Danish pubcaster DR cites as major reason for Rank’ s resignation, internal ‘turbulence’ and a ‘deadlock’ situation due to the postponement of the historical drama Leonora.

Marianne Bennetzen, DR Drama's Deputy Director, has been named interim Head of Drama until a replacement is found.

In a press statement clearly mentioning internal hurdles at the venerable Danish public broadcasting company, DR announced this morning they were ending their collaboration with Christian Rank, who has been heading their Drama department since 2018.

Underlining first Rank’s ”large imprint on contemporary Danish TV drama”, with recent successful shows such as Cry Wolf, the Christmas calendar A Secret Gift and upcoming event series Carmen Curlers, Borgen 4 (commissioned with Netflix) and The Kingdom Exodus (commissioned by Viaplay in co-production with DR), DR then said: “The postponement of the shooting of the series about ‘Leonora Christina’ and the turbulence it has caused has created a deadlock. It is now clear that it is not possible to create the necessary calm, which is absolutely crucial also for DR Drama's productions in general and in relation to the creative environments.”

The statement also cited the fact that DR Drama “is in an overheated market, where a large number of new streaming services are increasing competitive pressure.“

“To ensure that DR can continue to have a strong and relevant position in a drastically changed market, there is a need for both peace of mind, a secure position and a renewed strategy. It is therefore DR's overall assessment that a new start is needed for the department,” said DR.

Henrik Bo Nielsen, director of DR Culture, Children and Young People thanked Rank for his “huge job in creating great Danish drama in a rapidly evolving fiction market”, and said that the outgoing Head of Drama shared his assessment on the need for “a new start” at the Drama department.

First announced last fall to the press, “Leonora” about King Christian IV of Denmark’s favourite daughter Leonora Christina, was meant to be one of DR Drama’s next event series, originally lined up for 2023 (see our story: CLICK HERE) then for 2024. However on August 25, 2021 just a few months before shooting, Rank made it official that the series had to be put on hold, both due to difficulties with the financing and in finding “the necessary experienced manpower.”

In today’s statement, Rank acknowledged again his regret over the planned production of Leonora. “The Leonora production has been an important project for me, and I am sorry that it has been necessary to postpone the production,” he said. “It has been a challenging process, the situation is now blocked, and therefore I understand DR’s wish to create calm around DR Drama so that DR can continue to deliver Danish TV Drama in a class of its own,” he added.

Before joining DR Drama in 2018, Rank had been associated to several hit TV shows, such as Varg Veum, Those Who Kill, The Legacy S1, Norskov and Rita. He took over DR Drama from Piv Bernth who together with her predecessor Ingolf Gabold, had contributed to firmly establishing the DR Drama’s outstanding brand on the international market, with cult series such as Borgen, The Killing, Ride Upon the Storm among others.

Under Rank’s leadership, DR Drama has continued to bet on its successful formula of double story model, with original, daring stories relevant both for a local and international audience. His vision for the Danish public broadcaster was to bet both on big prime time TV shows such as Deliver Us, Cry Wolf, When the Dust Settles, and smaller budget series such as Doggystyle, targeting the digital audience. (See separate story here.)

According to DR, the Drama department has 14 productions underway.

Among the event shows is Adam Price’s new Borgen on which DR has secured the first window, with Netflix going global afterwards in 2022. The other major collaboration with a streamer - Lars von Trier’s final season of The Kingdom-Exodus, will reversely first launch on Nent Group’s Viaplay in 2022, followed shortly by a premiere on DR.

Also confirmed is the period drama Carmen Curlers, inspired by the true story of the famous Carmen heated hair rollers created by Danish entrepreneur Arne Bybjerg who turned his invention into a global sensation, relying on a workforce of more than 3,500 women. Details will soon be announced.