''Wallander'' is a British television series adapted from the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
novelist
Henning Mankell
Henning Georg Mankell (; 3February 19485October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of ...
's
Kurt Wallander
Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of M ...
novels and starring
Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...
as the eponymous police inspector. It was the first time the ''Wallander'' novels have been adapted into an English-language production.
Yellow Bird, a production company formed by Mankell, began negotiations with British companies to produce the adaptations in 2006. In 2007, Branagh met Mankell to discuss playing the role. Contracts were signed and work began on the films, adapted from the novels ''
Sidetracked'', ''
Firewall
Firewall may refer to:
* Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts
* Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...
'' and ''
One Step Behind'', in January 2008. Emmy-award-winning director
Philip Martin was hired as lead director. Martin worked with cinematographer
Anthony Dod Mantle
Anthony Dod Mantle, (born 14 April 1955) is a British cinematographer and still photographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography, BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for ''Slum ...
to establish a visual style for the series.
The first three-episode series, produced by Yellow Bird,
Left Bank Pictures
Left Bank Pictures (stylized as LEFT BANK Pictures) is a British film and television production company. It was formed in 2007 and was the first British media company to receive investment from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC.
Lef ...
and TKBC for
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...
, was broadcast on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
from November to December 2008. The second series was filmed from July to October 2009 and was broadcast in January 2010. The third series was filmed in the summer of 2011 in
Ystad
Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...
,
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
, and aired in July 2012.
The fourth and final series was shot from October 2014 to January 2015 and premiered on German TV, dubbed into German, in December 2015. The final series aired in the original English on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
in May 2016. Critics have written positively of the series, which has won a
Broadcasting Press Guild Award
The Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) is a British association of journalists dedicated to the topic of general media issues.
History
The Guild was established in 1974 as a breakaway of The Critics' Circle. Currently it groups over 100 staff and fr ...
(Best Actor for Branagh) and six
British Academy Television Awards
The BAFTA TV Awards, or British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the BAFTA. They have been awarded annually since 1955.
Background
The first-ever Awards, given in 1955, consisted of six categories. Until ...
, including
Best Drama Series.
Characters
The series is based on
Kurt Wallander
Kurt Wallander () is a fictional Swedish police inspector created by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell (1948 – 2015). He is the protagonist of many thriller/mystery novels set in and around the town of Ystad, south-east of the city of M ...
(
Branagh Branagh is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Kenneth Branagh (born 1960), Northern Irish actor and filmmaker
*Nicole Branagh
Nicole Christine Branagh (born January 31, 1979, in Orinda, California) is an American volleyball pla ...
), a detective and police inspector in the small town of
Ystad
Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Branagh describes Wallander as "an
existentialist
Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...
who is questioning what life is about and why he does what he does every day, and for whom acts of violence never become normal. There is a level of empathy with the victims of crime that is almost impossible to contain, and one of the prices he pays for that sort of empathy is a personal life that is a kind of wasteland."
[Dickson, E Jane (29 November–5 December 2008). "Death Becomes Him", ''Radio Times'', BBC Magazines, pp. 12–16.] In the novels, Wallander regularly listens to opera in his apartment and his car. This signature hobby has been dropped for this adaptation; producer Francis Hopkinson believes it would make Wallander too similar to
Inspector Morse
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series ''Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...
, whose love of opera is already familiar to British viewers.
Branagh did not watch any of the
Swedish ''Wallander'' films before playing the role, preferring to bring his own interpretation of the character to the screen.
Wallander's team at the Ystad police station is made up of: Anne-Britt Hoglund (Smart), Kalle Svedberg (Beard), and Magnus Martinsson (Hiddleston). Of Wallander and Hoglund, Smart said, "Our relationship is based on this impeccable mutual respect which is all very Scandinavian and, actually, more interesting to play."
The team is joined at murder scenes by Nyberg (McCabe), a forensics expert. The team is overseen by Lisa Holgersson (Shimmin), Ystad's chief of police. Away from the police station, Wallander has a tempestuous relationship with his daughter Linda (Spark) and his father Povel (Warner), who Wallander discovers in ''Sidetracked'' has recently been diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
. Wallander's father spends his days sitting in an art studio, painting the same landscape repeatedly while in the care of his new wife Gertrude (Hemingway).
Cast
*
Kenneth Branagh
Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...
as Kurt Wallander
*
Sarah Smart
Sarah Smart (born 3 March 1977) is an English actress.
Early life
Smart was born on 3 March 1977 in Birmingham, England and lived in Northfield until 1987. She was a pupil of St Paul's School for Girls in Birmingham.
Career
Her career star ...
as Ann-Britt Hoglund (Series 1–3)
*
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...
as Magnus Martinsson (Series 1–2)
*
Richard McCabe
Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
Career
McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare ...
as Sven Nyberg
*Tom Beard as Kalle Svedberg (Series 1)
*Sadie Shimmin as Lisa Holgersson (Series 1–2)
*
Jeany Spark
Jeannette "Jeany" Spark (born 7 November 1982) is an English actress, known for portraying Linda Wallander in the British television series '' Wallander''. The actress has also had significant roles in the comedy series '' Man Down'' and the dram ...
as Linda Wallander, Kurt's daughter
*
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
as Povel Wallander, Kurt's father (Series 1–2, 4)
*Polly Hemingway as Gertrude, Kurt's step-mother (Series 1–2)
*
Saskia Reeves
Saskia Reeves (born 16 August 1961) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films '' Close My Eyes'' (1991) and ''I.D.'' (1995), the 2000 miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' and the 2016 film '' Our Kind of Traitor''.
Early lif ...
as Vanja Andersson (Series 2–3)
*
Rebekah Staton
Rebekah Staton (born 17 June 1981 in Leek, Staffordshire, England) is an English actress and narrator. She is best known for narrating '' Don't Tell The Bride'' and for her roles as Della in '' Raised by Wolves'' and Katy in ''Home''. She has al ...
as Kristyna (Series 3)
*
Mark Hadfield
Mark Hadfield is an English actor.
Before starting his professional career, Hadfield trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Career
Theatre
Hadfield's work in theatre includes:
*''Thérèse Raquin'' (for which he received an O ...
as Stefan Lindeman (Series 3)
*
Barnaby Kay as Lennart Mattson (Series 3–4)
Production
![KennethBranaghApr2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/KennethBranaghApr2011.jpg)
In 2006, Yellow Bird managing director Morten Fisker opened discussions with British production companies about developing English-language adaptations of the Kurt Wallander novels, to which Yellow Bird holds the distribution rights. The BBC and Channel 4 were believed to be involved in discussions; the BBC had already announced plans to adapt Mankell's ''
The Return of the Dancing Master
''The Return of the Dancing Master'' is a 2000 novel by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. It was translated into English in 2003 by Laurie Thompson, and won the 2005 Gumshoe Award for Best European Crime Novel, presented by Mystery Ink.
The b ...
''. Fisker wanted to bring a new detective to British screens to replace Inspector Morse, who had been killed off on-screen in 2000. Actors proposed to play Wallander were
Trevor Eve
Trevor John Eve (born 1 July 1951) is an English film and television actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series ''Shoestring'' and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC televi ...
,
Neil Pearson
Neil John Pearson (born 27 April 1959) is a British actor, known for his work on television. He was nominated for the 1994 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor for '' Between the Lines'' (1992–1994). His other television roles include ''Drop the D ...
,
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor.
Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), C ...
,
David Morrissey
David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research h ...
,
Clive Owen
Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...
and
Michael Gambon
Sir Michael John Gambon (; born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-English actor. Regarded as one of Ireland and Britain's most distinguished actors, he is known for his work on stage and screen. Gambon started his acting career with Laurence Olivi ...
.
[Duval Smith, Alex; Rob Sharp (2 July 2006).]
Just what we need instead of miserable Morse...a gloomy Swedish detective
, ''The Observer'', Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 18 April 2008. Negotiations were still under way in 2007, when Kenneth Branagh met Henning Mankell at an
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, Film producer, producer and playwright. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, his films are known ...
film festival and asked to play Wallander. Branagh had started reading the ''Wallander'' books "relatively late" but enjoyed them, and read all nine translated novels in a month.
[Hoggart, Paul (29 November 2008).]
Sleuthing Swede
, ''The Times'', Times Newspapers. Retrieved 29 November 2008. Mankell agreed to let Branagh play the role, and Branagh visited Ystad in December to scout for locations and meet Film i Skånes chief executive Ralf Ivarsson.
[Engvall, Carl Johan (11 December 2007).]
Kenneth Branagh letar inspelningsplatser i Ystad
, (in Swedish), ''Ystads Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
A series of three 90-minute adaptations was commissioned by
BBC Scotland
BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...
's
Anne Mensah and BBC Controller of Fiction
Jane Tranter
Jane Tranter (born 17 March 1963) is an English television executive who was the executive vice-president of programming and production at BBC Worldwide's Los Angeles base from 2009 until 2015. From 2006 to 2008, she was the BBC's controller of ...
in January 2008. Like Morten Fisker, the BBC wanted a returning series that would have the same audience appeal as ''
Inspector Morse
Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series ''Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...
'', ''
Prime Suspect
''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...
'' and ''
Cracker''. Yellow Bird was contracted as a co-producer, working with
Left Bank Pictures
Left Bank Pictures (stylized as LEFT BANK Pictures) is a British film and television production company. It was formed in 2007 and was the first British media company to receive investment from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC.
Lef ...
, a production house formed in 2007 by former ITV Controller of Comedy, Drama and Film
Andy Harries
Andrew Harries''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. Volume 15, page 1493, reg # 792. (born 7 April 1954) is chief executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures, a UK based production company formed in 2007. ...
. Harries described ''Wallander'' as "more than just a detective series" and that it would be visually "very picture postcard". The first series consists of adaptations of ''
Sidetracked'', ''
Firewall
Firewall may refer to:
* Firewall (computing), a technological barrier designed to prevent unauthorized or unwanted communications between computer networks or hosts
* Firewall (construction), a barrier inside a building, designed to limit the spre ...
'' and ''
One Step Behind''.
[Thomas, Liz (9 January 2008).]
Branagh to star in Harries crime drama
, ''Broadcastnow'', Emap Media. Retrieved 2 September 2008. Philip Martin was hired as lead director of the series, and met with Branagh, Harries and Left Bank producer Francis Hopkinson in January. The four discussed how the adaptations would appear on screen, agreeing that the characterisations, atmosphere and ideas would be difficult to portray on screen. Richard Cottan was hired to adapt Mankell's novels, and delivered his first scripts in February.
[Martin, Philip (26 November 2008).]
On location: Wallander
, ''Broadcastnow'', Emap Media. Retrieved 27 November 2008. Cottan changed the plots of some of the books in order to fit them into a 90-minute adaptation, though made sure the scripts retained Wallander's "journey". The following month, Martin began discussions with cinematographer
Anthony Dod Mantle
Anthony Dod Mantle, (born 14 April 1955) is a British cinematographer and still photographer. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography, BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for ''Slum ...
about what visual style the films would have. They agreed to use the
Red One digital camera to shoot on,
which has a near-
35 mm resolution and is not as expensive as 35 mm; Dod Mantle said that the BBC "has politics" about the cheaper
16 mm
16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
and
Super 16.
[Strauss, Will (13 May 2008),]
Anthony Dod Mantle interview
, ''Broadcastnow'', Emap Media. Retrieved 2 September 2008. Casting of British actors, which was done in London, was completed by April, and the whole crew moved over to Ystad to begin rehearsals. Martin wanted the actors playing police officers to know how to fire a gun, so arranged for them to spend time at a firing range using live ammunition.
Wallander’s distinctive mobile phone
ringtone
A ringtone, ring tone or ring is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. Originally referring to and made by the electromechanical striking of bells, the term now refers to any sound on any device alerting of a new incoming ...
was specially composed by Lee Crichlow.
Series 1
A £6 million budget was originally assigned to the first series,
which increased to £7.5 million. Half of that came from the BBC, and the rest from pre-sale co-production funding from American
WGBH Boston and German
ARD Degeto
Degeto Film Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ton und Bild) is a film rights trader and production company of the ARD (broadcaster), ARD, based in Frankfurt am Main. Its shareholders are the ARD (broadcaster ...
, and a tax deduction for filming in Sweden.
[Armstrong, Stephen (27 October 2008).]
'Making mischief is a good thing'
, ''The Guardian'', Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 27 October 2008.[Staff (28 July 2008).]
Kenneth Branagh to star as Wallander On Masterpiece Mystery!
, buddyhollywood.com. Retrieved 27 October 2008. ARD Degeto and WGBH are credited as co-producers for their budget contribution. Using scripts adapted by Richard Cottan and Richard McBrien, filming ran for 12 weeks from April to July 2008 in Wallander's hometown of
Ystad
Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
Location filming was principally set in Ystad. Interior sets were constructed at Ystad Studios under the supervision of Anders Olin, who also designed the sets of the Swedish ''Wallander'' films. The main police station set is 500 square metres, twice the size of Olin's previous sets.
[Mårtensson, Ulf (2 April 2008).]
De bygger kulisser till BBC-Wallander
(in Swedish), ''Ystads Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. Retrieved 22 April 2008. For exterior shots of the police station, a combination of the
Ystad railway station and swimming pool was used. Mock-ups of ''Ystads Allehanda'', a local newspaper, were produced as working props. Producer Simon Moseley explained that the mock-ups use Swedish words that can be understood by English-speaking audiences.
[Mårtensson, Ulf (30 May 2008).]
Kenneth Branaghs liv som Kurt Wallander
(in Swedish), ''Ystads Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. Retrieved 9 June 2008. Moseley also explained that some pronunciations of Swedish words are Anglicised (such as the pronunciation of "Ystad" and "Wallander"), as "the authentic local accent is very strange to English ears and we didn't want to stray into ''
'Allo 'Allo!'' territory".
Like Branagh, Philip Martin did not watch any of the Swedish-language ''Wallander'' films so that he could bring a fresh interpretation to the films.
[Arbsjö, Karin (17 April 2008),]
Han är nye Wallander
(in Swedish), ''TT Spectra'', Kuriren. Retrieved 5 June 2008. Filming was scheduled for 66 days over 12 weeks in Sweden; each film would be shot back-to-back over 22 days.
Martin directed the first and third films and
Niall MacCormick
Niall MacCormick is a Scottish film and television director. His credits include the feature-length comedy-drama ''The Long Walk to Finchley'', ''Firewall'' (the second feature-length episode of '' Wallander''), and ''The Song of Lunch'' (starrin ...
directed the second.
Dod Mantle was keen to conceive a good style for what could become a long-running series.
Filming on ''Sidetracked'' commenced on 14 April on location at a townhouse in Södra Änggatan, Ystad. The same week, filming was done at Häckeberga Castle near
Genarp
Genarp is a locality situated in Lund Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 2,892 inhabitants in 2010. It is the southernmost urban area in Lund Municipality, located in Bara Hundred.
Most of Genarp consists of residential areas with single- ...
. Another castle was going to be used, but the deal fell through. The manager of Häckeberga Castle, which had been turned into a hotel, allowed filming to take place there on the night of 17 April, though guests had to be moved to stables for the night.
[Åkerlund, Olof (17 April 2008).]
Här spelas nya Wallander-filmen in
(in Swedish), ''Sydsvenskan''. Retrieved 29 April 2008. Scenes set in the rapeseed field were filmed at Charlottenlund Mansion. Location scouts had been impressed with the look of the winter rapeseed. The team from Danish Special Effects had difficulty setting the field on fire. Using the Red One digital camera meant that
rushes could be viewed on set, saving time on the already tight schedule.
Martin and Dod Mantle believed that the Red captured the Swedish light well, so there was no need to use big lighting rigs. The cheaper filming option meant that the budget could be used on other things.
[Pennington, Adrian (5 November 2008).]
Tapeless: Wallander
, ''Broadcastnow'', Emap Media. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
''One Step Behind'' was filmed in May. The opening scene, featuring a multiple murder and burial in the woods, was filmed on location at the Hagestads nature reserve. A large hole was needed for the shallow grave, so Yellow Bird approached the local authority for permission. The request was granted on the same day as it was lodged, with the stipulation that the hole be filled in after filming. Niall MacCormick arrived in Sweden to film ''Firewall'' in June,
concluding in the third week of July. Danish Special Effects also worked on body
squibs, bullet hits and atmospheric effects. Their post-production work was completed in August. While the crew were in Sweden, editing was done at The Chimney Pot in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
. Post-production was completed by The Farm in London.
[Pennington, Adrian (19 November 2008).]
Creative Review—Wallander
, ''Broadcastnow'', Emap Media. Retrieved 27 November 2008. Martin Phipps
Martin Phipps (born 1 August 1968) is a British composer, who has worked on numerous film and television projects.
Life and career
He is the son of Sue Pears and Jack Phipps, an arts administrator who had previously founded a management agen ...
composed the soundtrack to the series.
A version of "Nostalgia" by Australian singer-songwriter
Emily Barker
Emily Barker (born 2 December 1980) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician and composer. Her music has featured as the theme to BBC dramas ''Wallander'' and ''The Shadow Line''. With multi-instrumental trio the Red Clay Halo, she record ...
is the opening theme. The three films of series 1 were broadcast on BBC One on 30 November 7 December, and 14 December 2008 respectively.
Series 2
The production of three new films based on ''
Faceless Killers'', ''
The Fifth Woman'' and ''
The Man Who Smiled
''The Man Who Smiled'' (original: ''Mannen som log'') is a novel by Swedish crime-writer Henning Mankell, and is the fourth in the Inspector Wallander series, although the English translations have not been published in chronological order.
Syno ...
'' was confirmed by the BBC in May 2009 to start in the summer in Ystad. The BBC broadcast the series in January 2010. Richard Cottan wrote ''Faceless Killers'' and ''The Fifth Woman'', while Simon Donald wrote ''The Man Who Smiled''.
[IJ (5 May 2009).]
Shooting begins on three new feature-length adaptations of BAFTA Award-winning drama Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh
. Press release. BBC Press Office. Retrieved 5 May 2009. Hettie MacDonald
Hettie Macdonald is an English film, theatre and television director. Macdonald is known as the director of the Hugo Award-winning 2007 episode of the ''Doctor Who'' series, "Blink", and won a Grand Prix award, an International Jury Award - Hono ...
directed ''Faceless Killers'',
Andy Wilson handled ''The Man Who Smiled'' while
Aisling Walsh directed ''The Fifth Woman''. Photographer Igor Martinovic (director of photography on ''
Man on Wire
''Man on Wire'' is a 2008 documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Petit's 2002 book, ''To Reach the Clouds'', ...
'') worked with Macdonald and Wilson while Lukas Strebel, who won an Emmy in 2009 for ''
Little Dorrit
''Little Dorrit'' is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857. The story features Amy Dorrit, youngest child of her family, born and raised in the Marshalsea prison for debtors in London. Arthur Cl ...
'', was in charge of photography for ''The Fifth Woman''.
The second series started shooting on 22 June 2009. The film crew consisted of slightly more Britons, as the Swedish-language films were still filming in the area until December 2009. Yellow Bird's Daniel Ahlqvist said, "It is a quite special that we are doing two different ''Wallander'' productions at the same time. So it has been a little bit tougher to recruit competent personnel here in Skåne. We came to the conclusion that if we cannot get people from Skåne, we might as well bring in folks from the UK rather than Stockholm." The landscape of Skåne was a big part of the second series. Shooting started in the outskirts of Ystad but a big scene in Ystad city square was planned. Scenes were also planned to be filmed at the summer residence that served as the home for Wallander's father. ''Faceless Killers'' was first in the shooting schedule, followed by ''The Fifth Woman'' and last ''The Man Who Smiled''. As with Series 1, each episode is filmed over approximately 22–23 days, with just 3–5 days set aside for studio recording, and the rest for location shooting.
[Sjöstrand, Fredrik (18 June 2009).]
Wallander återvänder
(in Swedish), ''Ystad Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. 18 June 2009. On 23 June, the film team spent all day in
Simrishamn
Simrishamn (old da, Simmershavn) is a locality and the seat of Simrishamn Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 6,527 inhabitants in 2010. Despite its small population, Simrishamn is, for historical reasons, usually still referred to as a ''c ...
, a coastal town north east of Ystad. Scenes were shot at the local police station and in the town square. Production Manager Nina Sackmann explained that "the town was perfect for what we needed to convey with this film".
[Ploberg, Maria (24 June 2009).]
Brittiska Wallander i Simrishamn
(in Swedish), ''Ystad Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. 24 June 2009. On 21 July, the portions of road 1015 passing by the
Karlsfält Farmland Estate north of Ystad was closed from 11 p.m. until midnight to accommodate the film crew.
[Eriksson, Frida (21 June 2009).]
Wallander stänger av vägen
(in Swedish), ''Ystad Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. 22 June 2009.
On 18 August, closing scenes of ''The Fifth Woman'', where Kurt Wallander is dragged away at gunpoint, were shot on location at Ystad railway station. On the right side of the railway track, this dramatic scene was being filmed and on the left side, commuters were exiting the train. About 40 metres away, the Swedish language Wallander film ''Vålnaden'' (''The Ghost'') was being filmed at the same time.
[Johansson, Victor (18 June 2009).]
Här stretchar Mr Wallander
(in Swedish), ''Expressen'', Bonnier AB. Retrieved 21 August 2009.[Bergman, Elin (25 August 2009).]
Ystad kryllar av Wallandrar
(in Swedish), ''Expressen'', Bonnier AB. Retrieved 26 August 2009. Earlier in the week, scenes were shot at an old automobile repair and maintenance shop from 1928 in
Hammenhög village. Part of the building had served as a flower shop when Mankell wrote ''The Fifth Woman'' and, since a murder victim is a flower shop owner, it was convenient to shoot in the now abandoned building.
[Degerholm, Anja (15 August 2009).]
Nu förvandlas det gamla bilpalatset till kulturhus
(in Swedish), ''Ystad Allehanda'', Skånemedia AB. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
Filming on ''The Man Who Smiled'' began at the beginning of September. Location production on the episode concluded on 2 October. The first couple of weeks featured location work outside of the swimming baths—which doubles as the exterior of the police station. For the last two weeks, production moved to locations around the countryside of
Österlen
Österlen () ( da, Østerlen) is a region in the southeast of the Swedish province of Scania (Skåne). Historically, the region was shared between the counties of Kristianstad and Malmöhus for a small part in the southwest, until Skåne County w ...
. On Monday evening 14 September, the Ystad city square was closed off to film an important action scene from ''The Man Who Smiled'' where Kurt Wallander comes running across the square as a car explodes. The clear blue September sky caused problems with the lighting and they had to wait until the sun started to set.
Kenneth Branagh explained that the challenge for filming series one was to "create" the strange world of Ystad, in part as Henning Mankell saw it, in part as script writer Rick Cottan saw it, and then upon arrival to realise that the town looks different. "To get all these different visions to work together was a bit nervous last year. This year the pressure is to develop the style of this show and develop the characters, for example the other policemen at the station. Branagh claimed that there had been no problems shooting due to weather conditions except the last day of filming: "Henning Mankell often writes about the long Swedish summer rains, but during two years of filming we have not seen any of that. No wonder British tourists like to visit." He also stated that there is a possibility of a third series. "It all depends on how these new episodes are received, but I think I really would like to film more episodes. But we also need to feel that we have something more to offer, more to tell and that the scripts are good." Any filming on a third series would be postponed until 2011, to allow Branagh to work on ''
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
''.
[Oscarsson, Mattias (3 October 2009).]
"Jag försöker att vara istället för att agera"
(in Swedish). ''Sydsvenskan''. Yellow Bird's Daniel Ahlqvist believes that ''The White Lioness''s South African setting makes it difficult to film, and the post-Cold War plot of ''The Dogs of Riga'' is no longer relevant, but sees no reason why ''Before the Frost'' and some new story ideas, in the same vein as the original Yellow Bird films could not be developed for the BBC.
Local politicians supported and invested 8,000,000 Swedish kronor (roughly £750,000) in the second Wallander series through ''Film i Skåne'', a regional resource and production centre.
Series 2 features some interesting choices of actors for minor roles. Fredrik Gunnarsson features in ''Faceless Killers'' as Valfrid Strom, Gunnarson appears in 17 episodes of Yellow Bird's Swedish language
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
as uniformed police officer Svartman. Rune Bergman had a minor role in the Swedish language adaptation of ''Faceless Killers'' and also featured in the TV film ''Luftslottet''. Patrik Karlson featured in the Swedish language adaptation of ''The Man Who Smiled'' as well as the TV film ''Mastermind''. Bergman and Karlson have the distinction of appearing in films starring the three Kurt Wallander actors. Karin Bertling also appears in the English language ''Faceless Killers'' and has previously worked on the Swedish-language TV film ''Before the Frost''.
Series 3
The third series aired in July 2012.
Screenwriter
Peter Harness
Peter Harness (born 1976) is an English playwright, screenwriter and actor. He has contributed to programmes such as ''McMafia'', '' City of Vice'' and ''Case Histories''.
Early life
He grew up in Hornsea, East Yorkshire and attended Oriel Coll ...
wrote the scripts for all three films that made up Series 3. Mankell worked closely with Harness on the scripts. "He is too busy to talk to me all the time. But we have met to discuss the material, so he is involved in what happens", Harness told ''Ystads Allehanda''.
Hiddleston and Shimmin did not return for this series. Actress
Rebekah Staton
Rebekah Staton (born 17 June 1981 in Leek, Staffordshire, England) is an English actress and narrator. She is best known for narrating '' Don't Tell The Bride'' and for her roles as Della in '' Raised by Wolves'' and Katy in ''Home''. She has al ...
portrayed a new character, Kristina, in all three episodes.
Mark Hadfield
Mark Hadfield is an English actor.
Before starting his professional career, Hadfield trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Career
Theatre
Hadfield's work in theatre includes:
*''Thérèse Raquin'' (for which he received an O ...
joined the cast as police officer Stefan Lindeman, one of the main characters in the first season of the
Swedish ''Wallander'' TV series and the lead character in the Mankell novel ''
The Return of the Dancing Master
''The Return of the Dancing Master'' is a 2000 novel by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. It was translated into English in 2003 by Laurie Thompson, and won the 2005 Gumshoe Award for Best European Crime Novel, presented by Mystery Ink.
The b ...
'' (a book that has already been filmed in
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
and German versions).
Barnaby Kay plays Lennart Mattson, who is Chief Holgerson's successor.
On 4 August 2011 it was made official that three new films were in production. The filming of ''
The Dogs of Riga
''The Dogs of Riga'' ( sv, Hundarna i Riga) is a Swedish detective mystery by Henning Mankell, set in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is the second book of the Kurt Wallander series, and was translated into English by Laurie Thompson.
The book ...
'' started in
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
on 1 August at The Hotel Riga, and concluded on 20 August.
More scenes were shot in Ystad the following week. This film was directed by
Esther May Campbell
Esther May Campbell (born 27 May 1972 in London) is a British filmmaker, director, photographer and writer. In 2008 she received a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film for her film ''September''. Campbell's debut feature film ''Light Years'' premiered ...
, and featured
cinematography
Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography.
Cinematographers use a lens to focu ...
by Lukas Strebel who worked on the second ''Wallander'' series. The production tried to use as many
Latvian actors as possible but a problem arose as most Latvian actors had a very limited knowledge of English. Latvian actor
Artūrs Skrastiņš
Artūrs Skrastiņš (born 18 September 1974) is a Latvian actor. In the theater, since 1996 he has worked for Dailes teātris. He also has taken part in several films.
In 1998 he received the Latvian National Film Prize Lielais Kristaps
Th ...
was the only native actor that landed a speaking role in the film. He portrayed Colonel Putnis. Romanian actor
Dragos Bucur portrays Sergei Upitis, an investigative journalist. The film was partially funded by The Riga Film Fund and co-stars
Lithuanian actress
Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė
Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė (russian: Ингеборга Дапкунайте; born 20 January 1963) is а Lithuanian theatre and cinema actress, who appears mostly in Russian films. She is a winner of the Nika Award in 1994 for Best Actress.
Early ...
.
On 10 August, several scenes were shot outside the
Latvian Parliament and outside a building on Jēkaba street that was decorated with Swedish flags, to stand in for the Swedish embassy in
Riga
Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
. On 13 August, the city closed down several streets to accommodate the filming. On 16 August scenes were filmed at
Riga Central Station __NOTOC__
Riga Central Station ( lv, Rīgas Centrālā stacijа) is the main railway station in Riga, Latvia. It is known as the main point of Riga due to its central location, and most forms of public transport stop in this area. Part of the bui ...
. The national
police car
A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...
s used in for this production had been equipped with stickers that said Rīgas pilsētas policijas (Riga City Police). These stickers covered up the usual
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
that Latvian police cars are decorated with, these stickers were designed specifically for the film and are easily removed. Nothing on Latvian police cars specifies what city they serve in.
On 22 August the film team was back in Sweden to film for one week. The shooting started at a football pitch in
Kåseberga, which has been converted into a filming area.
Producer Hillary Benson explained to local press that once ''The Dogs of Riga'' had wrapped up, the film team would be back in mid October to start filming the other two episodes. The first two series were filmed in the summer, this time around the aim was to film in autumn and winter.
The other two films in the series are ''Before the Frost'', based on the
novel of the same name, and ''An Event in Autumn'', which is based on the short story "Händelse om hösten" (The Grave), a short story from 2004 published only in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
''Before the Frost'' was directed by
Charles Martin. Filming started in Ystad on 12 October 2011. The first days of shooting were stunts and scenes with an animal trainer as Kenneth Branagh did not arrive until 17 October. Scenes were also shot at The Chemistry Hall at the Macklean School in
Skurup Municipality
Skurup Municipality (''Skurups kommun'') is a Municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Skurup. It is considered part of Greater Malmö by Statistics Sweden.
The present municipali ...
. With the local
firefighter
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s on standby, a
stunt man
A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...
poured petrol over himself and then set himself alight. This three-minute long film sequence took nine and a half hours to shoot. Filming began on Friday 14 October at 6 pm and wrapped at 3:30 am on Saturday morning. The film crew later came back at the end of October to shoot a scene using
headmaster
A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...
Christin Stigborgs' office. From Tuesday, 24 October and until the end of the week, three streets in central Ystad (Lilla Norregatan, Stora Norregatan and Sladdergatan) had to be closed down for a short time to shoot several scenes.
Parts of the film were shot in the
Snogeholm nature conservation area,
Sjöbo Municipality
Sjöbo Municipality (''Sjöbo kommun'') is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Sjöbo.
The present municipality was created in 1974 when the former market town (''köping'') ''Sjöbo'' was amalga ...
. Filming took place for several days along the roads and a parking space. This was mainly shots of the environment and the nature of the conversation area and the
Snogeholm lake, according to production manager Martin Ersgård.
''An Event in Autumn'' was the last film. Filming started 14 November and was directed by
Toby Haynes
Toby Haynes is a British television director, notable for his work on ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', '' Being Human,'' ''Black Mirror'', and '' Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell''. He also directed the Channel 4/ HBO television film '' Brexit: The Unc ...
According to
Yellow Bird producer Daniel Ahlqvist, ''An Event in Autumn'' is about how "Kurt tries to take charge of his own life by getting a new house but gets interrupted and is more or less forced back to his job".
On 21 and 23 October the crew was filming at an old small farm in the small village of
Svarte. It is around the corner from the house where Wallander's father lived in the previous films. The small farm house is Wallander's new home but the remains of a dead woman are found on the property. Due to time constraints and unusually for a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
production, all scenes were filmed with two cameras to provide more material for post production and cutting. The last week of shooting included filming some scenes in Germany.
With the previous two series, the
invested 7 and 8 million Swedish Krona through its subsidiary ''Film i Skåne''. With the third series, the
only wanted to invest 2 million Krona. They later signed on to support the production by other means such as letting BBC and Yellow Bird use Ystad Studios for free, worth about half a million Swedish Krona.
City of Ystad-Österlens Film Bond also invested 2 million Swedish Krona.
On 8 October 2014, the BBC announced that principal photography of the final three-episode fourth series had started.
''). Most of the book takes place in
in January 2015.
The final two installments in the Wallander series, ''A Lesson in Love'' and ''The Troubled Man'' were written by
''. These two episodes were filmed on location in
as Baiba Liepa.
Shooting took place in Ystad Studios, simultaneously with the third season of Swedish-Danish crime drama ''
''. The budget for the final season is 100 million Swedish kronor. The tax funded entities Ystad-Österlens filmfond and Film i Skåne have put three million Swedish kronor into the production according to
. On 30 October, several scenes were shot at the Norreportskolan, a local Ystad
. Several of the students participated as extras.
The final three episodes had their world première dubbed into German on German network ARD, which co-produced them. They aired over three nights, on 25 December, 26 and 27, 2015. In Poland, the episodes aired on
on 11, 18 and 25 March 2016. They made their English language première on
on 11 April. In the US, 80-minute-long re-edited versions of the episodes aired as "Wallander, The Final Season" on the
'' on 8, 15 and 22 May.
broadcast the full 89-minute episodes in the UK beginning on 22 May 2016.
on 10 November 2008, and was followed by a question-and-answer session with Philip Martin and Kenneth Branagh. A gala premiere of ''Sidetracked'' was held in Ystad on 23 November, a week before it was broadcast in Britain. ''Sidetracked''s first British broadcast came on BBC One on 30 November, followed by ''Firewall'' on 7 December, and ''One Step Behind'' on 14 December. Episodes were simulcast on
.
broadcast programmes and films to complement the series; the schedule included a documentary by
titled ''Who is Kurt Wallander'', as well as the Swedish adaptation of the Linda Wallander novel ''
'', and ''Mastermind'', an installment of the ''Mankell's Wallander'' film series starring
.
The series has already been sold to 14 countries and territories across the world, including TV4 Sweden, TV2 Norway, DR Denmark, MTV3 Finland, France on Arte, Canada, Slovenia, Australia, Poland, Lumiere Benelux and Svensk Film for its pan Scandinavian feed.
television festival in October 2008. In the United States,
secured the broadcast rights through the co-production deal struck between its affiliate
and the BBC. It aired as part of WGBH's ''
'' in May 2009.
on 29 April. In Germany, ARD broadcast the first series episodes on 29 and 30 May, and 1 June 2009.
broadcast the first series in Sweden from 11 October 2009.