Visiting TV4 Förkväll

The wind has finally settled down in Stockholm and the stars are shining in the sky. We're back to the prison/hostel after another eventful day.

Today, we were able to visit the set of a tv show:



We were informed that we could be at the taping of TV4's show Förkväll today. A message came that we were to meet Jenny and the gang over at the TV4 building. We got there about thirty minutes late due to a traffic jam on the E20.

We got into the building and found out from the women in the reception that the taping of the show was actually in another building near the central station.

Oh, and by the way, the show starts in 15 minutes. Uh-oh.


The wrong TV4 building.

Back to the car we went. We programmed the GPS unit and it got us there part of the way, but we went into a tunnel and it died. We navigated our way to a parking garage and made our way to the central station.

Problem.

We didn't know where the Royal Viking hotel was exactly, since the women at the TV4 building only told us the name of the building but nothing more. As we were hurrying down the street, I asked a gentleman if he knew where it was located. He did and he was headed in that direction. He offered to walk with us there and we followed him.

When we arrived, it was about 5:25 pm and the program had been running for almost thirty minutes. The guy at the desk helped us out by calling up to the tv control room and they sent down a woman named Mollie to take us up to the recording studio.

Mollie gave us a spirited hello and led the way to the elevator. We chatted on the way up, as she was interested in hearing where we were from and how we ended up coming to the studio that night. She was very nice and quite energetic, running around the studio making sure things were the way they should be.


Mollie, our intrepid guide.


Studio - this way!

We were led through the corridors of the studio and Mollie let us know we should feel right at home. She offered us a place to put our bags and told us there was food around the corner if we felt like having a little bite to eat.


Mmm, food!


Notice there was a bowl of candy included with the food. It's everywhere! YES!!

As we rounded the corner, we saw Jenny sitting in the hallway waiting for the proper time to be interviewed. Jessi and Anja sat down to chat while I explored the studio setup with Mollie's help.


Jessi and Anja chatting with Jenny.


Make-up room.


Sound room.


The room where the studio workers sit and watch the live broadcast.

Afterwards, I rejoined Jessi and Anja and Jenny. A few minutes later, Mollie also sat down to chat with us for a few minutes. We had a nice conversation about our favorite books and music while we were waiting for Jenny to record her part of the program.


The curtain that leads to the studio.

Jenny was called into the studio and we waited in the hall. I munched on a sandwich and the three of us waited to watch the interview on a tv situated in another area of the studio.


A close-up of Jenny's book and CD during the interview.

The interview took place and I watched a little bit on the screen. People who worked on the show were walking in and out of the area and it was a little difficult to hear the interview, so I wandered off into other areas of the studio, such as the control room and sound room.


Studio crew watching the interview.


Mollie and another woman from the crew watching Jenny on screen.


Anja and Jessi posing for the camera.


The control room during the broadcast.


Control room screens.

I'm not sure how long the interview actually took, but immediately after everything was over, the studio crew started breaking down the set. The set isn't actually permanent. It's built on the set of a functioning bar, so they have to break it down so the bar can serve customers later on in the evening.

It was incredible to see just how fast the set was broken down and pulled apart. The show ended with the guests sharing the meal that was cooked on set. All the guests shared the meal and chatted, while the studio crew took down the set. They worked amazingly fast. Jessi, Anja, and I had to move quickly to get pictures of the set before it disappeared out from under us.


The guests mingling with the hosts and sampling the cooking.


Studio camera on set.


One of the studio cameras with list attached.


A close-up of the list that was attached to the camera.


The interview couch.


Breaking down the set.


The carpet is gone in a flash.


The lights need to be taken down too.


Time to turn off the sound board.


And stack the chairs.

I was mesmerized by the skills of the crew, both during the show and after the show was over. Everyone was very professional and very kind to us. People were running here and there and in every direction down the hallways and through the rooms, but they took time to let us know what was going on and where things were. They made sure we felt comfortable every step of the way, even though they had a program to film. Thank you for that!


Anja getting photos.


Jessi taking film.


A happy Sara on the set.

Afterwards, we were able to sit down with Jenny for a little while and talk about the album. Jenny asked us what we thought and we let her know about the songs we liked best and the songs we weren't so fond of. We discussed a little bit about the album artwork and the recording dates for the songs. We asked questions about this and that and Jenny kindly answered.


Jessi and Anja speaking with Jenny after the interview was over.

Jenny was waiting on her ride for the trip back to Gothenburg, so we spent a little time walking around the streets and chatting about general things. Again, we talked about our lives and told little anecdotes about ourselves, while Jenny contributed her own stories to the mix.

We were able to say hello to Simon, Terese and Staffan before they piled into the car for the trip back. We said our goodbyes once again and wished each other safe travels back to Gothenburg.