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''Brødrene Dal'' ('The Brothers Dal') is a Norwegian television series by Norwegian comedy trio KLM ( Kirkvaag, Lystad, Mjøen), that originally aired as four series in 1979, 1982, 1994 and 2005. A fifth adventure, originally performed on stage in 1997, was edited and released as a movie in 2010. The series bears many similarities to ''
Monty Python's Flying Circus ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal humour, surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Terry Gilliam, w ...
'', as the three actors play nearly all the different roles in the series, often multiple roles in each episode. Usually, the series would have a main plot keeping the story and episodes together, but most of the content being semi-related or unrelated sketches. This is especially true for the first series ''Professor Drøvels Hemmelighet'' (1979), where the story frequently diverges from the main plot for entire episodes, only to jump back to the plot in the last minute. In the other series, the story is more centered on the actual plot. The name "Dal" literally means "valley", and is a common Norwegian surname. The names of the characters (Gaus Dal, Roms Dal and Brumund Dal) are based on locations in Norway with the word "dal" in them (
Gausdal Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segelstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forse ...
,
Romsdal Romsdal is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal traditional comprises the areas that are part of Aukra Municipality, Molde Municipal ...
and
Brumunddal Brumunddal is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located on the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about north of the town of ...
) and are not themselves common first names. The names of the brother's parents, Halling and Mari, similarly reference
Hallingdal Hallingdal () is a valley as well as a traditional district located in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud county in Norway. It consists of six municipalities: Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. Hallingdal is one of the ma ...
and
Maridalen Maridalen is a valley in the north of Oslo, Norway, just above the suburb of Kjelsås. Considering that Maridalen is within the Oslo city limits, this area has a very low population density. The valley consists of forests, lakes and agricultural ...
.


Characters


Main characters

* Gaus Dal (born late 1940s).Mentioned in episode 11 of "Spektralsteinene" The oldest of the three brothers, and the brain of the three. Always sports a hat similar to that of
Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...
. Played by Lars Mjøen. * Roms Dal (born late 1940s). The middle brother, and the more humorous and silly of the three. Always sports a brimmed Australian hat. Played by
Knut Lystad Knut Ove Lystad (born 31 January 1946) is a Norwegian actor, singer, translator, screenwriter, comedian and occasional director, best known from the comedy trio KLM, alongside Trond Kirkvaag and Lars Mjøen. Career Lystad and Mjøen began the ...
. * Brumund Dal (born late 1940s). The youngest brother, and the outside-the-box thinker. Always sports a propeller hat. Played by
Trond Kirkvaag Trond Georg Kirkvaag (21 June 1946 – 16 November 2007) was a Norwegian comedian, actor, impressionist, screenwriter, author, director and television host. During his 39 years at the Norwegian TV network, NRK, he produced numerous comedy ...
. * The Narrator (''Fortelleren'') – while originally just a voice-over narrator whose main task it was to sum up the events of the previous episodes and make various absurd predictions about the next episode (as well as absurd comments and interjections during the actual events transpiring), but in ''Spektralsteinene'' he began developing into a character in his own right, making on-screen appearances and finally officially met the main characters. From then on, the three brothers would often interact with him, reacting and responding to his narration, often resulting in comical situations breaking the fourth wall. He was played by comedian
Tom Mathisen Tom Mathisen (born 14 August 1952) is a Norwegian comedian, actor, screenwriter and musician. He usually handles bass, guitar and vocals. He was in the comedy group Prima Vera from 1976 to 1983 along with Jahn Teigen and Herodes Falsk. Later he ...
.


Secondary characters

* Halling Dal (died before 1979), was the father of the three brothers, and leader of the fictional resistance group
MILORD ''Milord'' () is a term for an Englishman, especially a Nobles, noble, traveling in Continental Europe. The term was used in both French and English from the 16th century. It derives ultimately from the English phrase "my lord", which was lingui ...
during World War II. He encountered his three sons during their time travels in ''Spektralsteinene'', but they used false last names to avoid suspicion. He later promised to name his three sons after they helped him, meaning that the brothers are named after themselves. He was married to Mari Dal, and they both died some time prior to the first series, probably in the early 1970s based on comments made by the brothers when encountering them in ''Spektralsteinene''. * Snerting, Joste and Mette-Mari Dal are the teenaged nephews and niece of the three brothers, though it's deliberately left unclear who their parents are. They appear only in ''Karl XIIs Gamasjer.'' Snerting is played by Mads Buer, Joste by Martin Lotherington and Mette-Mari by
Agnes Kittelsen Agnes Elisabet Hilden Kittelsen (born 20 May 1980) is a Norwegian actress. Biography Agnes Kittelsen is known for her role as Anneli in the TV-series ''Skolen'' (2004), as the title character's wife Tikken in the 2008 film '' Max Manus'' and ...
. * Prof. Kurt Drøvel – scientist and professor who disappeared during an expedition in the 1950s, with several rescue attempts in the following decades all failing. The Dal brothers set out to find him in 1979, eventually discovering his secret: a giant egg, but no signs of the professor. However, it turns out that the Professor was inside the egg, but with the experience having made him cluck like a chicken. He reappeared in cameos during the later series. He was played by
Helge Reiss Helge Reiss (27 February 1928 – 11 November 2009) was a Norwegian actor. He was the son of the actor Thorleif Reiss. Early life Reiss was born 27 February 1928. Career He began his career in 1948 with a minor role in a low budget crime fi ...
. *Prof. Ledwin Slatters – scientist and professor who hopes to find a cure for the
common cold The common cold, or the cold, is a virus, viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the Respiratory epithelium, respiratory mucosa of the human nose, nose, throat, Paranasal sinuses, sinuses, and larynx. ...
using substances from an old
meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...
. It is whilst helping prof. Slatters dig for a piece of the meteorite that the brothers accidentally find the first spectral stone, triggering the Spectral Stones adventure. He was played by
Arne Bang-Hansen Arne Bang-Hansen (September 8, 1911 – February 23, 1990) was a Norwegians, Norwegian actor that performed at the National Theatre (Oslo), National Theater in Oslo for many years. Acting career Arne Bang-Hansen played a total of 155 roles at t ...
.


Adventures


Prof. Drøvel's Secret (Professor Drøvels Hemmelighet)

Originally aired in 1979 with 13 episodes (15 minutes each, except the first and last episode, 25 minutes) The main plot of this adventure takes place on the fictional unexplored river ''Overfloden'', where the brothers are searching for the long-lost professor Drøvel, who mysteriously disappeared while exploring the river 25 years earlier. However, the episodes frequently diverge from the main plot into unrelated sketches.


The Spectral Stones (Spektralsteinene)

Originally aired in 1982 with 13 episodes (15 minutes each, except the first and last episode, which are 25 minutes long). In this adventure, the brothers (with the help of a blueprint delivered by an alien spaceship) build a machine that travels through time and space, powered by the mysterious spectral stones, the source of incredible power. At each destination (which includes the Viking Age, the Old West, ancient Egypt, 18th century France, and a desert island) the brothers must find a new spectral stone in order to eventually get back to their own time.


The Legend of Atlant-Ice (Legenden om Atlant-Is)

Originally aired in 1994, with 12 episodes (20 minutes each). This adventure focus on the brothers' search for the lost sacred Saami city of ''Atlant-Is'' (Atlant-Ice), whilst investigating strange activities nearby. This was the first series to feature main characters other than the three brothers and narrator, and was originally planned to be the final series about the brothers.


The Mystery of Charles XII's spats (Mysteriet om Karl XIIs gamasjer)

Originally aired in 2005 with ten 30 minute episodes. With the 100th anniversary of the union dissolution approaching, the brothers must travel back in time to find King
Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...
's long-lost spats that disappeared some 300 years ago. If they do not recover the spats before the anniversary, Norway will be forced to re-enter a union with Sweden. This is the last series about the brothers, following Kirkvaag's death in 2007.


Planned fifth series

Following the success of the latest series, production was commissioned in 2006 for a fifth series, but Kirkvaag's illness delayed the project, ultimately bringing it to a halt as he began treatment. When it became clear that he was in no condition to film a full, new series, the project was scrapped in favor of a re-editing of their 1997 stage performance (See below).


The Curse of the Viking Sword (Vikingssverdets forbannelse)

Originally performed on stage in 1997, this adventure was edited and released as a feature film in 2010. Gaus and Roms are accidentally sent back in time to the
Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...
, while Brumund is left behind in the present, and must help his brothers get back to their own time via video link. After the failure to produce a fifth series, the two remaining members of the trio began working on the project in 2007, and it was released in theaters on 10 September 2010. Trond Kirkvaag's parts were recorded separately before his death from
colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...
, whilst the rest of the movie was edited from the 1997 recordings. Editing was completed in 2009, and it was released in 2010.


Theme music

All the series have had different opening themes, but they all had the same trademark closing theme, the overture of ''The Eye of Wendor'' by Mandalaband. In the first three series the recording with Mandalaband was used, but for the fourth one a new recording was made by the
Norwegian Radio Orchestra The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, ''Kringkastingsorkestret'', abbreviated as KORK) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (''Norsk rikskringkasting AS'', or NRK). Its principal base is the ''Store Studi ...
(Kringkastingsorkestret).


Home media and streaming

In addition to several reruns since first being aired, the first two series were released on VHS in 1988. The third series were released on VHS in 1995, before all three series were re-released on DVD in 2000, albeit in non-restored forms, using the VHS masters. In 2010, all four series of the show were released on remastered DVDs both individually and as a box set. No plans have been announced regarding a Blu-ray release. The first two series were shot on 35 mm film, whilst the third and fourth were shot digitally. The show was made globally available on NRK TV (NRK's free-of-charge VoD service) in the late 2010s, although in Norwegian without subtitles.


International broadcasts

In
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, the first 3 seasons were broadcast on
SVT1 SVT1 (SVT Ett; commonly referred to as Ettan) is the primary television station of the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television in Sweden. History Television in Sweden officially launched on 4 September 1956 with the launch of '' ...
, while ''Karl XIIs gamasjer'' was broadcast on
SVT Barn SVT Barn, formerly Barnkanalen and SVT B, is a Swedish free-to-air television channel from state broadcaster Sveriges Television dedicated to children's television programming. ''Barn'' is Swedish for ''children'', whereas ''Barnkanalen'' mea ...
. In
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, ''Spektralstenene'' and ''Legenden om Atlant-Is'' were aired on
Yle Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...
, primarily
Yle TV1 Yle TV1 (, ) is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by Finnish public broadcaster Yle. It is the second-oldest television channel in Finland, after TES-TV, and is the oldest currently existing television channel in the country. More ...
. ''Vikingssverdets forbannelse'' aired occasionally on the Finnish version of Viasat Film Family in 2018.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brodrene Dal (Series) Norwegian comedy television series NRK original programming