Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1980s Television
    1980s Television Drama Europe TV Shows A UK TV 3 Mins Read

    Annika

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 8 4 (UK/Sweden)
    3 x 55 minute episodes

    18-year-old Londoner Pete Daniels (Jesse Birdsall) is an easy-going, unpretentious and down to earth lad who has a summer job on the Isle of Wight as a deckchair attendant-cum-barman with his mate, Alan (Vas Blackwood), where the two lads chase girls for a “bit of a leg over”.

    Everything changes when he meets 15-year-old Swedish foreign language student, Annika (Christina Rignér), who arrives on the scene with her best friend Pia (Ann-Charlotte Stålhammar) and a couple of boys, Per (Birger Österberg) and Torbjörn (Anders Bongenhielm).

    The two are immediately attracted to each other. He asks her out, and soon they have fallen in love. What follows is a 1980s Anglo-Swedish love story set against a backdrop of drinking, parties, fighting, youth unemployment and trying to make something of your life.

    The three weeks they spend together are idyllic. It’s obvious from the start that Pete and Annika are a perfect match but they are away from their parents and other pressures – and what will happen when she has to go home?

    When Annika and her friends leave, Pete decides to follow her back to Stockholm to continue their relationship – despite discouragement from Alan: “What do you want to go over to stupid Sweden for? To see a woman you don’t even know anything about. She’s not even a woman, she’s a girl. You’re stupid!”

    Pete is naive about what to expect in Sweden. He hasn’t reckoned with the language issues and doesn’t realise how much trouble he will have finding a job. With very little money he becomes dependent on Annika, which puts a strain on their relationship.

    The problems are further exacerbated by cultural differences and the fact that Pete is from a working-class background and she is from the liberal middle class, and he is clearly not as well educated as she is.

    Although Pete eventually returns to England, he leaves Annika a letter explaining that his return is only temporary, to ‘sort himself out’, and that he aims to ‘keep her in the future’ – suggesting that he’ll be back for her, better and stronger than before.

    The British tabloid media (the self-appointed guardians of the nation’s morality) worked themselves into a frenzy about scenes of under-age sex and nudity.

    But for all the media hype at the time – and the comparisons of the differing British and Scandinavian attitudes to teenage sex – Annika was ultimately a tale of two teenagers falling in love and trying to make it work against all the odds but with an all-too-predictable outcome.

    The music for the miniseries was composed by Roman Jugg of The Damned.

    Annika Sellberg
    Christina Rignér
    Pete Daniels
    Jesse Birdsall
    Pia
    Ann-Charlotte Stålhammar
    Per
    Birger Österberg
    Torbjörn
    Anders Bongenhielm
    Alan
    Vas Blackwood
    Bill
    Mark Drewry
    Mr Sellberg
    Christer Boustedt
    Mr Daniels
    Don Henderson
    Mrs Sellberg
    Lena Strömdahl
    Kjell
    Kjell Bergqvist
    Kjell’s Friend
    Gösta Engström
    Charlie
    Leslie Schofield

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Roomies
      Roomies
      1 9 8 7 (USA) 8 x 30 minute episodes This short-lived NBC summer sitcom revolved around burly but warm-hearted 42-year-old…
    • Lazer Tag Academy
      Lazer Tag Academy
      1 9 8 6 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes While escaping from the police, Draxon Drear (voiced by Booker Bradshaw), an…
    • Johnny Jarvis
      Johnny Jarvis
      1 9 8 3 (UK) 6 x 50/55 minute episodes An uneasy Hackney-based hybrid between West Side Story and Tucker's Luck, this six-part…
    • Henry's Leg
      Henry's Leg
      1 9 8 6 (UK) 6 x 25 minute episodes 11-year-old ginger-headed Henry Hooper (Courtney Roper-Knight) loves collecting old junk. It's…
    • Two Marriages
      Two Marriages
      1 9 8 3 - 1 9 8 4 (USA) 10 x 60 minute episodes Two Marriages focused on two middle-class…
    • Facts Of Life, The
      Facts Of Life, The
      1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 8 (USA) 209 x 30 minute episodes This spin-off from the popular NBC…
    • James at 15/James at 16
      James at 15/James at 16
      1 9 7 7 - 1 9 7 8 (USA) 21 x 60 minute episodes One of television's more serious attempts…
    • Manimal
      Manimal
      1 9 8 3 (USA) 1 x 70 minute episode 7 x 60 minute episodes Dr Jonathan Chase was a gentle,…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleCrooks, The
    Next Article O Band, The (A Band Called O)

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small. 

    Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your trip in the time machine!

    You may also like

    • Shirley
      Shirley
      1 9 7 9 - 1 9 8 0 (USA) 13 x 60 minute episodes Deciding to make good on a…
    • Who Pays the Ferryman?
      Who Pays the Ferryman?
      1 9 7 7 (UK) 8 x 50 minute episodes British boatbuilder Alan Haldane (Jack Hedley) returns to the island of…
    • All's Fair
      All's Fair
      1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 (USA) 23 x 30 minute episodes This CBS sitcom, set in Washington…
    • Lazer Tag Academy
      Lazer Tag Academy
      1 9 8 6 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes While escaping from the police, Draxon Drear (voiced by Booker Bradshaw), an…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.