Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2022, Blaðsíða 22

Comedic Closure:
Áramótaskaupi!’s
Endurin" Success
Iceland's le!endary New Year's Eve satirical
chucklefest hits home
Words: Josie Gaitens Video stills: RÚV
There is arguably nobody in Iceland
more relieved that it’s 2022 than
director Reynir Lyngdal. It’s early
in the new year,
and debate around
‘Áramótaskaupi!’
(sometimes trans-
lated to English
as ‘The New Year’s
L a mp o on’) w i l l
probably rumble on
for another week or
so, especially since,
a s Rey n i r says,
“this year’s was
a little less… cosy
than last year.” But
bruised egos will
hea l, some new
scandal will arise,
and both Iceland
and Reynir w i l l
eventually get to
move on.
A national
treasure
For the uninitiated, which basi-
cally means anyone who doesn’t
live in Iceland, Áramótaskaupi!,
or simply ‘Skaupi!’, will mean very
little. It’s an annual satirical sketch
show, broadcast every New Year’s
Eve since 1966, that pokes fun at
the 12 months prior and the main
political, cultural and newsworthy
figures that have featured in them.
The big opening and
c lo si n g mu sic a l
numbers and cam-
eos from famous
Icelanders are ea-
gerly expected.
But Skaupi! is
far more than the
sum of these parts.
It’s a national insti-
tution, and it has
the figures to prove
it. The show has
some of the highest
ratings in the world,
the record being set
in 2002 when an un-
believable 95% of the
population tuned in.
For the hour that
Áramótaskaupi! is
shown on TV, Reyk-
javik, which for the
ent i ret y of New
Year's Eve is under
a constant barrage of firework ex-
plosions, goes quiet, like WWII’s
famed Christmas ceasefire. Whole
families curl up to watch togeth-
er—people of different generations
and cultural reference points who
would never otherwise laugh over
the same things. Unsurprisingly,
the advertisement slots are the-
most expensive on television; it’s
basically Iceland’s SuperBowl.
“The temperature of the
year”
Making Áramótaskaupi! is a huge
responsibility but Reynir doesn’t
have to shoulder it alone. He works
with a team of writers who dissect
the year and piece together a show.
“There’s always a little bias towards
this end of the year, because you’re
closer to it,” Reynir says of this
process. “With events from Janu-
ary and February it’s easier to see
what is still relevant and therefore
important. But later in the year it
all gets very close.”
It’s a well-worn cliche to com-
pare each Skaup to the previous
year’s edition, but even Reynir
readily admits the difference be-
tween the 2020 and 2021 shows.
“The main task, when we get in
the room together, is to take the
temperature of the year. Last year
was about togetherness and pulling
together. This year…” He breaks off
and laughs, a little wearily. “I would
call it cabin fever,” he finally says,
wryly.
TikTok vs. TV
The fascinating thing about
Áramótaskaupi!, however, is its
enduring success in the age of Tik-
Tok. Reynir puts this down to the
ever-evolving cast of writers, actors
and directors involved in produc-
ing the show: “I’ve been doing this
for three years, and each year we
try and bring different people in.
You might expect to see an actor
playing a particular politician, but
perhaps that politician hasn’t done
anything noteworthy that year. Or
maybe we bring in a different actor
altogether, just to make things a
little bit different.”
You might wonder if looking
over a year’s worth of news is a
rather bleak experience, especially
considering the content of the past
24 months. When I ask Reynir what
he thinks is in store for the next 12
months, he talks about the need
to hold the rich and powerful to
account, his concerns around cli-
mate disaster and the desire for the
world to be better for his kids—but
his parting words are positive. “Be-
cause of the show, having to view
everything all together, it feels dif-
ferent,” he says. “Personally, I feel
hopeful.”
The band Flott were overjoyed to close the show
Please check to ensure that no comedians are le# trapped inside your TV
Television
“Whole
families curl
up to watch
together—
people of
different
generations
and cultural
reference
points who
would never
otherwise
laugh over the
same things.”