If, like us, you’ve worked your way through every grisly crime drama going, don’t worry – we’ve delved back through the TV archives and dug out a forgotten classic, Wallander, which combines two of our favourite ingredients. The first, a British detective drama and the second, a Nordic noir – it’s masterfully intriguing and you’re going to want to binge all four series in one.
Introducing Kurt Wallander, played by the brilliant Kenneth Branagh, but he’s no ordinary police officer. He’s highly empathetic, which leads him to be deeply affected by the chilling cases he works on – he struggles with bouts of depression, and drinks alone. But his humanity is what makes him alluring, alongside his charm, and we get to join him in the rugged Swedish town of Ystad, as he unravels countless chilling mysteries.
With the episodes available to watch now, here’s everything you need to know about Wallander, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Wallander about?
Based on the Swedish author Henning Mankell’s critically acclaimed Kurt Wallander Mysteries, the BBC series that first aired in 2008 and ran until 2016, introduces us to Kurt Wallander (Kenneth Branagh) a detective in the picturesque small town of Ystad, southern Sweden. But, Wallander is somewhat unconventional – he’s melancholic, he drinks alone, listens to opera and is sensitive, so he feels deep sadness for the victims he helps.
Across four series the detective grapples with a messy personal live, including a strained relationship with his daughter, Linda (Jeany Spark) and father, Povel (David Warner) and his ex-wife. Across the four series, Wallander is tasked with a plethora of sinister cases (warning – it’s pretty dark!) Here’s a whistlestop tour of some of the most memorable.
The series 1 finale is dramatic – a woodland Midsummer’s Eve party is the scene of a shooting, which killed three teenagers. In series 2, Wallander faces major fallout due to a police leak of a murdered woman’s dying words, sparking unprecedented racist reprisals. In series 3, he discovers the remains of a girl in the garden of his new dream home, and in series 4, he travels to South Africa for a conference, when a Swedish national vanishes.
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Kenneth Branagh previously opened up about playing Wallander. ‘The world that Wallander lives in is a raw world where people have to deal with terrible news and with the death of loved ones in terrible circumstances. Wallander is very self-aware and perceptive and intelligent about human behaviour,’ he told the BBC. ‘For me, this is more of a straight part as Wallander’s character does not have all the same eccentricities that would normally appear in these types of stories,’ he added.
Who’s in the cast of Wallander?
The cast of Wallander includes:
- Kenneth Branagh (Murder On The Orient Express) as Kurt Wallander
- Richard McCabe (The Pentaverate) as Nyberg
- Jeany Spark (Man Down) as Linda Wallander
- Sarah Smart (One Step Behind) as Anne-Britt Hoglund
- Sadie Shimmin (Faceless Killers) as Lisa Holgersson
- Tom Hiddleston (The Night Manager) as Magnus Martinsson
- David Warner (Titanic) as Povel Wallander
- Barnaby Kay (Before The Frost) as Lennart Mattson
Is Wallander any good?
Yes – if you’re into gripping and rather dark detective drama with dramatic backdrops, you’re going to want to watch Wallander next. What kept us gripped, as well as the riveting plot line, was Kenneth Branagh’s very human portrayal of Wallander’s complexities and flaws. Unsurprisingly, his stellar performance won him a BAFTA in 2010 for best actor.
How can I watch Wallander?
You can watch Wallander now on Channel 4 and U.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
For another thrilling crime drama, we’d point you towards Irvine Welsh’s Crime. The series, set in Edinburgh, follows Detective Inspector Ray Lennox (Dougray Scott) who’s tasked with investigating grisly and complex cases while battling his various personal demons of his own. You can watch all episodes of Irvine Welsh’s Crime on ITV. An equally captivating Nordic noir thriller is Black Sands, where we meet Aníta (Aldís Amah Hamilton) in southern Iceland, a police officer who returns to her hometown 14 years after she left. A body is discovered on the beach and what at first appears to be the result of a hiking accident, unfurls into so much more. You can watch Black Sands now on U and Channel 4.
