural wonders, people, history and culture of Scandinavia with programmes including Reindeer Girls and Blizzard: Race to the Pole. Throughout the month of December, BBC Knowledge promises to warm up your living room exploring a range of themes from the beauty of the Norwegian northern lights, to the Swedish crime fiction phenomenon Wallander not forgetting breakthrough polar survival techniques straight from the Arctic. Who is Kurt Wallander TX: Monday 5th December at 21.30 (1x50 mins) Introduction Investigating Sweden's super sleuth crime fiction hero Presented by best-selling British crime author John Harvey, this film looks at the publishing phenomenon that is Henning Mankell, creator of Sweden's super sleuth Kurt Wallander. Following the writer as he divides his time between Sweden and the Mozambique capital of Maputo where he lives with his wife, the film looks at his work and his beliefs. Travelling to Skane in southern Sweden and featuring interviews with Wallander actor Kenneth Branagh, American crime novelist Jeffrey Deaver and Swedish agitator Jan Guillou, this documentary unearths the meaning behind Mankell's work. Programme Synopsis Author of the Wallander novels, Henning Mankell is one of the most well-known Scandinavian crime writers. This film reveals the truth behind his most famous creation – detective Kurt Wallander. Kurt Wallander is very different to traditional tough guy cops. He responds to danger with stooped shoulders and an overwhelming sense that it’s more than he can handle. But there is more to Mankell’s work than police procedurals. Mankell explains how he’s been writing to ‘unmask’ society. He uses Wallander to express his views on all the traumatic topics which give rise to the New Right populism: the flow of illegal immigrants, soaring crime and violence, growing unemployment and social insecurity. This documentary offers a unique profile of Henning Mankell as Swedish crime fiction continues to enjoy success around the world and is an ideal accompaniment to the Wallander drama. Key Facts Mankell’s novels have sold more than 30 million copies. In Germany – his top market – he outstrips Harry Potter and is the biggest-selling author since World War II . There have been many Swedish adaptations of the Wallander novels with both Krister Henriksson and Rolf Lassgard playing Kurt. Left Bank Pictures have also produced three TV film versions in English starring Kenneth Branagh. Voyages of Discovery: The Ice King TX: Tuesday 6th December at 21.30 (1x50 mins) Introduction Recreating Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen’s pioneering adventure to set foot on the North Pole Explorer and engineer Paul Rose tells a gripping true story of adventure on the high seas, setting sail in to the unknown and making scientific discoveries that changed our world forever. With the aid of documentary-style reconstruction, Paul recreates an explorative journey using his navigational and engineering expertise, to reveal the far- reaching impact and knock-on inventions without which, today’s world would be unrecognisable. Programme Synopsis Norwegian Fridtjof Nansen was the founding father of polar exploration and he is Paul Rose’s all-time hero. In the spring of 1892, he made a bid to become the first man to set foot on the North Pole. His audacious plan was for his ship to become stuck in pack ice, in the hope that it would carry him with the ocean currents to the Pole. Until then, ships had been crushed to pieces by the force of encroaching pack ice. Scientists refused to join his mission, claiming it was doomed. But Nansen (played by Brynjar Stautland) had designed a special revolutionary hull for his vessel The Fram. It was shaped like a duck, so, instead of being crushed by the ice, it was simply lifted from the water and sat on top of the ice. At first, the plan seemed to be working and the ship slowly moved towards the Pole, but the ice wasn’t taking her as close as Nansen hoped. So he struck out on foot, instead. He used breakthrough polar survival techniques – such as the use of layered clothing, compressed gas for cooking, a revolutionary ski design and dogs to pull his sleigh. Nansen discovered that, unlike the South Pole, the North Pole was all ice with no land. He proved that it was possible to survive in the frozen wastes of the Poles and travel great distances without support. However, there was a huge problem. The pack ice Nansen was crossing had begun travelling in the opposite direction from the Pole, slowing his progress with devastating effect. Nansen had no option to turn back. But this was the most successful failure ever – he had travelled further North than anyone and pioneered a series of new techniques and discoveries which are still with us, even today. His work is even being used by NASA as they develop ways for astronauts to deal with the loneliness and isolation of space. Crucially, unlike leaders of the doomed expeditions before him, Nansen had brought all his men back alive. He was a true pioneer. He laid the foundations for the study of the planet’s ocean currents, which today are crucial to our understanding of global weather systems and climate change. Whether you are on a simple family camping trip, climbing Everest or on the Arctic survey, his legacy will be with you. Nansen also ushered in the era of modern cross- country and sports skiing. In fact, his name will never be forgotten, even on the Moon and Mars – there is a crater named after him on each. Key Facts Paul Rose has many years experience running scientific expeditions, including the British Antarctic Survey. A former vice-president of the Royal Geographical Society, Paul has climbed Everest and is a professional diving instructor and yacht skipper. What the press says about Voyages of Discovery: The Ice King “I was won over by the momentum of the story, and terrific photography….” Robert Hanks, Independent. “The story was gripping … satisfying ‘Well, I never!’ nuggets … [Rose] combined Michael Wood’s enthusiasm with Ray Mears’s practicality.” Ian Johns, The Times. Joanna Lumley in the Land of the Northern Lights TX: Thursday 8th December at 21.30 (1x50 mins) Introduction A beautiful and awe-inspiring journey to the Northern Lights One of the UK's best-loved personalities and most successful comedy exports pursues a life- long dream to track down the elusive and beautiful Northern Lights. Comedy icon Joanna Lumley grew up in tropical Malaysia, and as a little girl had never seen snow or felt cold. Inspired by the fairy tales and picture books of the North, full of trolls and snow queens, she always longed to make this journey. But she could never have guessed what a challenging, epic, diverse and absorbing arctic adventure lay ahead of her. Programme Synopsis Realising her childhood dream, she travels North across the Arctic Circle, up through Norway and finally to Svalbard, the most northerly permanently inhabited place on Earth, where she has to cope with temperatures approaching minus 30° C. Joanna’s journey takes her from train to boat and husky sled to snowmobile as she is pulled ever northwards by what she calls ‘the strongest point of the compass’. As the anticipation mounts so does Joanna’s trepidation that her Arctic journey will be in vain and she won’t get to see the Northern Lights. She explores the romantic fjords of Lofoten. Learning to ride a snowmobile, Joanna speeds across endless expanses of Lapland tundra with a Sami herdsman in search of his reindeer. On nearing the Arctic Ocean, she spends the night in a hotel made entirely of ice. The fascinating people she meets on her journey north fire Joanna’s passion to see the Northern Lights still further, telling her about the unique spectacle and power of this true wonder of the world. Finally, in a breathtaking climax to the film, Joanna gets to see with her own eyes the spectacular beauty of the Northern Lights. The fulfilment of a lifetime’s yearning; it was an emotional moment for Joanna Lumley: “It was beyond any dream you could have,” she says. “This particular showing was so spectacular that it was reported on Danish television news. It has all come from the sun and our little tiny planet that we’re trying to save... you see how majestic it is, and that it’s part of the massive universe, you begin to feel very humble. To be soppy about it, we had stars in our eyes. I’d been waiting all my life to see the Northern Lights and then I saw them on a scale beyond description.” Reindeer Girls TX: Monday 12th December at 21.30 (1x50 mins) Introduction One journey for the indigenous Sami people through two worlds The Sami people are reindeer herders from the far north, and one of Europe's last nomadic people. Embracing two worlds, they live in 21st Century Norway, with all of the comforts and technology that brings. But they also follow their traditional lifestyle of herding reindeer across the Arctic tundra. Each spring they take their herd of hundreds of animals across the mountains to the north coast for the Arctic summer. Two 16-year-old girls, Elle and Inga are followed as they set out on this incredible journey. Programme Synopsis Reindeer are one of the few animals capable of surviving in this harsh environment. As sub- zero specialists they are well adapted to withstand the cold.