''På spåret'' () is a popular Swedish TV game show 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. The first show aired 5 September 1987. 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 close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

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 their high level of refined and elaborate food preparation techniques and displays of balanced meals that have ...

, restaurant owner, and former contestant Carl Jan Granqvist sat in for Hellberg during the 2004 season. In 2009, after 21 years, Oldsberg and Hellberg left, and Kristian Luuk 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 a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, 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 t ...

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, ph ...

, 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 Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). "The Adventure of Shosc ...

and

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

, 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 usually refers to: * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to: Material related to ''The A ...

and

Captain Haddock Captain Archibald Haddock (French: ''Capitaine Archibald Haddock'') is a character in the comic book series ''The Adventures of Tintin''. He is Tintin (character), Tintin's best friend, a seafaring captain in the Merchant Navy or Merchant Mar ...

". Following the 50th anniversary of SVT in 2006, this element was replaced by various mini-games, as follows: *''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. *''Vem där?'' () replaced ''Retur'' 2010–11. Instead of a year, movies and pictures are clues linked to a famous person. *''Listan'' () was a new element from the 2016–17 season, replacing ''Vem där?''. The team with the lowest score could choose between two subjects (e.g., European capitals or footballers 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. ''Listan'' disappeared after the 2018–19 season. *From the 2019–20 season, the team that was behind after two journeys could choose between ''Vem där?'' and ''Retur''. *''Närmast vinner'' () replaced ''Vem där?'' and ''Retur'' for the 2021 season. In this mini-game, 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 three 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. Starting from the 2024–25 season, the format changed to two groups of four teams, where the top two teams in each group qualify for the semi-finals.

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 TV-host Lotta Bromé, restaurateur Carl-Jan Granqvist, former weight-lifter Lennart Dahlgren, comedians/TV-hosts Filip & Fredrik, Olympic high-jump champion

Stefan Holm Stefan Christian Holm (born 25 May 1976) is a retired Swedish high jumper. He won an Olympic Games, Olympic gold medal, a silver medal, silver in the World Championships in Athletics, World Championships, and one silver and one bronze medal in ...

, actor/TV personality Peter Harryson and sports journalist Johanna Frändén.

Contestants 2007–08

;Group 1 * Caroline af Ugglas & Göran Hägg * Anne Lundberg & Johan Wester * Cecilia Hagen & Lennart 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 Pet ...

* Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Kristina Kappelin &

Kjell Bergqvist Kjell Bertil Leonard Bergqvist (born 23 February 1953) 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 cooperated for many years with scr ...

;Group 3 *

Pernilla Månsson Colt Eva Pernilla Elisabet Månsson Colt (name at birth, née Månsson, 23 December 1966) is a Swedish television presenter, producer, editor, and journalist. Biography Månsson Colt was born in Örebro, Örebro County. At the age of 16, and after t ...

& Hans Mosesson * Karin Hübinette &

* Pia Conde & Thomas Petersson

Contestants 2008–09

;Group A * Fredrik Lindström & Peter Apelgren *

Mari Jungstedt Mari Jungstedt (born 31 October 1962, in Stockholm) is a Swedish journalist and crime fiction author. Jungstedt worked as a reporter with Swedish national public radio and television, and was an occasional presenter on TV4's daily talk show ...

& Rickard Olsson * Lisa Syrén & Johan Wester ;Group B * Zinat Pirzadeh &

Göran Greider Per Göran Greider (born 1959) is a Swedish Swedish Social Democratic Party, social democratic journalist, author and poet. Greider's poetry was first published in 1981. Greider has been the editor in chief of the Dalecarlia, provincial newspape ...

* Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Jessika Gedin & Hans Rosenfeldt ;Group C * Tina Ahlin & Marcus Birro * Camilla Lundberg & Robert Aschberg *

Siw Malmkvist Siw Gunnel Margareta Malmkvist (born 31 December 1936) is a Swedish schlager singer and actress popular in Scandinavia and West Germany (today's Germany). She represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1960 and West Germany in the Eurovi ...

& David Bexelius

Contestants 2009–10

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

Hans Rosling Hans Rosling (; 27July 19487February 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 developed t ...

;Group B * Jessika Gedin & Hans Rosenfeldt * Johanna Koljonen & Marcus Birro * Jessica Zandén & Philip Zandén ;Group C * Vanna Rosenberg & Göran Rosenberg * Filip Hammar & Fredrik Wikingsson * Lena Sundström & Bo Sundström

Contestants 2012–13

;Group A * Caroline af Ugglas & Göran Hägg * Johanna Koljonen & Marcus Birro * Ellinor Persson & Dick Harrison ;Group B * Cecilia Hagen & Lennart Dahlgren * Martina Haag & Erik Haag * Carina Lidbom & Tommy Engstrand ;Group C * Lotta Bromé & Carl Jan Granqvist *

& Katarina Mazetti * Jessika Gedin & Hans Rosenfeldt

Contestants 2013–14

;Group A * Eric Ericson & Kjell Wilhelmsen * Ann-Marie Skarp &

* Helena von Zweigbergk & Göran Everdahl ;Group B * Martina Montelius &

Dominika Peczynski Dominika Peczynski (born 20 September 1970) is a Polish-Swedish singer, model and television host. Army of Lovers She joined the Swedish pop music group Army of Lovers in 1992, making her debut with the group with " Hasta Mañana", a cover ...

* 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 fini ...

& 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 Gerd ''Gudrun'' Maria Schyman (born 9 June 1948) is a Swedish politician. She served as leader of the Swedish Left Party (Sweden), Left Party from 1993 until January 2003. She remained a member of the Left Party until 2004, when she left to focus ...

& K. G. Hammar * Martina Thun & Ulf Danielsson ;Group C * Eric Ericson & Kjell Wilhelmsen * Elisabet Höglund & Jesper Rönndahl * Jenny Strömstedt &

Niklas Strömstedt Bo Anders Niklas Strömstedt (born 25 July 1958) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and actor. Early life Bo Anders Niklas Strömstedt was born on 25 July 1958 in Lund, Sweden, to Gunhild Margareta (née Henriksson) and Bo Eugén Strömstedt. S ...

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 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.

Musicians

Music questions are presented by well-known musicians. In 2023 these were: *Programs 1–3, Segment host: Jill and the Johnsons; Guest artists: Alba August, Maja Francis and Moonica Mac. *Programs 4–6, Segment host: ; Guest artists: Danny Saucedo,

Skott Pauline Skött (born 4 October 1991), known mononymously as Skott, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and producer. She came to global attention in 2016 with her debut single "Porcelain", which brought her to the list of the biggest new talents com ...

and Melissa Horn. *Programs 7–9, Segment host: Johnossi; Guest artists: Victor Leksell, Maxida Märak and Pelle Almqvist *Programs 10–13, Segment host: Infinite Mass; Guest artists: Sabina Ddumba, Janice, and Miriam Bryant.

International adaptations

The format was sold to the

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

, where the show was called ''Jorda rundt'' (''Around the World''). It was canceled after only one season (1998–99). Finnish

YLE Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...

produced ''Hengaillaan'' starting in 2023. It continued in 2024.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pa Sparet Sveriges Television original programming Swedish game shows 2010 Kristallen winners Rail transport in Sweden Swedish-language television shows