The Concept of ‘Double Storytelling’ in Danish Public Service TV Drama Production

Abstract

Redvall analyses the relationship between different notions of public service broadcasting and ideas of media and screenwriting ethics, using the work of the in-house drama unit (DR Fiction) at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) as a case study. Since 2003, DR has had certain production ‘dogmas’ for how to develop television drama series. The dogma of ‘double storytelling’ insists on series containing social and ethical themes beside ‘the good story’. What can be considered as a particular institutionalized engagement with ethics, Redvall investigates how it creates a specific framework for thinking about ‘public service storytelling’ and discusses the implications for screenwriting practices when considerations of the ethical implications and impact of stories are an established part of the commissioning process from the earliest stages.