Since the launch of Walter Presents last January, Nordic TV dramas that premiered for free on Channel 4 and/or its digital hub All 4 include Blue Eyes, Heartless, Thicker than Water and Dicte. 

How did you get the idea to launch Walter Presents?  Did you feel time was ripe to tap into the growing UK fan base that has been watching Nordic noir on BBC for the last five years? 

Walter Iuzzolino: I come from a country [Italy] where they dub everything so I was exposed to a lot of international TV drama all the time and grew up with different flavours and texture. 

When I arrived in the UK, I was surprised that TV drama was so Anglo-American and immediately had the idea to set up a platform dedicated to international drama. When the BBC started playing successfully the French TV drama Engrenages (Spiral), the Danish shows The Killing/Forbrydelsen and Borgen, I felt the time was ripe to do it. Those benchmark shows suddenly opened up the mainstream market for foreign language drama that used to be associated to something elitist. 

How did you get Channel 4 on board?
WI: I set up the company Global Series Network (GSN) with my colleagues Jason Thorp and Jo McGrath specifically to prepare content for the VOD service. When we had enough hours, we went to various broadcasting groups, and Channel 4 took us on. 

You’ve been described in the press as ‘The Netflix of international drama’. Do you feel this tagline is appropriate?
WI: It’s not really correct. Netflix is a giant supermarket, looking for the broadest possible audience across the broadest possible spectrum of genres. We’re like a delicatessen, with a carefully curated selection of dramas. We’re closer to Showtime, or HBO that have excellent premium programmes and distilled excellent storytelling over the last decade or more.

What is the profile of the typical Walter Presents viewer?
WI: Our curated programme goes way beyond the tradition of Nordic Noir that has been established by the BBC. I would say that 30% of our audience is 16-34, the rest 35+. The sexy Danish vampire series Heartless for example was a huge hit amongst 16-24, whereas the political dramas Spin/Les hommes de l’ombre from France and Blue Eyes from Sweden caught the 35+ audience.  A surprise was that our very first presentation, Deutschland 83 that became a huge hit for Channel 4, attracted a very young audience, and yet it was a sophisticated and elegant piece of television. 

How are the shows split between the dedicated weekday slots on the linear channels Channel 4-More 4, and on the group’s digital service  All 4/Walter Presents to maximise viewing potential?
WI: That’s a good question. Basically we have a complete collaborative relationship with Channel 4. Under the Walter Presents umbrella on All 4, we have total editorial control. We choose the titles, schedule them and put them out the way we like. We tend to have one new release every month.

Then we constantly put forward ideas and titles that we feel could be interesting for Channel 4 and More 4. But they decide what they want. 

For example Deutschland 83 had a complete run over 8 weeks on Channel 4. It was an incredible success [2.5m consolidated viewers for the highest occurring episode]. Then we did a number of runs on More 4 of dramas from France, Sweden [Blue Eyes], Belgium for the slightly older sophisticated audience. 

Since last summer, Channel 4 had the idea to launch more international long running shows and to drive viewing across its platforms. They decided to premiere one episode on linear TV to get the press and word of mouth going, and the same night, we release the entire box set on Walter Presents. 

Basically we drive the interest on the first episode, then people can binge the rest online. This is appropriate especially with crime and thrillers, as by waiting, you risk loosing viewers’ interest. We did this with a Spanish prison drama Locked up and millions of people viewed it online. 

Do you have a team of TV drama hunters who do the pre-selection for you?
WI: I do the majority of viewing and selection myself. When we started three years ago, I watched hundreds of hours of dramas. I used to watch 8-10 hours a day, which means more than one series a day. Now, I have less time but I still watch 3-4 episodes during the day and a couple in the evening. 

What are your selection criteria?
WI: The criteria that we apply are simple. For a show to be selected we need at least 2 out of 3 criteria. 

  • We want shows that are very successful in the country of origin. The oldest shows that we consider from the archive catalogues are from 2013-2014. Anything before is too dated. 
  • We put emphasis on quality writing, directing and acting. 
  • We want shows that have garnered critical acclaim, nationally or internationally. 

We also look for original storytelling, things that are challenging, different from the usual dysfunctional detective, the missing girl. We want to surprise our viewers. 

Do you pre-buy at an earlier stage?
WI: We started with ready-made dramas, but in the past nine months, we’ve started to be more involved at an early stage. So I read scripts and look for producers, cast, directors, show-runners that I know and trust. But the criteria remain the same-impeccable writing, strong cast, and an artistic vision of high calibre. 

Ultimately quality is the only thing that matters.

What is the share of Scandi TV drama on Walter Presents and what are your favourite picks?
WI: I would say 25-30% of our programmes are from Scandinavia.

Among my favourites is Blue Eyes. It is edgy, about political issues that resonate nowadays, from racism to terrorism, made in an uncompromising way. It got great reviews in the UK and good ratings on More 4. Another personal favourite is tHeartless. Normally I hate fantasy/sci-fi but here, it’s elegant, poetic, very cleverly done and an interesting portrayal of a family, a sort of vampire version of The Legacy. It was a huge success for us, pushed only by word of mouth. 

What’s coming up in terms of Scandi drama? 
WI: We have acquired a few new shows from Scandinavia, and two-three are ground breaking and amazing. They should be very strong, we but we can’t announce them yet. 

What is your mid-term plan for Walter presents?
W.I: Our focus has always been to get into the UK, where it’s wonderful to create a cultural prototype, but our next step for our company Global Series Network and Channel 4 is to take the 'Walter Presents' brand in a number of other TV markets. 

For more information on Walter Present go to: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/walter-presents