The latest wave of the Scandinavian crime invasion: Sarah Lund and her woolly jumpers. The Killing, the powerfully addictive Danish crime drama running on BBC4 on Saturday nights, has become the latest TV series to inspire a devoted, evangelical following, just as it did in Denmark when it was first broadcast in 2007 under the name Forbrydelsen ('the crime'). The series tells the story of a 20-day investigation into the murder of a 19-year-old girl, Nanna Birk Larsen, in a gloomy November in Copenhagen, unfolding over 20 hour-long episodes. Central to its appeal is the heroine, Sarah Lund, a laconic, mournful-eyed detective played by the wonderful Sophie Gråbøl. Lund is famous for her obsessive, intuitive investigative style and her chunky knitwear. Her signature cream and navy Faroe Islands sweater, slashed by a sex offender in an early episode but later repaired, sold like hot cakes in Denmark (a snip at EUR280, it is available from the Faroese firm Gudrun and Gudrun).

LRB 31 March 2011 | PDF Download