The Bridge: Audience

Question 1

What type of audience does ‘The Bridge’ attract?

Answer 1

• The programme attracts the more niche, less mainstream BBC Four audience who are targeted through their expectations based on the brand identity of the channel.

Question 2

What did BBC Four establish by broadcasting Noirdic Noir?

Answer 2

• In broadcasting Nordic Noir, BBC Four established that sub-titled stories could reach a British audience.

Question 3

What is BBC Four’s role?

Answer 3

• BBC Four’s primary role is to reflect a range of UK and international arts, music and culture.
• It should provide an ambitious range of innovative, high quality programming that is intellectually and culturally enriching’

Answer 4

The programme may attract an inherited
audience who will be familiar with other Nordic
Noir dramas broadcast on this channel, for
example The Killing and Wallander.

Answer 5

• The Bridge also offers a range of pleasures for the fans of crime drama (Uses and Gratifications theory), the programme has typical codes and conventions of crime dramas but an element of escapism and diversion through the different characters, setting and culture.
• Audiences will gain pleasure from following the investigators as they attempt to solve the crime.

Answer 6

• Loyal audiences will have become familiar with the character of Saga, this is the start of Series 3 and they will have expectations of how her character will behave and may develop based on the other series.

Question 7

Relevant Theory: Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory

Answer 7

• Feminist audiences are likely to feel empowered by the inclusion of strong, powerful women in the storyline, by the representation of a lesbian relationship and the narrative addressing gender issues.
• Some audiences may assume a negotiated
  position, they may enjoy the typical codes and
  conventions of a crime drama, the enigmas, and the involvement with the investigative narrative, but feel more uncomfortable with the specific focus of the narrative.
• Swedish and Danish audiences may engage with the drama but feel that the cultural depictions are stereotypical.
• An oppositional audience reading may struggle to find Saga a sympathetic character. Audiences may view her behaviour traits with concern or find it difficult to connect to her emotionally as her responses are so different to expectations and she lacks humour. A more conservative audience may respond negatively to the Swedish liberal attitudes to sex, gender, and political correctness.