It has been a long time coming but we are so excited that Viaplay, a streaming service owned by Viaplay Group based in Stockholm, has finally launched in the UK as of November 1st 2022!

Up until last year, it was only available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland and Poland. But, as Nordic noir is so popular, the service has now come to the UK with plans to also extend to the Netherlands this month, and Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the United States by 2023!

There is currently a 7-day free trial, then it costs £3.99 per month for the entertainment package.

SO, what is on this new Nordic platform we hear you ask?! Well, a lot! We had a quick browse through and compiled a list here for you of Scandinavian film and TV shows that are currently available to stream on Viaplay UK:

Films

There are some new film releases on here such a I am Zlatan, and others that we have waited for patiently such as Charter and Out Stealing Horses. This is such an exciting collection of films and there are plenty more to go digging through for, here are our highlights for your watchlist:

• I am Zlatan – the brilliant biopic of Zlatan and his early years by director Jens Sjögren
• Margrete Queen of the North – what could be best described as medieval noir by director Charlotte Sieling
• Compartment No 6 – the Finnish Oscar entry by director Juho Kuosmanen
• As in Heaven – Denmark’s entry into next year’s Academy Awards and an extraordinary debut by director Tea Lindeburg
• Games People Play – Another Finnish film that is a comedy drama about being forever young
• Out Stealing Horses – The adaptation of Per Petterson’s novel starring the great Stellan Skarsgård.
• Orca – Josephine Bornebusch’s lockdown film featuring a host of recognisable faces communicating via their screens.
• The Innocents – Eskil Vogt’s Norwegian horror was has been a huge hit this year
• A Perfectly Normal Family – Mikkel Boe Følsgaard stars as a transgender father and the challenges this brings with his daughter.
• Charter – this family drama is director Amanda Kernell’s second feature after Sami Blood.

That list alone is something to get excited about! We don’t even know where to start, and here are some other movies you can discover:

• Call Girl – Josephin Asplund is part of this star studded film about ruthless power.
• Pusher Trilogy – Nicolas Winding Refn’s famous trilogy with lots of famous faces very early in their career.
• A War – Tobias Lindholm’s 2015 and third outing with Pilou Asbæk.
• In Order of Disappearance – Probably our favourite Stellan Skarsgård out there and the best revenge movie too!
• Sami Blood – Amanda Kernell’s debut feature which is essential viewing in learning about the Sami education system.
• Force Majeure – A dark comedy from Swedish director Ruben Ostlund.
• The Square – Ruben Ostlund’s follow up feature which won him his first Palme D’Or.

TV Shows

With the TV Shows it is going to be hard to know where to begin really – there is lots to see; some are new, some are old but never got a release in the UK. We had a quick look through and picked out some of the series’ we are putting on our own watchlist right away:

• Love Me | Season 1 – Josephine Bornebusch stars and directs in this award winning series focusing on three generations of Stockholmers.
• Two Sisters | Season 1 – The series follows the lives and two sisters whose worlds change when one of them moves out leaving the other to fend for herself.
• Ida Takes Charge | Season 1 – A psychology student who has a fear of everything begins to suspect a class mate of being a terrorist.
• Harmonica | Season 1 – Created by and starring Josephine Bornebusch and Jonas Karlsson – this series focuses on a musical couple who tour one more time with heir band to save their marriage, or end it.
• Fenris – Norwegian crime drama starring Home For Christmas‘ Ida Elise Broch
• Delete Me | Season 1 – A thriller that focuses on two friends and tells their story in reverse chronology as a secret goes viral affecting both their lives forever.
• Thicker Than Water | Season 1-3 – Many have wanted to watch the final season of this series and will be delighted to find they finally can.
• The Hunters | Season 1 – The TV series version of the famous Swedish film Jagarna starring Rolf Lassgård.
• Thin Blue Line – Season 1 – The award-winning police drama starring Gizem Erdogan and Oscar Töringe.

We are so excited to get watching all this great content on Viaplay UK. We’ll be bringing you regular news, recommendations and updates about Viaplay from now on. Until then, go and try the free 7-day trial and let us know what you find and what you are most excited about in the comments below.

Feature by Alex Minnis