Image: Ch4 Press
By Jon Donnis
There is something instantly calming about a good Christmas travel special, and Nordic Train at Christmas leans into that charm with real confidence. Hugh Bonneville guides the trip with a warm voice that fits the snowy setting, taking viewers along the Bergen Line as it cuts through some of the most striking winter scenery in Europe. The journey begins in Bergen, a city tucked between mountains and ancient fjords, and the programme takes time to let the place breathe. You see staff going about their day, passengers settling in as the light bounces off the snow, and locals getting on with life in a landscape that feels almost unreal.
As the train climbs towards Finse, the surroundings shift into something even more dramatic. Finse sits high in the hills and is home to one of the highest altitude hotels on the continent, which gives the episode a lovely sense of height and isolation. From there the trip presses on towards Oslo, where the season has the capital glowing with festive energy. The whole thing has a gentle rhythm, which echoes the success of last year's Alpine Train at Christmas. That earlier special drew a combined audience of 3.03 million, so there is a clear appetite for this kind of slow and scenic television.
The production comes from King of Sunshine Productions in partnership with Motion Entertainment. It runs for a full hour and is shaped by executive producers Sohail Shah and Deep Sehgal, with Gareth Fielding overseeing the series. Channel 4 commissioned the project through Jasper Hone and Jo Street, who both spoke of their enthusiasm for revisiting this format. Hone described how pleased they were to team up with King of Sunshine again after last year's success, and highlighted the beauty of the route between Norway's two biggest cities. It is easy to see why. The landscapes are captivating, the towns along the line have real character, and the whole programme feels like a gentle invitation to settle in and enjoy the season.
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