The Bridge : Nordic Noir Breaking Borders and Language Barriers with the British Television Audience

Abstract: The international success of crime stories from the Nordic countries has made its transition from the literature market to television. In the United Kingdom, these programmes have received many viewers, and much press attention. This thesis will look at ratings leader The Bridge, to look into the reasons why a programme in Danish and Swedish has managed to attract almost two million viewers weekly in a television market usually resistant to non-English language programmes. Using a combination of a close textual analysis of The Bridge, along with qualitative respondent interviews with audiences members, this thesis has found that perceived realism, strong characterisation, and realistic female characters, are what the audience enjoy about The Bridge. The programme engages with production techniques which the audience are very familiar with, meaning that while the language the characters speak is foreign, the way the narrative, and action is communicated is not. The findings bring new discussions about Nordic Noir, where previous criticism has centred on the scenery, social discourses and the exoticism of the Danish and Swedish languages as explanations for the British popularity.