WALLANDER Winner Leading Actor, Kenneth Branagh, Wallander, British Academy Television Awards 2010 Wallander for Best Sound - Fiction, British Academy Television Craft Awards 2010 Winner Best Actor, Kenneth Branagh Wallander, 35th Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Television and Radio Awards Winner Wallander for Best Drama Series, British Academy Television Awards 2009 Wallander for Phlips Audience Award for the Best Programme of 2008, British Academy Television Awards 2009 Wallander for Best Original Television Music; for Best Photography & Lighting - Fiction/Entertainment; for Best Production Design; for Best Sound - Fiction, British Academy Television Craft Awards 2009
The first Wallander Team	BBC Wallander Site BBC TV Blog: Henning Mankell's Wallander: I'm the Screenwriter Branagh's Wallander Website dedicated to the BBC's English-language television series about Henning Mankell's fictional Swedish detective Kurt Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh
Click here for other Wallander production photos More Wallander photos Even more Wallander photos I Even more Wallander photos II Photos from filming of Wallander 2  I Photos from filming of Wallander 2  II Photos from Wallander 2  III Photos from Wallander 2  IV Photos from Wallander 2  V Covers from a new issue of Wallander titles Photos from the British Academy Television Awards 2009 Photos from the PBS Wallander promo, August 2010 Photos from Wallander, Series 3, 2016 More photos from Wallander, Series 3, 2016	Audio/Video ♦BBC promo for episode one of the new Wallander series ♦Kenneth Branagh talks about Wallander (and much more) ♦Kenneth Branagh talks to Stuart Jeffries about the new series of Wallander ♦Extended version of the Swedish Radio interview with Kenneth Branagh ♦Another Swedish Radio interview with Kenneth Branagh, 29 September 2009 ♦Swedish Radio interview with Kenneth Branagh, 5 March 2009 ♦BBC promo for Wallander ♦Click here for the BBC fall television promos, with a few peeks at Wallander ♦Click here for a webtv snippet from the press session, 30 May 2008 ♦Award announcement and Kenneth Branagh's speech ♦Interview with the Wallander producers team ♦Brief "red carpet" interview with Kenneth Branagh ♦Video greeting recorded by Kenneth Branagh on the occasion of crew screening of Wallander: The Dogs of Riga
Articles      Click here for links to untranslated articles
♦Why Kenneth Branagh Loves Mysteries, from ‘Wallander’ to ‘Murder on the Orient Express’, Indiewire, 26 June 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh on the End of Masterpiece’s ‘Wallander’, AwardsDaily TV, 14 June 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh On Waving Goodbye to Wallander and Creator Henning Mankell, Radio Times, 22 May 2016 ♦Wallander Is a Good Drama Series Made Sublime By the Brilliance of Branagh, Radio Times, 22 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh Talks About Final Season of Wallander, Parade, 18 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh's Wallander Can't Catch a Break, Podcast & Book Club, PBS.org, 15 May 2016 ♦How My Missus Made Wallander Less Miserable: Returning As the Swedish Detective, Sir Kenneth Branagh Reveals His Wife Had to Visit Him On Set to Lift His Gloom, Daily Mail, 13 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh: Dementia Scenes Were a Privilege to Play in Wallander, iNews, 12 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh Is a Fading Inspector In ‘Wallandar’ Series, Lansing State Journal, 7 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh Offers a Bittersweet Goodbye to ‘Wallander’, Daily News, 6 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh Has Done an Admirable Job of Portraying the Sense of Despair Creeping Into the Soul of the Swedish Detective Kurt Wallander, Globe and Mail, 6 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh Battles Doubt As Actor, Bend Bulletin, 4 May 2016 ♦Kenneth Branagh: I Don’t Think You Can Take Belfast Out of the Boy, Express, 1 May 2016 ♦Facing Dementia Together: Kenneth Branagh Learned About Alzheimer’s For Wallander Role, Sunday Post, 25 April 2016 ♦'Wallander’s' On the Way to Cape Town, IOL News, 11 January 2015 ♦‘Wallander’ To Be Filmed in Cape Town, IOL News, 12 October 2014 ♦The Killing Effect: How Four Major Crime Series Are Shooting in Copenhagen This Year, The Copenhagen Post, 10 October 2014 ♦Kenneth Branagh Begins Filming Final 'Wallander' Episodes, Comingsoon.net, 8 October 2014 ♦Kenneth Branagh's 'Wallander' to Return For Final Series On BBC One, Digital Spy, 8 October 2014 ♦Kenneth Branagh Still Figuring Out 'Wallander', Salt Lake Tribune, 11 September 2012 ♦Wallander: Nordic Noir, Minus the Stieg Larsson Melodrama, The Globe and Mail, 9 September 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh Revisits Nordic Noir as Somber Detective Kurt Wallander, LA Daily News, 8 September 2012 ♦TV Review: Great Performance From Kenneth Branagh Anchors ‘Wallander’, HollywoodChicago.com, 8 September 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh Brings ‘Wallander III’ to Life, New York Daily News, 6 September 2012 ♦Branagh Holds Off on Swedish Accent, Toronto Sun, 6 September 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh’s Wallander Leads Brooding Scandinavian Sleuths, Chicago Sun Times, 6 September 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh Returns to Wallander, Vancouver Sun, 4 September 2012 ♦Wallander III premiers on PBS’ Masterpiece Mystery, Washington Post, 30 August 2012 ♦Oh Joy! Wallander's Back, Express, 15 July 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh: "Wallander Is Quite a Cheerful Person. It's Just He Doesn't Often Get the Chance", The Radio Times, 8 July 2012 ♦Interview: Kenneth Branagh on 'Wallander', TimeOut, July 2012 ♦Sir Ken's Swede Success: Despite Being the Star of Hit TV Detective Series Wallander, Just-knighted Kenneth Branagh Insists He's Still Plain Ken, The Daily Mail, 28 June 2012 ♦Wallander: Swede Dreams Are Made of This, The Independent, 23 June 2012 ♦Kenneth Branagh: Wallowing in Wallander, The Guardian, 17 June 2012 ♦Branagh 'Excited' by New Wallander, Belfast Telegraph, 29 January 2012 ♦Web Exclusive: Kenneth Branagh on “Wallander”, Thelma Adams.com, 1 January 2012 ♦Wallander a Familiar Name For Crime Fans, Thelma Adams.com, 28 December 2011 ♦“Wallander” Star and “Thor” Director Kenneth Branagh Is in a Scandinavian State of Mind, StarNewsOnline, 17 October 2010 ♦Kenneth Branagh Brings Swedish Detective Kurt Wallander Back to American TV, Philadelphia Enquirer, 2 October 2010 ♦TV Review: 'Wallander' Gets a British Makeover, SFGate.com, 1 October 2010 ♦Brooding Branagh Impresses as Swedish Detective on PBS, Denver Post, 1 October 2010 ♦Kenneth Branagh Plays Detective, Superbly, The Globe & Mail, 7 August 2010 ♦Kenneth Branagh Interview: WALLANDER II, Collider.com, 4 August 2010 ♦Kenneth Branagh Wallander Wins BAFTA Again, Hollywood Today, 7 June 2010 ♦Your Next Box Set: Wallander, The Guardian, 19 February 2010 ♦Branagh Brings Us a Jewel In the Krona, Evening Standard, 22 January 2010 ♦Branagh's Back to Wow Once Again, Herald.ie, 18 January 2010 ♦Wallander: Mobile Ringtone Mystery Solved, The Telegraph, 13 January 2010 ♦In Close-up You’ll See Evidence of Greatness Is All Over Wallander, The Sunday Times, 10 January 2010 ♦Wallander, The Observer, 10 January 2010 ♦Kenneth Branagh Interview for Wallander, The Telegraph, 8 January 2010 ♦Wallander (BBC One), The Telegraph, 4 January 2010 ♦The Weekend's Television: Wallander, The Independent, 4 January 2010 ♦Crimes of Passion, Radio Times, 2-8 January 2010 ♦Talking Shop: Kenneth Branagh, BBC News, 1 January 2010 ♦Branagh Asked Smart for TV Tips, UK Press Association, 30 December 2009 ♦Branagh's Wallander Discomfort, UK Press Association, 22 December 2009 ♦Crumpled Hero, Sydney Morning Herald, 2 December 2009 ♦Famed Fictional Resident Helps Ystad Land Swedish Tourism Prize, The Local, 22 October 2009 ♦Wallander: Swede Dreams Are Made of This, The Independent, 31 July 2009 ♦Interrogating Inspector Wallander, Bild, 2 June 2009 ♦A Swedish Cop, Not a Danish Prince, but Still Melancholy, New York Times, 10 May 2009 ♦Branagh Brilliant in PBS' 'Wallander', Baltimore Sun, 10 May 2009 ♦Branagh Is Drawn to ‘Wallander’, Buffalo News, 10 May 2009 ♦Weekend Viewing: Det. Wallandar Makes His TV Debut, Maclean's, 10 May 2009 ♦Kenneth Branagh on 'Wallander', Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2009 ♦Brood Awakening, Boston Globe, 8 May 2009 ♦The Accent Is On a Swedish Sleuth in 'Wallander', USA Today, 7 May 2009 ♦Wallander: Sidetracked, USA Today, 6 May 2009 ♦Branagh’s ‘Masterpiece’ Moment, TV Week, 1 May 2009 ♦Branagh’s Honest ‘Wallander’ Feels Original, The Army Times, 27 April 2009 ♦At Last, A Clue The Beeb Can Still Do Quality, The Sunday Express, 7 December 2008 ♦What He Watched: Wallander BBC1, The Observer, 7 December 2008 ♦Wallander, BBC1, The Independent, 7 December 2008 ♦Wallander - Where Have All the Detectives Gone?, The Sunday Times, 7 December 2008 ♦Inspector Norse, News & Star, 6 December 2008 ♦Lost in Translation, The New Statesman, 4 December 2008 ♦Wallander: Testament to Kenneth Branagh's Greatness, The Telegraph - Blog, 1 December 2008 ♦The Weekend on Television: Wallander, The Telegraph, 1 December 2008 ♦The Swede That’s Like a Potato, The Herald, 1 December 2008 ♦Swedeness and Light, The Mirror, 1 December 2008 ♦Wallander, The Times, 1 December 2008 ♦TV Review: Wallander, Leicester Mercury, 1 December 2008 ♦The Weekend's Television: Wallander, The Independent, 1 December 2008 ♦Kenneth Branagh: Wallander, The Telegraph, 29 November 2008 ♦Kenneth Branagh Is Kurt Wallander, The Times, 29 November 2008 ♦The British View of Wallander Country, Ystadsallehanda, 28 November 2008 ♦Branagh's Different Detective, This Is South Wales, 28 November 2008 ♦Inspector Morose: Meet Wallander, the Most Tortured Detective to Grace the Small Screen, The Daily Mail, 28 November 2008 ♦Killing Time , BBC, November 2008 ♦Kenneth Branagh: The Stunning, Troubled World of the 'Norse Morse', Daily Telegraph, 31 October 2008 ♦Henning Mankell on Kenneth Branagh's Wallander , The Sunday Times, 26 October 2008 ♦Swedes Are So Cool, Kvllsposten, 2 June 2008 ♦Kenneth Branagh's Life as Kurt Wallander, Ystads Allehanda, 30 May 2008 ♦The Scenery Is Under Construction for the BBC-Wallander, Ystads Allehanda, 2 April 2008
Early Short Articles Inspector Norse Radio Times, 30 August - 5 September 2008         (see the photo here) Meet TV's latest addition to the ranks of TV detective. Kenneth Branagh brings a brooding, Bergmanesque quality to his performance in Wallander, a new BBC1 series adapted from the award-winning crime novels of Swedish author Henning Mankell. Our exclusive picture is also a first glimpse of what could soon be known over here as "Wallender country". The gingerbread houses and flower-filled square of the sleepy town of Ystad on Sweden's south coats are scarcely what you expect from Scandinavia's rival to our own Midsomer, but it's already a big tourist draw. Shooting in the precise locations mentioned by the novels, the film crew have found that they have to fight for space with fans of the books - and numerous Swedish TV and film adaptations - pilgrimage to their hero's picturesque stamping ground. Branagh to Play Wallander in TV Series UPI, 14 July 2008 Kenneth Branagh is to star in a new TV series based on the Kurt Wallander detective books by Swedish author Henning Mankell, "Masterpiece Mystery" announced. Branagh, a co-producing partner and longtime fan of the novels, said in a statement his latest character is "wonderfully complex and compelling." Shot in rarely seen locations in southern Sweden, "Wallander" is to air on "Masterpiece Mystery" on PBS in the spring or summer of 2009. "We're thrilled to be presenting Kenneth's passion project on 'Masterpiece Mystery'," executive producer Rebecca Eaton said in a statement. "'Wallander' will introduce PBS audiences to a stunning part of the world -- and a fascinating new detective." Branagh, a Northern Irish actor-filmmaker who recently directed a remake of "Sleuth," has starred in the films "Much Ado About Nothing," "Hamlet," "Celebrity" and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." He will soon be seen in the big-screen war movie "Valkyrie," opposite Tom Cruise. Plans for New Wallander Films Sveriges Radio P4 Malmö, 31 May 2008  (go to the site for a link to an audio clip) ** Thanks Jonas for the translation The BBC is planning for at least three new Wallander films in Ystad, probably next year. This was announced when the production management let the press have access to the film team of the English language Wallander films for the first time. The British actor Kenneth Branagh, who portrays Kurt Wallander, says it was the multi-faceted character of Kurt Wallander that lured him to the role. "I appreciate a man, who as an experienced inspector, constantly encounters violence and the dark sides of human behavior and still takes it personally and is emotionally affected by this." Yesterday the film team was filming in a townhouse area and was shooting a scene from "One Step Behind". They have already wrapped up "Sidetracked" and have "Firewall" left before they end in August. If proven popular, the plan is to film three more next year. It was Wallander's slightly complicated character that attracted Branagh. An interesting lack of predictable manliness, as he put it. Tough but, also emotional. But the British Wallander will be a bit different than the original. He does not listen to opera, the British audiences are too familiar with the opera-loving Inspector Morse. Branagh has worked hard at making Wallander his own. More English Wallander Films in the Works in Ystad Ystads Allehanda, 31 May 2008 By Ulf Mårtensson ** Thanks Jonas for the translation There will be more British Wallander films in Ystad than the three current ones. "This has always been our and Branagh's goal, as long as the audience enjoys them", says Francis Hopkinson, producer with Left bank, one of the companies involved. Yellow Bird Producer Ole Søndberg, says two of Mankell’s books could be hard to film. He mentions "The White Lioness" and "The Dogs of Riga" as being hard to film. This leaves three five films, if one is to stick to original Mankell novels. Three films a year is the work pace, so maybe the British filmmakers will already be back in Ystad next year. If that is the case, this is good news for the film town of Ystad and Ystad studios. Almost Classic The film companies' ambition is to make Inspector Wallander the next classic British copper. Comparisons have been made with Midsummer Murders. "But that series is too traditional. Mankell’s stories are much more interesting and deal with social issues in a very different manner", says director Philip Martin. Here Is Where They Are Shooting the New Wallander Films Sydsvenskan.se, 17 April 2008 By Olof Åkerlund ** Thanks Jonas for the translation There have been many secrets surrounding the British Kurt Wallander series. But on Thursday the star actor Kenneth Branagh (Wallander) was seen, as well as the rest of the Anglo-Swedish film team at Häckeberga castle outside the town of Genarp. Originally another castle was scheduled as a shooting location but when that plan fell apart, Bo Madsen, the manager of Häckeberga castle, was quick to offer a filming location to the 60-person strong film crew and the roughly 50 extras. The guests had to be moved to the castle stables, but that worked out very well. This is really exiting, a true circus. It is not everyday that you encounter Kenneth Branagh, says Bo Madsen. Kick-off for the BBC-Wallander Film Shooting Ystads Allehanda, 14 April 2008 ** Thanks Wenda for the translation Shooting for the British version of the Henning Mankell Wallander mysteries started on Monday at Sodra Anggatan in Ystad. The star actor Kenneth Branagh, who plays the opera-loving inspector, and a large film team were in place in a functional house [i.e. a house from around 1920s or 1930s]. In parts of Agatan and Anggatan it was not permitted to park during the week-end or on Monday. But the people of Ystad are used to film teams in action and did not seem to take very much notice of the start of shooting. The football match continued on Dammen at the Bleke school and neighbourhood life continued as usual. For the next 3 months 3 films will be shot for the BBC in Ystad and nearby locations.
Press Releases Anouncing Wallander
♦Wallander – Kenneth Branagh in Major New Drama Adaptation for BBC One, BBC Press Office, 10 January 2008 ♦Kenneth Branagh to Star in BBC 'Wallander' Series, The Local, 10 January 2008 ♦Detective Branagh: Kenneth is Set to Star in a New BBC Series to Rival 'Inspector Morse', Daily Mail, 10 January 2008 The Herald, 11 January 2008 Branagh Is Given Lead Role in £6m BBC Scotland Adaptation of Hit Crime Novels By Carolyn Churchill Kenneth Branagh will star as a hard-drinking Swedish detective in a £6m TV series commissioned by BBC Scotland, it was revealed yesterday. The actor will play Kurt Wallander in adaptations of three critically acclaimed crime novels by Swedish author Henning Mankell. 'Wallander', which will be filmed on location in Sweden, is a major coup for BBC Scotland and comes only a few months after director-general Mark Thompson said the corporation north of the border should triple its output for UK networks. The new series of 90-minute programmes is being co-produced by three independent companies after being commissioned by Anne Mensah, head of drama at BBC Scotland. She said: "'Wallander' is an extremely ambitious project - after all, we're looking to create a classic new detective character for British television. We couldn't hope for a stronger team behind the project, nor for a more perfect leading man." The books have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and the programmes will be based on three of the novels, Sidetracked, One Step Behind and Firewall. Branagh, whose production company will make the series in conjunction with Left Bank Pictures and Mankell's own company Yellow Bird, said he was a fan of the novels. He said: "Wallander is a wonderfully complex and compelling character and, as a long-time admirer of the novels, I'm very excited to be playing this fascinatingly flawed but deeply human detective." Variety, 11 January 2008 Branagh Set for BBC Adaptation Actor to star in $12 million TV production By Steve Clarke, Gunnar Rehlin Kenneth Branagh is set to star as fictional Swedish cop Kurt Wallander in a BBC adaptation of Henning Mankell's bestselling crime novels. Swedish production company Yellow Bird, owned by Zodiak Television, has sold the rights for three 90-minute features based on the novels "Sidetracked," "Firewall" and "One Step Behind." The films will be made by Left Bank Pictures, producer Andy Harries' shingle, along with Yellow Bird and Branagh's as-yet-unnamed shingle. BBC Worldwide, the pubcaster's commercial arm, has a 25% stake in Left Bank Pictures. The pics will be shot in Ystad, in the south of Sweden, during spring and summer. They will air on flagship BBC web BBC1. Mankell's books have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, giving the dramas big global potential. "Wallander" was commissioned by BBC Scotland head of drama Anne Mensah and BBC controller of fiction Jane Tranter. Mensah said the "extremely ambitious" project is aimed at creating "a classic new detective character for British television." Yellow Bird has made 13 Wallander films for the Scandinavian market, three for theatrical release and 10 for TV.