Let’s do come armchair exploring of far-off parts of Scandinavia with People of the North, a new travel series headed to public TV stations across the US next month.
Produced by Tellus Works Television AS, the production company behind the popular cooking series New Scandinavian Cooking, People of the North is a brand new travel series that takes viewers to spectacular places across the northern points of Scandinavia.
Presenting People of the North are Norwegian television personality Arne Hjeltnes, Swedish chef Frida Ronge, and Norwegian Stig Bareksten, an award-winning distiller.
During the show’s ten half-hour episodes, the three hosts venture to faraway places in northern Norway and the Faroe Islands, and showcase the Nordic way of life in these remote regions — all while experiencing the food, culture, land, traditions, and people of these isolated yet fascinating parts of the world.
Here’s what you can look forward to when you tune in:
Episode 1 — Arne, Frida, and Stig travel to Alta in Finnmark, the northernmost county of Norway. Here the town’s indigenous people teach the trio how to fish and serve them a classic reindeer stew at a mountain lodge. Later, the three hosts join renowned Sami chef, Johnny Trasti and his wife at their hotel and restaurant, situated near the legendary Alta Salmon River.
Episode 2 — The hosts head to Kjøllefjord, the northernmost fishing village on mainland Norway. Frida joins a local fishing crew to catch fresh cod in the Barents Sea, Arne meets with a local storyteller to learn about the village’s fishing culture, and Stig dives for enormous king crabs.
Episode 3 — Arne, Frida, and Stig travel like Vikings to an old Norse settlement in the Færøerne Islands and savor the island’s culinary hotspots. They also meet with local artists and singers in Klaksvik, then head to Tórshavn, where Frida and Stig prepare a famous regional dish and an ocean-themed beverage.
(As an aside, Tórshavn is the setting of the Danish-Faroese mystery-crime drama series Trom, which is the first TV series to be filmed on the Faroe Islands.)
Episode 4 — The trio explores Lofoten, an archipelago in the North Atlantic that is famous for its cod, and the Holmen Culinary Resort, where Frida, Stig, and Chef Valentine Warner create dishes and cocktails that are inspired by the flavors of the sea.
Episode 5 — Arne, Frida, and Stig experience the outstanding food and hospitality on Norway’s west coast, where Frida meets up with a local chef in Ålesund, who prepares a beautiful fish dish in the middle of town. Meanwhile, Arne and Stig are served a tasting menu, complete with the region’s traditional delicacies.
Episode 6 — The threesome make their way to Sørøya to indulge in the various flavors the island has to offer. As Arne and Stig venture out at sea to catch halibut, the holiest fish of them all, Frida samples local ingredients and prepares a delicious meal for the team.
Episode 7 — Western Norway is popular amongst tourists for its fjords and majestic mountainous scenery. Storfjord, which translates to “the big fjord,” connects most of the small communities visited in this episode. After a trip through the mountains, Arne, Stig and Frida prepare a dish with the famous fjord trout.
Episode 8 — Arne, Frida, and Stig go island hopping along the Helgeland coast for some fine dining, sampling traditional and gourmet meals that highlight coastal ingredients and farmed salmon. Later they meet up with the locals living on the outskirts of Scandinavia. Since no commercial flights land on these islands, travelers arrive by either boat or seaplane.
Episode 9 — The team visits the beautiful mountains of Lofoten for a ski trip and a spectacular view of the Arctic islands. To prepare for dinner, Arne and Frida gather their main ingredient: arctic kelp!
Episode 10 — Arne and Stig take a train ride to Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, for a bit of ziplining, bike riding, and treats in the village of Flåm. After a trip to a nearby Viking village, they join Sigrid for a glacier hike and a lunch cooked over an open fire.
People of the North premieres in the US on the public TV stations and networks listed below starting on or after April 1, 2023. Check your local listings or contact the station that serves your area for air dates and times. If your station isn’t listed, contact them or American Public Television to request the program.
- Alabama: Alabama Public Television
- Alaska: KAKM (Alaska Public Media), KTOO, KUAC
- Arizona: KAET, KUAT (PBS 6)
- Arkansas: Arkansas PBS
- California: KCET, KEET, KOCE, KPBS, KPJK, KQED, KQEH, KRCB, KVCR, KVPT
- Colorado: KBDI (PBS12), KRMA (Rocky Mountain PBS)
- Delaware: WHYY
- District of Columbia/Washington, DC: WETA, WHUT
- Florida: WEDU, WFSU, WGCU, WJCT, WLRN, WPBT, WSRE, WUCF, WUFT, WXEL
- Georgia: WPBA (Public Broadcasting Atlanta)
- Idaho: Idaho Public Television
- Illinois: WEIU, WILL, WQPT, WSIU, WTVP, WTTW
- Indiana: WFWA, WFYI, WIPB (Ball State PBS), WNIN, WNIT, WYIN
- Iowa: Iowa PBS
- Kansas: KCPT (Kansas City PBS), KPTS, KTWU
- Kentucky: WKYU (WKU PBS)
- Louisiana: Louisiana Public Broadcasting, WYES
- Maine: Maine Public Television
- Maryland: Maryland Public Television
- Massachusetts: WGBH, WGBY
- Michigan: WCMU, WGVU, WKAR, WNMU, WTVS
- Minnesota: KAWE (Lakeland PBS), KSMQ, KTCA (Twin Cities PBS), KWCM (Pioneer PBS), WDSE (PBS North)
- Mississippi: Mississippi Public Broadcasting
- Missouri: KETC (Nine PBS), KMOS, KOZK (OPT/Ozarks Public Television)
- Montana: Montana PBS
- Nebraska: Nebraska Public Media
- Nevada: KLVX, KNPB
- New Hampshire: NHPBS
- New Jersey: NJ PBS
- New Mexico: KENW, KNME, KRWG
- New York: WCFE, WLIW, WMHT, WNED (WNED PBS/Buffalo Toronto Public Media), WSKG
- North Carolina: PBS North Carolina, WTVI
- North Dakota: Prairie Public
- Ohio: WCET, WNEO, WOUB, WPTD, WPTO, WVIZ
- Oklahoma: OETA
- Oregon: Oregon Public Broadcasting, KSYS
- Pennsylvania: WLVT, WPSU, WQED
- Rhode Island: WSBE (Rhode Island PBS)
- South Carolina: South Carolina ETV
- South Dakota: South Dakota Public Broadcasting
- Tennessee: WCTE, WETP (East TN PBS), WNPT (Nashville Public Television), WTCI
- Texas: KAMU, KEDT, KLRN, KLRU (Austin PBS), KPBT, KUHT
- Vermont: Vermont Public
- Virginia: WBRA, WCVE, WHRO, WVPT
- Washington: KCTS, KSPS
- Wisconsin: PBS Wisconsin, WMVS
- Wyoming: WyomingPBS
People of the North will also be available for streaming in the US with Passport on pbs.org and the PBS App beginning April 1.
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