Imitating its Nordic neighbour Norway, Iceland has aired its own “slow television” show, with national public broadcaster RUV airing 24 hours of lambing.
RUV gave viewers the chance to watch sheep welcome their new arrivals at a farm in the country’s northern Skagafjordur region. Those who tuned in to the lamb-athon witnessed dozens of lambs being brought into the world, while those who were not fortunate enough to be at home were offered the opportunity to get live updates by the broadcaster on Twitter.
According to the broadcaster’s network, the aim of the show was to give viewers and insight into Iceland’s traditional farming life during the sheep birthing season, which it described as an “unforgettable time”.
The airing is likely to have been inspired by Norway’s renowned slow TV shows, which have been reported around the globe over the past few years. Among the ‘events’ that have been shown by Norwegian public television network NRK have been knitting and sheep-shearing competitions, while the station has also broadcast 130 hours of a cruise ship making its way up the country’s coast and 12 hours of wood burning.
The UK has also decided to follow suit, with BBC Four to show a series of broadcasts including a three-hour tour of the National Gallery and a two-hour canal journey.