Filming is in full swing for Áramótaskaupið

Filming is underway for Áramótaskaupið, the annual New Year’s Eve show broadcast on RÚV, with work continuing this week and next, director Allan Sigurðsson told mbl.is.

Sigurðsson is directing the show with Hannes Þór Arason, and their production company, Atlavík, is producing it. Filming is scheduled in bursts so the team can respond to developing news and adapt the script, he said.

“It is incredibly fun to work on a project where you laugh all day. It is a privilege,” Sigurðsson said.

The directors also worked on last year’s show. This year’s writing team includes actor Mikael Kaaber, actor Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir and comedians Snjólaug Lúðvíksdóttir, Sverrir Þór Sverrisson, known as Sveppi, and Ólafur Ásgeirsson. Sigurðsson said the writers’ different strengths and backgrounds were helpful.

He acknowledged the pressure involved in directing a show watched by most of the country on New Year’s Eve, when many viewers have strong opinions. He said the atmosphere at home was tense shortly before last year’s broadcast, but that it was enjoyable to watch the finished show with a full room of people. A Maskína poll found that 90% of respondents were satisfied with last year’s show.

Sigurðsson said it was too early to say whether he would direct the show for a third time. He also declined to reveal this year’s cast, saying that surprising viewers was part of the fun. Comedian Sóli Hólm drew a strong reaction last year when he appeared as Inga Sæland, the current minister of children and education, but Sigurðsson made no promises about a return of the character.

A photograph taken during filming outside Reykjavík City Hall shows the back of an unidentified actor who appears to resemble Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir, suggesting she may feature in the show. Sigurðsson is expecting his third child in November.