Classic fandom? The Bridge fans in the UK.

Kondo, K. 2016. Classic fandom? The Bridge fans in the UK. Media Engagement: Connecting Production, Texts and Audiences. University of Westminster 04 May 2016

TitleClassic fandom? The Bridge fans in the UK.
AuthorsKondo, K.
TypeConference paper
Abstract

This study is part of a research project with Lund University from 2013-2016, ‘Media Experiences’ led by Prof. Annette Hill. This project examines production teams and audiences in Denmark, Sweden and the UK. The aim of this project is to understand how production teams create programmes and how audiences experiences and engage with the media content. We have examined different programmes from reality TV show to documentary films. In this session, the British fans of Nordic Noir ‘The Bridge’ (Denmark/Sweden. Bron/Broen) will be discussed from interview and observation data from Nordicana events: how they engage with the drama.
In this project, people who watched The Bridge (Season 1-3) in the U.K. were interviewed. There are two types of audiences amongst the audiences of The Bridge: one is fans of crime dramas, and another one is ‘Nordic Noir’ fans. BBC4 has been broadcasting foreign language dramas on Saturday nights for two hours (2 episodes per a week). The Killing (2007) has become a successful drama in the U.K. on BBC (Frost 2011). The most of fans of The Bridge are super fans of ‘The Killing’ (Denmark) and Wallander (Sweden). Nordicana (London 2014, 2015) which were promotional events by Arrow Film, provides opportunities fans to meet actors and actresses from Nordic dramas and to screen new dramas from Scandinavia.
The Bridge fans who are middle class, over 40’s -70’s showed multi-layered engagements with the programme. Through the interview at their homes, they also had such as cushions of ‘detective Lund’ or wore ‘Lund Jumper’. When audiences discussed ‘The Bridge’, they often refer or compare the drama with the Killing. Some of them even want to become ‘Media pilgrims’ (Couldry 2003) by visiting the actual locations of ‘The Killing’, or meeting with actresses and actors at the events in London. The patterns of their fandom can be rather a classic way from Jenkins’ view (2013) where today’s fans make their own youtube videos or blogs. Watching BBC2’s foreign quality dramas which are highly complex storyline with subtitles on Saturday night slot gives them cultural capital (Bourdieu 1977). In a way, they were pushed to read alternative sources such as reviews on the Guardians’ website to reassure their understanding of the storylines and discuss what is going on in the Killing as Jenkins’ new fans do. In the age of new and old media, the older fans’ ‘habitus’ are becoming more dynamic between analogue and digital.

Keywordsfandom, aging fans, online and off-line
Year2016
Conference Media Engagement: Connecting Production, Texts and Audiences
Web address (URL) of conference proceedingshttp://www.kom.lu.se/forskning/konferenser-och-natverkstraffar/media-engagement-connecting-production-texts-and-audiences/

Related outputs

‘The Very Latest, Modom’: The British Commercial Gas Association, the Gas Light and Coke Company and Content Marketing in Interwar Britain
Heller, M., Kohil, G. and Kondo, K. 2024. ‘The Very Latest, Modom’: The British Commercial Gas Association, the Gas Light and Coke Company and Content Marketing in Interwar Britain. Business History. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2024.2401404

Entertainment Mobilisation
Hill, A. and Kondo, K. 2022. Entertainment Mobilisation. in: Trandafoiu, R. (ed.) Border Crossings and Mobilities on Screen Routledge.

Children's rights to information: The responsibility of public service media during the Corona pandemic
Kondo, K., Sjöberg, U., Kourti, E, Nyholm, M, Watanabe, K and Sundin, E. 2021. Children's rights to information: The responsibility of public service media during the Corona pandemic. in: Pielos. G, Skamnkis, A. and Theocharidis, S. (ed.) The Media and Covid Papazissis Athens Greece. pp. 183-196

Participation in Reality Television: Entertainment Mobilization in Dance Talent Shows
Kondo, K. and Hill, A. 2020. Participation in Reality Television: Entertainment Mobilization in Dance Talent Shows. in: Polson, E., Clark, L.S. and Gajjala, R. (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Media and Class Oxon Routledge. pp. 51-62

Provocative engagement: Documentary audiences and performances in The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence
Hill, A., Askanius, T., Kondo, K. and Urueta, J.L. 2019. Provocative engagement: Documentary audiences and performances in The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. International Journal of Cultural Studies . 22 (5), p. pp. 662–677. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877919849961

Live Reality Television: care structures within the production and reception of talent shows
Hill, A., Askanius, A. and Kondo, K. 2019. Live Reality Television: care structures within the production and reception of talent shows. Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies. 14 (1), pp. 7-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1749602018774458

Media Audiences: Local to Global (Implications for international business strategies)
Kondo, K. 2017. Media Audiences: Local to Global (Implications for international business strategies). Big in Japan. Tallinn University 22 - 22 Nov 2017

Seeking for a sense of place: beyond the digital space
Kondo, K. 2017. Seeking for a sense of place: beyond the digital space. ECREA 2017 Audiences 2030. Catholic University Lisbon 28 - 29 Sep 2017

Seeking for a sense of place: beyond the digital space
Kondo, K. 2017. Seeking for a sense of place: beyond the digital space. Audiences 2030: Lisbon Conference. Universidade Católica Portuguesa 28 - 29 Sep 2017

Children’s media engagement in the U.K: a case of Got to Dance audiences and performers
Kondo, K. 2016. Children’s media engagement in the U.K: a case of Got to Dance audiences and performers . IAMCR 2016. Leicester 27 - 31 Jul 2016

The Bridge fans in the UK: case of older generation’s media engagement
Kondo, K. 2016. The Bridge fans in the UK: case of older generation’s media engagement. Ageing celebrities and ageing fans in popular media culture. University of Copenhagen 19 May 2016

‘Reality talent shows: children as performers, contestants and audiences in Got to Dance’
Kondo, K. and Hill, A. 2015. ‘Reality talent shows: children as performers, contestants and audiences in Got to Dance’. Comparing Children's Media Around the World: Policies, Texts and Audiences. University of Westminster 04 Sep 2015

Investigating pay-as-you-go to address issues of trust, privacy and security around media use at home
Tsekleves, E., Whitham, R., Kondo, K. and Hill, A. 2013. Investigating pay-as-you-go to address issues of trust, privacy and security around media use at home. Universal Access in the Information Society. 12 (2), pp. 217-231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-012-0270-3

Children’s Perspectives through the Camera Lens Reflections on Meaning-making Processes and Participatory Research
Kondo, K. and Sjöberg, U. 2013. Children’s Perspectives through the Camera Lens Reflections on Meaning-making Processes and Participatory Research. Nordicom Review. 33 (1), pp. 3-18 1. https://doi.org/10.2478/nor-2013-0001

Media as an Identity Negotiator Among “Swedish” Children in Athens and “Japanese” in London
Kondo, K. 2012. Media as an Identity Negotiator Among “Swedish” Children in Athens and “Japanese” in London. Journalism and Mass Communication. 2 (1), pp. 250-262.

Research Methods Used in Studying Media Consumption and Children in a Diaspora. A Case of Japanese Families in London
Kondo, K. 2008. Research Methods Used in Studying Media Consumption and Children in a Diaspora. A Case of Japanese Families in London. in: Rydin, I. and Sjöberg, U. (ed.) Mediated Crossroads. Identity, Youth Culture and Ethnicity Theoretical and Methodological Challenges Göteborg, Sweden UNESCO International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media, Nordicom, Goteborg University. pp. 93-112

Can television be good for children?
Kondo, K. and Steemers, J. 2007. Can television be good for children? London Save Kids’ TV.

The roles of Global and diasporic media in the process of developing children’s identities
Kondo, K. 2004. The roles of Global and diasporic media in the process of developing children’s identities. merz. 48 (6), pp. 59-71.

Permalink - https://westminsterresearch.westminster.ac.uk/item/9w529/classic-fandom-the-bridge-fans-in-the-uk


Share this

Usage statistics

771 total views
0 total downloads
These values cover views and downloads from WestminsterResearch and are for the period from September 2nd 2018, when this repository was created.