Another scandal shook the BBC today, when it was claimed that the latest mustn't-miss foreign language drama on BBC4, Østenders, was in fact not Swedish.
Media sociologist, Gilbert Hitherington Smythe, explained:
"We've all become hooked on Østenders, set in the gritty district of WalfØrd, eastern Stockholm, centred on Kvadrat Albert -and looking at the day-to-day lives of Swedish people"However, as an expert in media and scandinavian culture, I've seen enough to convince me that it has in fact been filmed somewhere in Britain. First, the vehicles all drive on the left. Second, if you look at the road signs, they are written in english, such as the sign "Albert Square". Finally some street shots show red double decker buses -yet these do not run in Stockholm.
I have concluded that the series may actually be a British documentary that has been dubbed into Swedish."
When challenged to identify the original program, Gilbert was at a loss. "I've studied the historical program archives of both BBC2 and BBC4, and not been able to find the original broadcast. I remain convinced that someone in the drawing rooms of britain may recognise the original -and I ask them to get in touch if they do".
A spokesman for the BBC said, "Østenders has rapidly become the most watched BBC4 program, a central talking point for our educated audiences. We take these allegations very seriously, and will be taking it off the air until our investigation is compete.
In the mean time, we encourage viewers to continue watching our other popular subtitled european dramas: Emmertale, the German drama set in sub-alpine farmland, and "Rue de la Coronation", looking at the lives of working class people in the edgy industrial town of Champs d'oeather.