In December 1954 theatre was shown for the first time in Swedish television. Now some fifty years later, close to two thousand drama productions have appeared in the TV screen. In the beginning, all drama was broadcasted live.
Bengt Lagerkvist is the Swedish champion of television drama. He has directed over 70 drama productions, the first as early as 1956. His masterpiece is "Hemsöborna". Now he returns to the recording sites at Strindbergs Kymmendö.
While the TV theatre in Stockholm focused on classics, the Göteborg/Gothenburg TV made reportage theatre that resembled reality. "Nattcafé", "Fosterbarn", "Hem till byn" and "Lära för livet" was named the 70s popular and debated Gothenburg dramas.
Crime stories and suspense series are the genres that have increased most in the Swedish television drama production. The first TV detective story was shown in the early 1960s. Since then, the British cosy detective has partly been replaced by more hardcore cops.
Fifty years of television drama contains many thousands characters - many of them are personalities we will never forget. What is it like to be Skärdgårdsdoktorn or Raskens with the Swedish people?
