Deb and I enjoyed watching the all too brief Season One of Annika. No word if there’ll be another season, so fingers crossed.

Annika is a British crime drama TV series… Annika Strandhed is a Detective Inspector in … the Glasgow Marine Homicide Unit.

@Miraz Is this on BritBox? :)

@rom Here in Aotearoa New Zealand we watched it on Neon. I don’t know where else it might be, I’m afraid.

@Miraz Is she Swedish?

@odd The character has Norwegian heritage.

@Miraz Ok. The name is a typically Swedish one, but then there are many Swedes living in Norway (and vice versa). A couple of years ago, I started to watch Dalgiesh from the P.D. James books, remembering I liked it in the 80s, but it was so slooow!

@Miraz saw it on PBS app. Will check if it is free.

@Miraz @odd It seems that the tv series is based on an earlier Radio 4 series “Annika Stranded” (read by the great Nicola Walker who later played the lead character in the tv series) set in Norway. There are about 30 audio episodes on the BBC website

@odd @miraz Wife’s name is “Annika”, there are at least one “Annika” at work, several that I personally know. In fact when I lived in Luleå I would go out on our lawn and shout “Annika” and 5-6 of the neighbors (of about 10 houses) were called “Annika”. So no, it’s not the most common name but it’s definitely not unique 😁

@Miraz @odd and “Strandhed” is definitely Swedish.

@odd @Miraz I’ve just listened to the first and last of the audio episodes on the BBC Radio 4 site. They’re short (about 15 mins each), read as opposed to dramatized (audiobook-style) and … not very exciting. I may well listen to a few more, though.

@Miraz It appears to be on Amazon Prime.

@artkavanagh Thanks for the link and the background info! I haven’t heard about this series before.

@jemostrom I had an aunt named Anniken as a middle name, but else than that I know neither. Wasn’t there an Annika in ABBA?

@JMaxB Yes, that’s what it was! I remembered it wrong.

@rom 👍

@artkavanagh 👍 One of the interesting and enjoyable features of the TV series was that the character frequently spoke directly to the viewers. Not sure how they could achieve that on radio. 😀

@jemostrom 😀

@jemostrom 👍

@artkavanagh Good to know. My partner Deb often listens to audio as she has a 90 minute drive each way to work 3 x per week, but it’s not so much my thing.

@ReaderJohn Good info for those in other parts of the world. 😀

@Miraz Audio is not really my thing either. My attention wanders when there isn’t something to engage my eyes. 90 minutes each way just to get to and from work is far too long, IMO.

@artkavanagh I listen to podcasts while doing routine things like washing dishes. Deb’s commute has become shorter with the new motorway, and she’s gradually going to move her business to the nearby town from next month. I agree it’s too long a drive. 😀

@Miraz oh I missed this one! Nicola Walker is such a good actor. Really liked Unforgotten and Tango in Halifax. I’ll hunt it down..

@Miraz I normally leave the modern crime dramas to my wife but this one hooked me from episode one. It’s nice to watch a series that isn’t another grimdark noir. Nicola Walker and Ukweli Roach had great working chemistry.

@gregmoore I appreciated it had its light moments and wasn’t all just gloom. I really enjoyed the direct to audience moments too. In one episode she didn’t even say anything, but just gave us a ‘look’. 😀

@Miraz Her looks to camera and other characters asking if she’s talking to herself again were some of my favorite parts too.