Helen Moorhouse: I gorged on Borgen last night ... and today I have a hangover
Sidse Babett Knudsen stars as prime minister Birgitte Nyborg Christensen in the Danish drama series Borgen
Dear Sarah Lund, while The Killing has been away, I've been seeing someone else. She's not better than you, just different. I don't even know her that well yet – I haven't seen inside her jumper drawer. But she's a pint-sized firecracker in a too-tight suit. She's Birgitte Nyborg and I think I love her a little....
I have a Borgen hangover – I gorged last night, episodes saved up on my Sky planner like Weightwatchers points for the weekend. I now think I want to learn Danish and go into politics; I definitely want a househusband. The first series draws to a close this weekend on BBC 4 and all I want to do with my time is continue to hurtle through it at breakneck speed, striding along beside the diminutive prime minister, her ambitious spin doctor, her incompetent (but-she'll-come-good-I-bet) secretary, her closest advisor, Bent (who I have a horrible feeling will die and leave her to cope alone), elfin journalist Katrine (elfin as in Cate Blanchett with black eyes) and strangely foxy husband, Strange-from-The-Killing 2.
Why oh why is Danish TV so good? Clearly they must have their share of 'Going Strongs' but there is nothing that we could send them – not The Clinic, not Raw, not Pure Mule - that could even touch the hemlines of The Killing or Borgen – and word has it that upcoming 'The Bridge' is going to blow our fair isle sweaters off.
What's so appealing about Borgen though? It's intelligent for starters – it's all about politics but don't let that put you off. Turns out that politics can actually be interesting – who knew?!
So far, Birgitte's won an election, lost the top spot of statsminister, got it back by being all brilliant at politics, fired her handsome spin doctor and re-hired a gnomey-looking one (also from The Killing 2) who is also brilliant at politics and she keeps him in line by reminding him that she makes the policies and he sells them. She's just managed to do her Christmas shopping, sort of, and managed not to have a total breakdown at the same time. And I'm only on Episode 4.
She's a mum of two and the character is written convincingly enough to honestly portray her, not as supermum, but as a bloody busy woman who struggles to get home before her kids have gone to bed. She keeps trying to avoid biscuits but her staff keep buying them and as a result she's had to get a new suit (which was purchased by her foxy husband Strange-from-The-Killing 2). And he is just superfantasticadonis-like and keeps the house spotless, does the maths homework, wraps the Christmas pressies, looks suitably exasperated when required to do so, and also does something important in the evenings on a laptop, sipping a glass of red by lamplight. The character of Birgitte is actually just so damn convincing that you really feel you could get to know her. One minute, she's looking humbled by some massive parliamentary curveball that's hit her between the eyes and is pleading with Bent to help her; the next she does something steelier than Steely Dan in a steelworks and everyone whispers 'ooooh'. I certainly do.
I'm also learning lots from Borgen (which means the castle, fortress or burg). People from Greenland are called Greenlanders; Jan Meyer from-The-Killing makes an excellent TV producer and looks hot in glasses and the rude Danish word for 'poo' is the exact same as the rude English word for 'pee'. And loathe as I am to go all feminist, Borgen really showcases women at their finest. Nyborg is strong, weak, loveable, fearsome, organised, scatterbrained and as human as they come – watch her and, have your daughters and sons watch her to see a real role model in action. She's beautiful but not perfect, attractive without being untouchable. The show is full of women to admire - women playing at the highest levels of politics and journalism, there because they're the best at the job, not because they're 'women struggling in a man's world'. Every single character is rounded and multi faceted – the women are at the tops of their games because they deserve to be and the men aren't just token bad guy sexists idiots as so often happens in TV. This ain't Desperate Housewives.
There's only one flaw however. One unrealistic, unbelievable bit. There's men I know who stay at home, take amazing care of the kids, their jobs, their houses – men who can do it all. But there's no straight man that I can imagine would so much as think to illuminate the house softly with candelabras every evening like Philip does. And just one more suggestion? How about if, when Birgitte rolls in at midnight after a day of being quietly ballsy, drops her briefcase, unzips her boots and sighs heavily, that she doesn't at once begin a softly seductive and clever conversation with foxy Strange- from-the-Killing 2 ? Just once, just for me, grunt at each other 'are they down?' and then 'g'night'. Otherwise, you're perfect.
The Dead Summer by Helen Moorhouse is out in paperback
