From Iceland — Over One Million Brits Watched Trapped Finale

Over One Million Brits Watched Trapped Finale

Published March 14, 2016

Andie Sophia Fontaine
Photo by
RÚV

The Icelandic crime noir series has proven highly successful with British viewers, as over a million people in the UK tuned in to the series finale, which aired last Saturday.

In fact, The Guardian predicted that over a million would watch the finale – the actual numbers are not in yet – but there is reason to believe the true figures will exceed expectations.

The series has been a surprise success in the UK – so much so that when the series concluded for Icelandic viewers last month, producers urged Icelandic viewers to avoid posting spoilers on social media.

“I do think that some of the reason people have responded to this show so strongly is because Iceland is a place and society that people don’t know very well and that seems fascinating,” series co-writer Clive Bradley told The Guardian. “The Killing and The Bridge are very urban shows and this offers something different. It’s so remote. There’s something almost poetic about the landscape.”

The series has also proven a boon for actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, who will soon be appearing alongside Oscar winner Mark Rylance in Steven Spielberg’s The BFG.

“Two of my favourite films are The Thing by John Carpenter and Ridley Scott’s Alien and what both of them share with Trapped is that sense of being contained by your environment,” Ólafur said on what has contributed to Trapped’s success. “There’s a sense in Trapped that you’re not just up against a murderer, you’re also up against nature. That makes it unpredictable.”

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