Næturvaktin
Encyclopedia
Næturvaktin is an Icelandic television show. It is the first in a trilogy, its sequels being Dagvaktin
(The Day Shift) and Fangavaktin
(The Prison Shift). The series was first shown in 2007 on Stöð 2
, on Sundays from 16 September – 9 December. In the same year, the series won an Edda Award
for Best TV Series. It was also selected The Most Popular TV Series by a direct audience vote.
A film, Bjarnfreðarson
, concluding the trilogy, premièred in December 2009. It was met with wide success in Iceland, beating Avatar at the box office on its opening weekend. It was watched by over 20% of the Icelandic population, a record for an Icelandic film, and was nominated for 11 Edda Awards.
in Reykjavík
. The eccentric supervisor and communist Georg Bjarnfreðarson (Jón Gnarr
), has a fond admiration for Sweden and Swedish culture, and is the focus of the series. Ólafur Ragnar (Pétur Jóhann Sigfússon) is a regular employee and a simple, well-meaning guy. Daníel (Jörundur Ragnarsson) is a former medical student
who starts working at the petrol station at the beginning of the series.
The series follows the various happenings at the petrol station, as the power-hungry Georg orders Ólafur and Daníel to do inane, unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs. For example in one episode, Georg stages an assault on the petrol station with Ólafur as the assailant. This very quickly results in his injury as Georg sprays him in the eyes with antifreeze
and wrestles him to the ground. Georg uses his catchphrase, "it was just a misunderstanding", to explain the staged assault to the area manager. Georg's "misunderstandings" are not limited to his colleagues, as later on in the series he gets into conflict with customers over use of the toilet in the forecourt shop and the deposit of cans in the recycling bin on the forecourt
.
) is the eccentric nightshift manager at the Shell
garage on Laugavegur
, the main road through downtown Reykjavík
. He is a power-hungry Communist
inspired by Soviet
ideals, yet still lives at home with his mother (as we find out in Dagvaktin
). He claims to have five degrees
: psychology
, sociology
, pedagogy
, political science
and a teaching qualification
. A fan of bureaucracy, he enjoys putting his subordinates through ordeals over trivial matters, such as how to spend the staff holiday fund (staging an official vote inline with the general election
s). He also is insistent on the use of walkie talkies, addressing his colleagues as "personnel on the forecourt" (another of his catchphrases). He is unable to accept defeat in the face of any situation, no matter how stupid. He has one son, Flemming Geir, an obese 11 year-old whom he neglects and leaves to steal chocolate from the stockroom.
He is the central focus of the trilogy, and the film Bjarnfreðarson
focuses on his upbringing and the reasons for his eccentricity.
in pursuit of his musical ambitions. Well-meaning yet gullible, Ólafur is often on the receiving end of bad situations, becoming involved in advance-fee fraud with a man from Nigeria, and falling foul of a Chinese protein shake
which induces lactation
. He is submissive and often follows Georg's instructions, no matter how unusual, without question.
drop-out who begins working at the petrol station at the beginning of the series. He is shy and introverted, and unsure of what he wants to do with his life. He suffers from anxiety
and depression, and has cut off completely all connections with his family. Unlike Ólafur, he recognises the stupidity in Georg's decisions and often challenges him when things seem unfair. His ex-girlfriend and family appear numerous times in the series, attempting to get him to resume his studies and become a doctor
like his father and grandfather. He is bright and is often able to humiliate Georg, for example by identifying a recent stroke victim whom Georg tars as a drunk and assaults. To Georg's annoyance, Daniel is much better at chess
than he is, managing to beat him on several occasions. He is susceptible to mood swing
s and storms out whenever Georg makes him sufficiently angry.
Utangarðsmenn. The song Jón pönkari ("John the Punk") by Bubbi Morthens
(a former member of Utangarðsmenn) closes each episode, and is used consisently throughout each series, unlike Kyrrlátt kvöld, which is only used on the first series.
Reveille Productions
are currently in negotiations with the producers of Næturvaktin to remake the show for the U.S. market. Howard Owens, the managing director of Revielle, said:
In January 2010, the screenplay for the American adaptation was completed by screenwriter Adam Barr
. Whether a pilot episode will be made has yet to be decided. Nevertheless, the screenplay includes American adaptations of the characters. Ólafur Ragnar's name has been changed to Tommy, but otherwise his character is the same. The other two main characters have undergone more significant changes, however. The character of Daníel keeps his name and is still a drop-out of medical school
, but his introverted personality has undergone a complete inversion and - according to Iceland Review
- he will be "a hunk playing the field". Georg Bjarnfreðarson's character has undergone a complete transformation, into a survivalist.
on BBC Four
on 9 May, 2011 as part of the channel's Wonders of Iceland series of programmes.
Dagvaktin
Dagvaktin is a sequel to the Icelandic television series Næturvaktin. It is the second of the three series in the trilogy...
(The Day Shift) and Fangavaktin
Fangavaktin
Fangavaktin is the sequel to the Icelandic television series Dagvaktin and the final series in the trilogy...
(The Prison Shift). The series was first shown in 2007 on Stöð 2
Stöð 2
Stöð 2 is an Icelandic television channel, owned and operated by 365. Founded in 1986, It was the first privately owned television station in Iceland following the lifting of the state monopoly on television broadcasting...
, on Sundays from 16 September – 9 December. In the same year, the series won an Edda Award
Edda Award
The Edda Award is an accolade bestowed by The Icelandic Film and Television Academy , and is the most prominent film and television award in Iceland...
for Best TV Series. It was also selected The Most Popular TV Series by a direct audience vote.
A film, Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson is a 2009 Icelandic comedy film directed by Ragnar Bragason, director of the TV series trilogy consisting of Næturvaktin, Dagvaktin and Fangavaktin, to which it is a sequel. At its première in Iceland, it was met with wide success, even beating Avatar at the box office on its...
, concluding the trilogy, premièred in December 2009. It was met with wide success in Iceland, beating Avatar at the box office on its opening weekend. It was watched by over 20% of the Icelandic population, a record for an Icelandic film, and was nominated for 11 Edda Awards.
Background
Næturvaktin revolves around the lives of three employees working at a petrol station on LaugavegurLaugavegur (Reykjavík)
Laugavegur is the primary commercial artery of downtown Reykjavík, Iceland and one of the oldest shopping streets. The name means "wash road", as it used to lead to the hot springs in Laugardalur where in olden times the women of Reykjavík took their laundry for washing.It has experienced economic...
in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. The eccentric supervisor and communist Georg Bjarnfreðarson (Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr Kristinsson is an Icelandic actor, comedian, politician and the mayor of Reykjavík, since 15 June 2010. He goes by Jón Gnarr, being an Icelander does not have a family name. He was originally named Jón Gunnar Kristinsson but legally changed his middle name in 2005, to the way his mother...
), has a fond admiration for Sweden and Swedish culture, and is the focus of the series. Ólafur Ragnar (Pétur Jóhann Sigfússon) is a regular employee and a simple, well-meaning guy. Daníel (Jörundur Ragnarsson) is a former medical student
Medical Student
Medical Student may refer to:*Someone studying at medical school*Medical Student Newspaper, a UK publication...
who starts working at the petrol station at the beginning of the series.
The series follows the various happenings at the petrol station, as the power-hungry Georg orders Ólafur and Daníel to do inane, unusual and sometimes dangerous jobs. For example in one episode, Georg stages an assault on the petrol station with Ólafur as the assailant. This very quickly results in his injury as Georg sprays him in the eyes with antifreeze
Antifreeze
Antifreeze is a freeze preventive used in internal combustion engines and other heat transfer applications, such as HVAC chillers and solar water heaters....
and wrestles him to the ground. Georg uses his catchphrase, "it was just a misunderstanding", to explain the staged assault to the area manager. Georg's "misunderstandings" are not limited to his colleagues, as later on in the series he gets into conflict with customers over use of the toilet in the forecourt shop and the deposit of cans in the recycling bin on the forecourt
Forecourt
In architecture a forecourt is an open area in front of a structure's entrance.In archaeology, forecourt is the name given to the area in front of certain types of chamber tomb...
.
Georg Bjarnfreðarson
Georg Bjarnfreðarson (Jón GnarrJón Gnarr
Jón Gnarr Kristinsson is an Icelandic actor, comedian, politician and the mayor of Reykjavík, since 15 June 2010. He goes by Jón Gnarr, being an Icelander does not have a family name. He was originally named Jón Gunnar Kristinsson but legally changed his middle name in 2005, to the way his mother...
) is the eccentric nightshift manager at the Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
garage on Laugavegur
Laugavegur (Reykjavík)
Laugavegur is the primary commercial artery of downtown Reykjavík, Iceland and one of the oldest shopping streets. The name means "wash road", as it used to lead to the hot springs in Laugardalur where in olden times the women of Reykjavík took their laundry for washing.It has experienced economic...
, the main road through downtown Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. He is a power-hungry Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
inspired by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
ideals, yet still lives at home with his mother (as we find out in Dagvaktin
Dagvaktin
Dagvaktin is a sequel to the Icelandic television series Næturvaktin. It is the second of the three series in the trilogy...
). He claims to have five degrees
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
: psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
and a teaching qualification
Teaching qualification
A teaching qualification or teacher qualification is one of a number of academic and professional degrees that enables a person to become a registered teacher in primary or secondary school...
. A fan of bureaucracy, he enjoys putting his subordinates through ordeals over trivial matters, such as how to spend the staff holiday fund (staging an official vote inline with the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
s). He also is insistent on the use of walkie talkies, addressing his colleagues as "personnel on the forecourt" (another of his catchphrases). He is unable to accept defeat in the face of any situation, no matter how stupid. He has one son, Flemming Geir, an obese 11 year-old whom he neglects and leaves to steal chocolate from the stockroom.
He is the central focus of the trilogy, and the film Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson
Bjarnfreðarson is a 2009 Icelandic comedy film directed by Ragnar Bragason, director of the TV series trilogy consisting of Næturvaktin, Dagvaktin and Fangavaktin, to which it is a sequel. At its première in Iceland, it was met with wide success, even beating Avatar at the box office on its...
focuses on his upbringing and the reasons for his eccentricity.
Ólafur Ragnar Hannesson
Ólafur Ragnar Hannesson (Pétur Jóhann Sigfússon) is the longest-standing employee at the petrol station. He has aspirations of becoming a band manager, and is often trying to organise gigs for his friends' band, Sólin ("The Sun"). The band quickly becomes fed up of his inability to book gigs and complete lack of knowledge of the music industry, and dump him as manager. He becomes the subject of mockery from Georg when he enters the Icelandic X FactorThe X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
in pursuit of his musical ambitions. Well-meaning yet gullible, Ólafur is often on the receiving end of bad situations, becoming involved in advance-fee fraud with a man from Nigeria, and falling foul of a Chinese protein shake
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
which induces lactation
Lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, however it predates mammals. In humans the process of feeding milk is called breastfeeding or nursing...
. He is submissive and often follows Georg's instructions, no matter how unusual, without question.
Daníel Sævarsson
Daníel Sævarsson (Jörundur Ragnarsson) is a medical schoolMedical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
drop-out who begins working at the petrol station at the beginning of the series. He is shy and introverted, and unsure of what he wants to do with his life. He suffers from anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
and depression, and has cut off completely all connections with his family. Unlike Ólafur, he recognises the stupidity in Georg's decisions and often challenges him when things seem unfair. His ex-girlfriend and family appear numerous times in the series, attempting to get him to resume his studies and become a doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
like his father and grandfather. He is bright and is often able to humiliate Georg, for example by identifying a recent stroke victim whom Georg tars as a drunk and assaults. To Georg's annoyance, Daniel is much better at chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
than he is, managing to beat him on several occasions. He is susceptible to mood swing
Mood swing
-Associated disorders:Mood swings are commonly associated with mood disorders including bipolar disorder and depression. In patients with cases of bipolar disorder, the patient experiences serious mood swings that last for days or even weeks...
s and storms out whenever Georg makes him sufficiently angry.
Music
The opening song is Kyrrlátt kvöld ("Tranquil Evening") by Icelandic punk bandPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
Utangarðsmenn. The song Jón pönkari ("John the Punk") by Bubbi Morthens
Bubbi Morthens
Bubbi Morthens , is a singer and songwriter from Iceland. His name of birth is Ásbjörn Kristinsson Morthens, Bubbi being the affectionate form of Ásbjörn.- History :...
(a former member of Utangarðsmenn) closes each episode, and is used consisently throughout each series, unlike Kyrrlátt kvöld, which is only used on the first series.
U.S. remake
American production companyProduction company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions
Reveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002....
are currently in negotiations with the producers of Næturvaktin to remake the show for the U.S. market. Howard Owens, the managing director of Revielle, said:
In January 2010, the screenplay for the American adaptation was completed by screenwriter Adam Barr
Adam Barr
Adam Barr is a television screenwriter and producer best known for his comedy credits, including the hit NBC series Will and Grace.In the early nineties he teamed up with Peter Ocko, with whom he wrote 12 episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose...
. Whether a pilot episode will be made has yet to be decided. Nevertheless, the screenplay includes American adaptations of the characters. Ólafur Ragnar's name has been changed to Tommy, but otherwise his character is the same. The other two main characters have undergone more significant changes, however. The character of Daníel keeps his name and is still a drop-out of medical school
Medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches medicine. Degree programs offered at medical schools often include Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, Bachelor/Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Philosophy, master's degree, or other post-secondary...
, but his introverted personality has undergone a complete inversion and - according to Iceland Review
Iceland Review
Iceland Review is the oldest English-language magazine about Iceland. It publishes reportage on Icelandic society, politics, pop culture, music, art, literature, current events, as well as interviews with notable Icelanders, articles on traveling in Iceland, and photo essays on Iceland...
- he will be "a hunk playing the field". Georg Bjarnfreðarson's character has undergone a complete transformation, into a survivalist.
International broadcasts
Næturvaktin began broadcasting in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
on 9 May, 2011 as part of the channel's Wonders of Iceland series of programmes.