''På spåret'' (''On the Track'') is a popular Swedish TV

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

series broadcast on SVT since 5 September 1987. The show, which is intended to be humorous yet educational, has remained one of the most popular TV shows in Sweden, attracting an average of 2,150,000 viewers during the 2007 season. The all-time record was set in March 1990, when 3.7 million people tuned in to see the show. This means that nearly half of all Swedes saw the game show. ''På spåret'' is an original format developed by

Ingvar Oldsberg Ingvar Gunnar Oldsberg (31 March 194510 February 2022) was a Swedish television presenter and sports journalist. Early life Oldsberg was born on 31 March 1945 in Annedal Parish, Gothenburg. Oldsberg grew up in Mölnlycke outside Gothenburg. On ...

for SVT, and he hosted the show for many years. Lennart Dahlgren, winner of the first season, was the judge in 1988. Author and tennis legend Björn Hellberg was promoted from contestant to permanent Oldsberg

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

and judge in 1995 after winning for four straight seasons. Famous

gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine, which is characterized by refined, even elaborate preparations and presentations of aesthetically balanced meals of several contrasting, of ...

, restaurant owner, and former contestant Carl-Jan Grankvist sat in for Hellberg during the 2004 season. In 2009, after 21 years, Oldsberg and Hellberg left, and

Kristian Luuk Ants Robert ''Kristian'' Luuk, (born 14 June 1966) is a Swedish comedian and television presenter. He has presented several shows such as ''Sen kväll med Luuk'', ''Melodifestivalen'' and ''På spåret''. He was married to Carina Berg. Biography ...

took over as host with Fredrik Lindström as judge.

Format

Two teams of well-known Swedes (during the initial seasons each team had three participants each, however this was later reduced to two) compete against each other. Participants are shown filmed journeys (usually filmed from the front of a train, but occasionally from a car, or even from a plane) and the objective is for each team to identify the destination of the journey, using visual clues from the video, and additional clues from the host. The clues, which often include

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

s and far-fetched

word play Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, pho ...

, get progressively easier as the train approaches its destination, and the number of points awarded for a correct answer accordingly declines. After the journey both teams answer questions related to the destination city, and collect more points. Each one-hour show has three filmed journeys, typically with one Swedish and two foreign destinations. The journey involves the competitors figuring out the destination of a journey viewed at high speed from the driver's seat on a train (sometimes also a car, bus or boat) on the way to the place in question. The host reads out various tricky clues, as the journey progresses. Clues are awarded on 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points, and get progressively easier (2 points almost always includes a pun on the name of the destination). To answer, the team pulls the emergency brake; if the answer is correct, points are given corresponding to the level that the journey has reached. The other team must wait until the next point level to give their answer. In between journeys 2 and 3, the original hosts, Oldsberg and Hellberg, used to read a text dressed up as

Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle f ...

and Sherlock Holmes, giving progressively easier clues about a specific celebrity. The team that first identified the celebrity won points, or instead lost if the answer was wrong. Later "Holmes and Watson" was substituted by "

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

and

Captain Haddock Captain Archibald Haddock (french: Capitaine Archibald Haddock, link=no, ) is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is one of Tintin's best friends, a seafaring pipe-smoking ...

". Following the 50th anniversary of SVT in 2006, this element was replaced by various mini-games, as follows: *'Return' (Swedish 'Retur') - the contestants must guess which is the correct year, based on films and pictures taken from SVT's archive. The correct answer gets three points while the wrong answer gives three minus points. Only the team that pulled the emergency brake first can answer. This section was added in connection with SVT's 50th anniversary. *Who's there? (Swedish 'Vem där?') replaced Return 2010/2011. Instead of a year, movies and pictures are clues linked to a famous person. *The List (Swedish 'Listan') was a new element from 2016/2017, replacing 'Vem Där?'. The team with the lowest score can choose between two subjects (for example, European capitals or Football players born in the 1970s). Both teams must then decide which four of the eight answer proposals belong to the chosen topic, and then lock their answers by pulling the brake. Three points go to the team that scores the four correct answers. If both teams answered correctly, it is the competitors who pull the 'brake' first who get the points. 'The list' disappeared after the 2018/2019 season (it did not seem very popular with viewers). *From the 2019/2020 season, the team that was behind after two journeys could choose between Who's there? and Return. *The 2021 season replaced Who's There? and Return with 'Nearest Wins' (Swedish 'Närmast Vinner'), where the team gets to see a film that connects to a place, somewhere in the world. The team that comes closest to marking the place on a blank map gets 3 points - like a geographical 'pin the tail on the donkey'.

Tournament

In recent years, each season have consisted of a tournament with three groups of three teams each. The winner of each group qualify for the semi finals; the fourth semi finalist is decided by a "quarter final" match between the two best teams that placed second in their respective groups.

Contestants

Until 1995 each team consisted of three people, since then the contestants have competed in pairs. The show typically feature intelligent, humorous and well-known celebrities, such as sports journalist Lotta Bromé, restaurateur Carl-Jan Grankvist, former weight-lifter Lennart "Hoa-Hoa" Dahlgren, comedians/TV-hosts Filip & Fredrik, Olympic high-jump champion Stefan Holm, and actor/TV personality Peter Harryson, sportsjournalist Johanna Frändén to name a few.

Contestants 2007–08

;Group 1 * Caroline af Ugglas & Göran Hägg * Anne Lundberg & Johan Wester * Cecilia Hagen & Lennart Hoa-Hoa Dahlgren ;Group 2 * Ann-Marie Skarp &

Jan Guillou Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (, ; born 17 January 1944) is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Pe ...

* Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Kristina Kappelin &

Kjell Bergqvist Kjell Bertil Leonard Bergqvist (born 23 February 1953 in Enskede, Stockholm County) is a Swedish actor. Bergqvist finished the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1973 and made his debut in '' En enkel melodi'' and ''Jack''. He has since coope ...

;Group 3 * Pernilla Månsson Colt & Hans Mosesson * Karin Hübinette & Stefan Holm * Pia Conde & Thomas Petersson

Contestants 2008–09

;Group A * Fredrik Lindström & Peter Apelgren * Mari Jungstedt &

Rickard Olsson Rickard Olsson-Essé, (born 7 February 1967 in Gävle) is a Swedish television and radio presenter. He presented ''Bingolotto'' between 2005 and 2008 and since 2008 he presents the quiz show ''" Vem vet mest?" and " Vem vet mest junior?"'' broad ...

* Lisa Syrén & Johan Wester ;Group B * Zinat Pirzadeh & Göran Greider * Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Jessika Gedin &

Hans Rosenfeldt Hans Rosenfeldt (born Hans Petersson on 13 July 1964) is a Swedish screenwriter, radio presenter, novelist and actor. He co-created the Swedish series ''De drabbade'' (2003) and ''Oskyldigt dömd'' (2008–09), and created the Scandinavian series ...

;Group C * Tina Ahlin &

Marcus Birro Marcus Adriano Birro (born 15 June 1972 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a Swedish-Italian (Italian citizen) poet, author and columnist and former frontman of cult punk band The Christer Petterssons. Birro blogged at Expressen and was a presenter on a ...

* Camilla Lundberg &

Robert Aschberg Robert Aschberg (born 19 March 1952 on Kungsholmen, Stockholm) is a Swedish journalist and media executive. He works for the Swedish television channel TV3. Robert Aschberg was a Maoist in his youth, but in the seventies he left communism for ...

Siw Malmkvist Siw Gunnel Margareta Malmkvist (born 31 December 1936) is a Swedish schlager singer and actress popular in Scandinavia and West Germany. She had a number one hit in West Germany in 1964 with "''Liebeskummer lohnt sich nicht''" (''"Lovesickness ...

& David Bexelius

Contestants 2009–10

;Group A * Alexandra Charles & Björn Ranelid * Hélène Benno & Peter Apelgren * Doreen Månsson &

Hans Rosling Hans Rosling (; 27 July 1948 – 7 February 2017) was a Swedish physician, academic and public speaker. He was a professor of international health at Karolinska Institute and was the co-founder and chairman of the Gapminder Foundation, which deve ...

;Group B * Jessika Gedin &

* Johanna Koljonen &

Jessica Zandén Anna Jessica Zandén (born 28 March 1957) is a Swedish actress. She has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1983. She is the sister of actor Philip Zandén. Selected filmography * ''Freud's Leaving Home'' (1991) * '' The ...

& Philip Zandén ;Group C * Vanna Rosenberg & Göran Rosenberg * Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson *

Lena Sundström Lena Amalia Kyoung Ran Sundström (born 8 March 1972) is a Swedish journalist and author. She writes news chronicles and writes for Swedish daily newspaper ''Dagens Nyheter''. She has also had her own column at ''Aftonbladet'' newspaper, ''Metro ...

& Bo Sundström

Contestants 2012–13

;Group A * Caroline af Ugglas & Göran Hägg * Johanna Koljonen &

* Ellinor Persson &

Dick Harrison Dick Walther Harrison (born 10 April 1966) is a Swedish historian. He is currently a Professor of History at Lund University. His main areas of interest are the European Middle Ages, including the medical history of the period and the history o ...

;Group B * Cecilia Hagen & Lennart "Hoa-Hoa" Dahlgren *

Martina Haag Martina Haag, (born Helen Martina Uusma on 9 June 1964) is a Swedish actress and author. Martina Haag's father came to Sweden as a refugee from Estonia. She has acted in the film ''Underbar och älskad av alla'' in 2005. The film was made from ...

Erik Haag Erik Haag (born 28 August 1967) is a Swedish television presenter who hosted one of the semifinals of Melodifestivalen 2005 and Historieätarna both on SVT. He presents Historieätarna along with Lotta Lundgren. He has been married to actres ...

* Carina Lidbom & Tommy Engstrand ;Group C * Lotta Bromé & Carl Jan Granqvist * Stefan Holm & Katarina Mazetti * Jessika Gedin &

Contestants 2013–14

;Group A *

Eric Ericson Eric Gustaf Ericson (26 October 1918 – 16 February 2013) was a Swedish choral conductor and influential choral teacher. Life and career He graduated from the Royal College of Music (''Kungl. Musikhögskolan'') in Stockholm in 1943 and w ...

& Kjell Wilhelmsen * Ann-Marie Skarp &

* Helena von Zweigbergk & Göran Everdahl ;Group B *

Martina Montelius Martina Montelius (born 19 July 1975) is a Swedish author, director and playwright. She has written several plays, had three novels published, and also worked as an artistic director. Career Montelius grew up in Täby, Sweden and went to schoo ...

& Dominika Peczynski * Morgan Larsson & Christer Lundberg * Ylva Hällen & Anna Charlotta Gunnarson ;Group C * Martina Thun & Ulf Danielsson *

Helen Alfredsson Helen Christine Alfredsson (born 9 April 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer who played primarily on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and is also a life member of the Ladies European Tour. She won the LPGA major Nabisco Dinah Shore and twice finish ...

& Christian Olsson * Elisabet Höglund & Jesper Rönndahl

Contestants 2014–15

;Group A * Louise Epstein & Thomas Nordegren * Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Helena von Zweigbergk & Göran Everdahl ;Group B * Jason Diakité & Lina Thomsgård * Gudrun Schyman & K. G. Hammar * Martina Thun & Ulf Danielsson ;Group C *

& Kjell Wilhelmsen * Elisabet Höglund & Jesper Rönndahl * Jenny Strömstedt & Niklas Strömstedt

Past winners

Some of the participants have been celebrities in Sweden, more due to this show, than for anything they were before. This applies especially for the former weightlifter Lennart "Hoa-Hoa" Dahlgren. Although far from unknown before his first participation, his celebrity rose quite a lot due to his geographical knowledge. But also Björn Hellberg, Carl Jan Granqvist, Johanna Koljonen are included among the ones who perhaps are more associated with this television show than anything else, at the time and to the general public at least.

International adaptations

The format was sold to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, where the show was called ''Jorda rundt'' (''Around the World''). It was canceled after only one season (1998–99).

References

External links

''På spåret''
official site at Svt.se * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pa Sparet Sveriges Television original programming Swedish game shows 2010 Kristallen winners Rail transport in Sweden Swedish-language television shows