SHE reached the top in the male-dominated world of politics, fighting off plotters and critics all the way.
Now the fictional TV character Birgitte Nyborg, who counts among her super fans one Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, is on her way back with a much anticipated new series of Danish political drama Borgen.
Netflix and the Danish Broadcasting Corporation yesterday announced the full cast for the fourth season was now in place, paving the way for filming to begin. The new series will appear on screens next year.
Sidse Babett Knudsen, who plays Nyborg, Denmark’s first woman Prime Minister, said: “You should be careful with what you say, but I have sky-high expectations on this project. Most of all, I look forward to moving back into Birgitte Nyborg. What a privilege to be able to ride the carousel once again with this character that I love so much.”
READ MORE: When Nicola met Birgitte
Ms Knudsen is not alone in her admiration for the series, which ended its run on BBC4 in 2013. Scotland’s FM called Borgen “the most authentic political drama I’ve ever watched”. One Saturday night when it was on she tweeted: “Ok everyone, wheesht – it’s Borgen time.” She told the Radio Times that she may have rewatched the show “once or twice”. Stephen King was a fan, as was the New York Times, which called it “a bleaker, Nordic version of The West Wing”.
READ MORE: The TV shows coming your way in 2021
When the second series finale was shown as part of the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2013, Ms Sturgeon, then Deputy FM, was among the sold out audience and took part in a Q&A with the Danish actor afterwards.
Ms Sturgeon said she liked Borgen because it showed in Denmark the kind of country Scotland could be – a small nation making a big impact.
“What is nice about Borgen is it portrays this obviously strong, confident, clever and articulate woman, but you also see her human side and the fact she occasionally has self-doubt, which everyone does,” she added.
READ MORE: FM confronted on bombshell claims
“You see her vulnerability, the traumas she goes through in her family life and kicking off her high heels at the end of a busy day. All of that, for women in politics, is something you can relate to.”
Ms Sturgeon laughed off the suggestion that there could be a Borgen-type drama about Holyrood.
“We are all capable of the skullduggery side of politics, but in my experience, and this crosses the political divide, most politicians are decent people in it for the right reasons.”
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