Viaplay announces ‘R.I.P. Henry’ as latest Norwegian Original

• Compelling performance from Mads Ousdal (‘Wisting’) at the centre of eight-part Norwegian drama series, directed by Arild Fröhlich (‘Helt Perfekt’)
• ‘R.I.P. Henry’ produced by Viaplay Group and ITV Studios Norway
• Viaplay to premiere at least 70 Originals in 2022

An arrogant small-town surgeon forced to confront life’s deepest questions is the unlikely anti-hero of ‘R.I.P. Henry’, Viaplay’s latest Original from Norway. Mads Ousdal (‘Wisting’; ‘Witch Hunt’) plays the title role in the eight-part drama, which is directed by the award-winning Arild Fröhlich (‘Fatso’; ‘Helt Perfekt’). ‘R.I.P. Henry’ is produced by Viaplay and ITV Studios Norway, and will premiere exclusively on Viaplay in 2023.

When Henry Johnsen (Mads Ousdal) is diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour and given just one more year to live, he starts a secret battle to find a cure. But as he struggles to maintain his usual air of superiority over his patients and colleagues, is it finally time to be open about his feelings?

Frank Kjosås (‘Exit’), Lena Kristin Ellingsen (‘Norsemen’) and Julie Agnete Vang (‘Borgen’) head the supporting cast in the series, which is created by Linn-Jeanette Kyed (‘Rådebank’) and John Kåre Raake (‘The Fortress’).

Mads Ousdal: “Making a jerk sympathetic by giving him a conscience and inner demons is an actor's dream. At least for me. Working closely with the character and dealing with so many aspects of life, over such a long period of time, can get intense. That’s the hardest part – and the best.”

Arild Fröhlich: “‘R.I.P. Henry’ is a touching and warm drama about death, and about how our lives can be suddenly changed by coincidences and forces over which we have no control. I’m incredibly happy that we’ve made this project happen, together with Viaplay.”

Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group Chief Content Officer: “Mads Ousdal’s performance as Henry Johnsen is one of the most memorable from the Nordic region in recent times. He brings depth, conflict and above all empathy to a character who initially appears to lack it completely. Viaplay’s Norwegian slate continues to expand quickly, and drama of this quality will find an appreciative audience everywhere.”

‘R.I.P. Henry’ is produced by Ørjan Karlsen for ITV Studios Norway, with Tanya Nanette Badendyck as executive producer for Viaplay Group. The series is distributed worldwide by Global Screen.

About Viaplay Originals

At least 70 Viaplay Originals are set to premiere in 2022. Upcoming Originals include ‘Below’; ‘Thunder in My Heart’ season two; ‘Live Life’; ‘There's Something Going On’; ‘It Could Have Been Us’; ‘Threesome’ season two; ‘R.S.V.P.’; ‘The Fortress’; ‘The Hunt for Jasper S.’; ‘Liv Ullmann: The Road Less Travelled’; ‘Those Who Kill’ season three; ‘Face to Face’ season three; ‘The Meaning of Life’; ‘Something Stupid’; ‘The Guilty’; ‘Stockholm Bloodbath’; ‘Delete Me’ season two; ‘Boys’; ‘The Dreamer – Becoming Karen Blixen’; ‘Fenris’; ‘Gold Run’; ‘Last Light’; ‘Cell 8’; ‘Elvira’; ‘North Sea Connection’; ‘Limbo’; ‘Litvinenko’; ‘Karma and Jonar’; ‘Ronja’; ‘The Uninhabitable Earth’; ‘Polish Murderesses’; ‘Black Dog’; ‘Freedom of the Swallow’; ‘Honour’ season three; ‘Pørni’ season three; ‘Hilma’; ‘Who Shot Otto Mueller?’; a biopic of Börje Salming; ‘Fadime’; ‘Taylor’s Island’; ‘What about Monica’; ‘THE KINGDOM EXODUS’; ‘Estonia: The Last Wave’; ‘Stella Blómkvist’ season two; ‘The Swarm’; ‘Perfect People’; and ‘Margeaux’.

Two major English-language films will be produced by Viaplay every year. The company has also established a UK-based joint venture with FilmNation Entertainment and invested in US studio Picturestart.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

Viaplay Group AB (publ) is the international streaming challenger. Our Viaplay streaming service is available in every Nordic and Baltic country, Poland, the US and the Netherlands, and we are expanding rapidly by launching in the UK in 2022, followed by Canada, Germany, Austria and Switzerland in 2023. Viaplay will have a market presence in at least 21 countries by the end of 2023, including at least five partner markets for the Viaplay Select branded content concept. Every day, millions of customers enjoy our unique entertainment offering, including acclaimed Viaplay Originals and an unrivalled line-up of premium live sports. From streaming to TV channels, radio stations and production companies, our purpose is to tell stories, touch lives and expand worlds. Viaplay Group is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (‘VPLAY B’).

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