‘In The Team we concentrate on the victims of human trafficking’

The Team premiered last Sunday on DR1 under the title Mord uden grænser.  The first of eight episode had 1.5 million viewers and a 55% share. The hot writing pair (Unit One, The Eagle, The Protectors) is already working on a second season and reveal in this interview that a US project is in the works.

First of all, how do you collaborate with Peter? Do you write before production starts or continue during shooting to find inspirations from the actors, the mood on the set etc?
Mai Brostrøm: We do the research, develop the dramatic plot and characters together. Then we write separately, meet up again, read each other’s drafts, share the scenes and do the polish together. With DR we used to write while shooting, getting inspiration from the ambiance on the set. With The Team and the upcoming Swedish series Modus (see other story) we had to finish all eight episodes before filming. It’s very satisfying to create a full story in one go. 
Peter Thorsboe: The Team is one crime story running across eight episodes. For Season 2, we will most probably take inspiration from the actors. 

The team is your first European crime series, with a European police team investigating murders. How did you come up with this new twist in the Nordic noir genre?
Peter: We’ve had this dream of making a truly European crime series for many years.
Mai: Unit One was set in different places in Denmark, then we opened up our story world to Scandinavia in The Eagle, and we travelled in different places for The Protectors. It’s been a progressive and natural development for us. In The Team, it’s not only the characters that travel but the entire production team so it’s been a new step ahead in the making of the series. It’s interesting to see yourself, as a Dane in Europe.

In the pure DR tradition, there is a double dimension narration, the general crime story twinned with social and ethical issues. Here the main themes are organised crime, human trafficking and modern slavery. How much research did you do? Did Europol advise you? 
Peter: We met Europol 3-4 times and spoke several hours with them, then went home and wrote our fiction based on the material collected. 
Mai: We spent almost a year doing research before starting to write. We read a lot of books, articles and spoke to many police officers in Europe who were generous with their time. The other part of our research was focused on organised crime. We investigated cases, went out completely open, not knowing precisely what we were looking for. We let our environment and the different cities inspired us. 

Europol was very willing to help. Two guys that we had met during The Eagle, had moved to Europol and were very helpful, putting us in touch with people working with human trafficking.

You must have discovered horrific human stories….
Mai: Human trafficking is often presented in the media as pure factual information, with numbers, details on cases and circumstances. The human aspect is rarely discussed. We wanted to concentrate on the victims, make people identify with them and feel for them. In The Team hookers are not only hookers. They are women, with hopes and dreams, often victims of circumstances. 

What we learnt is that it’s mostly vulnerable people who are victims of human trafficking, and vulnerable people are everywhere. 

Another aspect of The Team is the use of language, with talents speaking their native language and using English as lingua franca. Was this your idea?
Peter: Already in The Eagle we played with languages, with people in Sweden, Norway, Denmark speaking their own language and understanding each other perfectly well, like in real life. It gave the series a realistic touch and we wanted to use the same formula on a European scale.
Mai: The difficult part was perhaps hearing the dialogue translated in a different language. The spoken word in a different language is a challenge and in the future I’d like to tackle this issue, how to work better with the translated dialogues.

What were the most exciting parts of working on a European scale, across three cities, with three different film talents and crews? How was your collaboration with the director Katrine Windfeld who sadly passed away recently?
Peter: We visited the sets only once in a while and it was Kathrine’s job to pull the whole production together. She would have been the most suited to answer your question.
Mai: Being a woman and standing in front of such a big crew of hundreds of people, imposing your voice is not easy, but she did it all. Actors across Europe have different ways of approaching their job, but she made them work in the same style.

Your new project is Modus, adapted from one of Anne Holt best-selling novels. This will be your first Swedish TV drama and your first literary adaptation…How do you feel about taking on those new challenges?
Mai: We don’t have a tradition for literary adaptations in Denmark, unlike Sweden. Miso Film persuaded us to keep the main story from the book and create a new storyline. We’ve just finished the eight scripts and the production team has been shooting three weeks now. We’re very happy with the rushes. 

You were successful much longer before the Nordic Noir wave started in 2008. Now that TV auteurs are put on a pedestal, how different is your relationship with commissioners and producers compared to when you started?
Mai: Our daily work hasn’t changed and we have the same discussions with commissioners and producers; we still have to argue and persuade people of our visions. What is different is that we get much more offers. It’s tough to choose, but we’re very grateful. 

Have you had offers to work in the English language?
Mai: We’ve been asked to do an American TV series.

…by Netflix?
Mai: No, and we can’t say more right now. 

Do you do a lot of binge-watching? What are your favourite shows?
Mai –with Peter approving: I love Fargo, Top of the Lake, The Affair, Transparent. Usually I don’t watch much comedy, but this one is amazing. 

Do you watch other Nordic TV dramas and exchange ideas with your Nordic writing counterparts?
Mai: We try to watch Nordic TV dramas as much as possible. We don’t have much exchanges or meetings with other Nordic creators/show-runners, but we’d love to do that. We’d like to do more Nordic creations and put our efforts together with Nordic colleagues. It’s inspiring and we all benefit from working together.