Alison Graham is bereft at the loss of Scandinavian crime thriller The Bridge, which concluded with a double bill on BBC4 on Saturday. What's left for her now it's gone? Talking to you lot about it, of course!
Tim Glanfield:
Good afternoon everyone and welcome to our RadioTimes.com lunchtime webchat...
I'm Tim Glanfield, your web editor and host for today's chat with the Radio Times TV editor, Alison Graham.
Alison will be talking The Bridge and all things television from 1pm - but if you want to get your questions in early, you can start leaving them in the comments section below now...
12:59
Tim Glanfield:
Alison is ready to go, I'm ready to go - the questions are flooding in already... so let us begin...
12:59
Tim Glanfield:
Our first question is from the mysterious "Guest":
12:59
Comment From Guest
Hi Alison. Scandinavian dramas like The Bridge and The Killing have been among the best things on TV in the last year or so. Why isn't Britain making shows to match them? What do you think UK broadcasters could learn from the Scandinavians?
1:02
Alison Graham:
Hello Guest! I think the main thing UK broadcasters can learn is to be brave. The Bridge was fearless; think of what happened to poor Anja and latterly poor August. In a Brit TV series their fates would have been very different and there would have been strong elements of 'redemption'.
1:03
Tim Glanfield:
OK, and now we move to a question that lots of you have been asking:
1:03
Comment From ralst
The obvious question: will there be a second series? If so, when? It's only just finished, but I'm already in The Bridge and Saga withdrawal.
1:04
Alison Graham:
Yes, everyone who has asked, there will be a second series. Not for a while yet; I interviewed Sofia Helin (Saga) a few weeks ago and she'd only just received the script.
1:05
Tim Glanfield:
Very exciting news for Scandi-drama fans, there...
1:05
Tim Glanfield:
OK - here's one to test your metal, Alison...
1:05
Comment From Guest
Which was better - The Killing or The Bridge?
1:05
Alison Graham:
Oh 'Guest' the impossible question. Does one really have to be better than the other? I don't think so. The Bridge & The Killing were refreshing and marvellous in their own, very different, ways.
1:06
Comment From Magsie
Do you think the fate of August was unnecessarily bleak though?
1:07
Alison Graham:
Hi Magsie: I know what you mean but I thought that was one of the most extraordinary aspects of The Bridge. What happened to August was gut-wrenching and sad but it had to happen: in the end it was about August & Martin and the 'bridge' they had just started to build between them. A happy ending would have been jarring and a fraud.
1:08
Comment From Sunray
Re The Bridge: I found it refreshing to see a professional male-female partnership where the woman was the detached, logical and analytical one. How do you think we compare with the Scandinavians for putting interesting and varied women on our telly screens?
1:12
Alison Graham:
Hello Sunray It was great, wasn't it? Such a fantastic, real relationship. I don't think we'd ever see someone quite so 'cold' & lacking empathy on British telly, where heroes and heroines of course have to be flawed but with hearts of gold (see Scott & Bailey, which I love). It was so brilliant to get to know Saga & to see those gold dust moments (ie when she grabbed Martin's hand) of friendship.
1:13
Comment From Jonathan James
I thought the character of Saga reminded me of Sheldon from the big bang theory. What do you think?
1:13
Alison Graham:
That, Jonathan, is brilliant. Scope for a spin-off series for them both, perhaps?
1:14
Tim Glanfield:
And now for a language question...
1:14
Comment From Janette
Saga was from Sweden and Martin from Denmark - which language were they speaking to each other.
1:14
Alison Graham:
The Swedes spoke Swedish and the Danes spoke Danish. Sofia Helin (Swedish) told me she found it a bit confusing at first but as the languages are quite similar, she ended up not having too many linguistic problems.
1:15
Comment From Kerys
There was a theme of redemption in one way despite it being from the twisted view of TT. Why did he murder or threaten to murder all those different people just to get to Martin? Understandably some he had a grudge against but others seemingly none.
1:16
Alison Graham:
That's what I loved about it. Why did that woman wear a wig? Why did her husband hate her? What about the bloke with the porn star moustache & the poisoned sister? They were all casualties, to some degree, of the Truth Teller.
1:16
Comment From Guest
I'm not surprised August was not found alive. They probably killed him with that sledgehammer!
1:17
Alison Graham:
Yes, one niggle: I was puzzled as to how the TT managed to wall up August so quickly & efficiently without Saga or Martin smelling fresh paint. And surely he looked like he was buried sideways, yet his coffin emerged upright. As I said, just a niggle.
1:18
Comment From NotTT
Will we ever get to the bottom of 'wig-gate'?
1:18
Alison Graham:
Ha! We were just puzzling over Mrs Wiggy in the RT office. I don't think we will ever have our answer. But we are still talking about her, so it was a good move on the scriptie's part, I think.
1:19
Tim Glanfield:
Thanks for all your excellent questions, keep them coming - Alison is typing away at the speed of light next to me. We'll do our best to get through as many as possible before 2pm...
1:19
Comment From Ita Bloyce
Why do you think that Sebastian/Jens didn't kill Saga when he had the chance/
1:20
Alison Graham:
Hello Ita! Perhaps Jens thought he had killed Saga and didn't realise she was just wounded, rather than dead?
1:20
Comment From Mel
Saga is a great character, partly because of her independence. You recognise that the drama was brave because characters, such as August, aren't sacred, so do you think it was a cop-out for Saga pro-actively phoning up her suitor at the end to have dinner, when that is out-of-character?
1:22
Alison Graham:
Good point Mel. But, even though I had slight reservations, I thought it was a nice touch after all the misery. But she asked him out brilliantly, completely in character - all clipped and in an 'I'm not at all bothered' kind of way.
1:22
Comment From Claire
the role between Saga and Martin was brilliant. Really one of the best series I have seen. Is it true that there will be a British remake?
1:23
Alison Graham:
There's a great spoof on t'internet somewhere Claire of a British The Bridge set on the Severn Bridge with Dominic West (English cop) and Joanna Page (Welsh cop).
1:23
Comment From Ben
Mark Lawson recently made a number of what, to me at least, seemed very sensible observations about the current love-in for Scandinavian dramas… 1) That they seem more authentic and realistically acted because we are unfamiliar with the performers; 2) That our judgments about the originality or plausibility of dialogue is suspended when we are reading subtitles; and 3) We are also likely to have a greater tolerance of visual cliche when it is set somewhere less familiar. In short, do you think that somewhere in Denmark, a bunch of TV critics are having a similar debate, eulogising Vera, Lewis, Whitechapel and the like?
1:24
Alison Graham:
I'd like to think so, Ben. I must try to find out. I know that the actor who played Troels in The Killing was a massive fan of A Touch of Frost!
1:24
Comment From Lesleyj28
the one bit i didn't get (and maybe I missed something here) is how did August get behind that false wall. When Saga discovered it and touched it, it was in place and dry - they had to knock it down with a sledgehammer. Did TT manage to put that wall up and paint it in that short space of time? I must have missed something surely ... but apart from that LOVED IT
1:25
Alison Graham:
Yes, Leslie, further 'upchat' I make the same point. How come the cement & the paint would be completely dry? Maybe the TT has special construction skills. He seemed to be clever at absolutely everything else, so why not advanced housebuilding too?
1:28
Comment From Guest
And what was the relevance of the heart transplant patient at the beginning? I was sure that had something to do with a revenge theory...
1:29
Alison Graham:
I think it was good at establishing Saga's pathological addiction to rules & to how things should be done. The bridge was closed & no one was allowed through. In her mind, that was that. As for the husband & wife characters, they were all part of the series' richness, I think, just another two people whose lives were touched, however tangentially, by the TT.
1:29
Comment From Guest
Why wasn't Saga 'allowed' a gun? Was this ever mentioned in the series?
1:30
Alison Graham:
I think, but I'm not entirely sure, that Swedish cops aren't routinely armed. It was Martin (Danish) who had a gun. I could be wrong on this though.
1:31
Comment From Mark
Did you get the sense that the Danish police were (historically and still) bungling and corrupt with the Swedes sorting it out? Is there a background theme there that you now about, and were the Danes nationally delighted?
1:32
Alison Graham:
From what Sofia Helin told me, Swedes think Danes are all a bit 'la la' and 'laid-back' whereas Danes think Swedes are uptight. So there The Bridge was having fun with national stereotypes.
1:32
Comment From Sunray
Being a print journalist yourself, do you recognise Daniel Ferbé?
1:32
Alison Graham:
Oh, Sunray, I do indeed. But I won't mention names. I enjoyed his demise, it looked like something out of Batman.
1:33
Comment From Ad
Do you think one of the reasons we like The Bridge/Killing/Wallander so much is their absence of histrionics? Has Britain (or, British TV) capitulated to the generally American influence of over emotive, hyper-demonstrative schmaltz? And so, does the subdued tone of the Scandi stuff appeal to an idea of vanishing British stoicism?
1:33
Alison Graham:
Absolutely, Ad, a good point. Both The Killing and The Bridge were admirably free from mawkishness and emoting. Everything was downplayed.
1:34
Comment From Katherine
Alison, do you think the scriptwriters left some loose ends (Veronika in the house in the country, Stefan and Sonja's scarring, etc) to give them a lead into a second series? Or should I just make my peace with never finding out why Charlotte wore the wig in the first place?
1:35
Alison Graham:
Yes I do, Katherine. But wasn't that one of the great things about The Bridge? Why SHOULD every loose end be tied? Real life isn't like that. And all of these people were really, in very different ways, tangential casualties of the TT.
1:35
Comment From Mel
I've been a big fan of these European dramas since the first series of Spiral was broadcast. Apart from the stories and acting which are first class, I just found The Killing and The Bridge much more modern and authentic than anything we produce which seem to have lazy stereotypes and formulaic stories. Also the whole production was superb - the almost monochromatic design, and the music and editing. Just a treat all round. Perhaps they will encourage more investment in longer-form series here - not just three or six parts.
1:37
Alison Graham:
Hi Mel - I loved the washed-out cinematography. It made Copenhagen look like my hometown of Middlesbrough, so I felt an instant connection. And I'm so glad you mentioned the music, I am haunted still by the lovely theme by The Choir of Young Believers.
1:37
Comment From Lydia
Most moving moment - Martin's silent howling in his hospital bed - so simple, yet so powerful.
1:38
Alison Graham:
Yes, and the bit where Saga put her hand clumsily on Martin's when he was about to break down in the car after Mette and the kids were abducted. Such a lovely, hestitant, heartfelt expression of friendship.
1:38
Comment From HelenR
The Killing must have done wonders for sales of lookalike sweaters. Which part of Saga's extremely limited wardrobe do you think we'll all be wearing?
1:39
Alison Graham:
You said it Helen, her 'extremely limited' wardrobe. I don't think there will be a run any time soon on tatty taupe-coloured cardis. Mind you, I LOVED the Danish police chief's earrings. Does that count?
1:39
Tim Glanfield:
Here's how to make that Killing jumper by the way http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-11-18/the-killing-knit-your-own-sarah-lund-jumper
1:40
Comment From NaomiK
The esteemed David Nobbs seemed disappointed with the ending (according to his twitter) but acknowledged that it was superior. Surely something that has gripped us so much throughout can only ultimately be a bit disappointing? The acting and story were superior throughout and I don't think the ending was too much of a cop-out (forgive the pun).
1:41
Alison Graham:
There will aways be people who are disappointed with endings (ie I felt very let down by the Homeland ending), it's inevitable when we all invest so much in such great characters (as is the case with The Bridge). But I thought it was superb, particularly as it hinged on Saga's inability to lie.
1:41
Comment From Unpopcult
Hi Alison. Much as I enjoyed The Bridge I thought that one of Martin's lines in the final episode summed up my misgivings about the plot, something like "All of this because she chose me?". It all seemed a bit, well, *elaborate*, if it was being driven by a desire for revenge against one person.
1:43
Alison Graham:
Hello Unpopcult! Yes, it was a very labour-intensive way of getting revenge. But the TT was obviously dementedly single-minded. He'd gone to such trouble to fake his own suicide then have extensive plastic surgery, so maybe it's not too much of a stretch that he would make such elaborate plans to get at Martin.
1:43
Comment From The Cynic
Interestingly Ben Mark Lawson also stated "And, in British television, there's a risk that shows are acclaimed as something else just because they come from somewhere else." I agree & dont feel the recent crop of series (Killing/Bridge) have been as good as past series on BBC4 & you can also tell by the reaction of some of the newer viewers that it has attracted by their obessions with jumpers etc. Time to leave BBC4 programmes alone Alison, I think so we can ditch some of the bandwagon it's attracted.
1:45
Alison Graham:
Hello Cynic, I think you talk nonsense, though I understand your need to launch a backlash broadside, that's what people do. But good series are good series, no matter where they are from. And what's wrong with a bandwagon? I'm always happy to hitch up if it's going to be an exciting ride.
1:45
Comment From Guest
Didn't Charlotte wear a wig because she thought her husband preferred blondes, that's why she got extra angry when she saw the brunette he was having an affair with
1:46
Alison Graham:
Really? I must have missed that 'Guest' but if that's the case, then it makes sense. Thank you, I must now tell everyone in the RT office; we are mildly obsessed by Mrs Wiggy.
1:46
Tim Glanfield:
For those asking about "The Bridge" itself - I've got some stats-based news for you...
It is of course called Øresundsbroen / Öresundsbron and crosses the Oresund strait (The Sound) between Denmark and Sweden.
It carries four lanes of road traffic and two train lines.
The toll charge is 285 Danish krone / 375 Swedish krone / 40 Euro
1:47
Comment From Liz
I found the character's assumed Aspergers Syndrome fascinating, but it was never spelled out, and Saga was still great at her job. How did you feel about this portrayal?
1:48
Alison Graham:
I liked that no one blared about her presumed/assumed Aspergers. On British telly you kind of feel it would become a great big THING that would simply overwhelm the actual plot.
1:48
Comment From Harriet
Don't you think August's hesitation in telling his Dad that his ex hadnt after all been messaging him was abit of a plot hole?
1:49
Alison Graham:
Hi Harriet I think August was upset and ashamed, particularly as he knew in his heart of hearts that he was indirectly responsible for the murder of poor little unloved Anja.
1:49
Comment From Anne
Here we all are eagerly participating in this "live chat" with Alison Graham, but we could be talking to anyone.Has The Bridge taught us nothing?
1:51
Alison Graham:
It's me, honest Anne! I promise that I have no plans to Tell Truths and to point out the wrongs of society while killing people in very imaginative ways.
1:51
Comment From Mark
As someone who's not a TV critic, I'm wondering why I thought it was so good. Part of it was 'swatting to know what happens next' after 1 hour flew by, but that stills need a 'why' Is it the characters, the plot line, the side stories? Any idea?
1:53
Alison Graham:
Hello Mark, TV critics are viewers, just like you. You liked it for just the same reasons I did - particularly the tremendous characters. I felt I knew them all and, just as after The Killing ended, I'm still thinking of them, long after the final minutes.
1:54
Tim Glanfield:
For those asking - yes, a full transcript of this webchat will stay on the site for you to read again later...
1:54
Comment From Mark
Blimey, it must have cost the investigation a fortune in bridge tolls! I thought the Severn Bridge was expensive!
1:54
Alison Graham:
You should hear my brother moaning about the cost of using the Severn Bridge, Mark. Presumably The Bridge's cops didn't actually have to pay the tolls. Maybe they have special passes. (I love debating details like this!)
1:56
Tim Glanfield:
OK, we're running out of time... last question - any more would perhaps be a bridge too far!
1:56
Comment From Vin
Extending the bridge metaphor, it was neat how Saga and Martin, two extreme characters met in the middle and made a great team, a sort of compromise character?. Also I liked the bridge idea in general: perhaps every country should do a similar series with a neighbouring country.
1:56
Alison Graham:
It was all about bridges, real and emotional. It was particularly sad that Martin had just started to build bridges with August (ironically thanks to TT) before it all ended so horribly.
1:57
Tim Glanfield:
OK, one more then...
1:57
Comment From Mark
We've had 'just wait for xxxx' for that slot for some time now. I know there are more Montalbano later in the year. Anything else to tempt us with?
1:58
Alison Graham:
The Swedish Sebastian Bergman starts on BBC4 this Saturday, Mark; he's a criminal profiler played by one of the Wallanders. It's tremendously gloomy though and Bergman is a bit of a git!
2:00
Alison Graham:
Well, that's it from me. Thank you so much everyone, and I must apologise for not having the time to answer all of your questions, but rest assured I read them all. It's been a pleasure to 'talk' to you and we will definitely be doing more of these chats on the website in future.
2:03
Tim Glanfield:
That's all folks! Thanks for joining us, and for all your great questions. There's plenty more news and views on The Bridge here: http://www.radiotimes.com/programme/qdrcf/the-bridge. We'll see you for another live webchat soon