The stunning Danish political drama made many major predictions that ended up coming true. Ahead of its return, its stars and creator talk about their moody update – and why they seem more clairvoyant than ever
Borgen snuck into the UK at the start of the last decade among the great wave of Scandi – or Nordic – noir, instigated by the likes of The Killing and Wallander. Only Borgen was nothing like these shows – no grisly murders, no unexpected deaths, minimal knitwear, and zero high-stakes shoot-outs. Instead, it was a deftly written, stunningly shot political drama, following Birgitte Nyborg – played beautifully by Sidse Babett Knudsen – who unexpectedly becomes Denmark’s first female Statsminister (prime minister).
Focusing not only on the political machinations of Borgen (literally “the Castle”, the Danish nickname for Christiansborg Palace, where the government – run on a system of proportional representation – resides), but also the personal lives of the politicians and journalists in its orbit, it quickly became a firm favourite in the “golden age” of TV. This was a remarkable achievement, not only because it was Denmark’s first attempt at a political drama, but also because it focused on the minutiae of Dansk politik, such as pig farming and oil revenues, and somehow took international viewers along for the ride – with some excellent Danish interior design thrown in for good measure.
