Series attracting big audiences overseas

Actor, writer and director Tim Balme writes The Brokenwood Mysteries TV series. Photo/Andrew Warner

Tauranga old boy Tim Balme was in town visiting his parents recently and we caught up over a cup of coffee to talk about the latest series of Brokenwood starting on Prime this Sunday.

He's the crime series lead writer and, while it has a decent local following, international audiences are taking to it like a pukeko up a ponga tree.

Series 1 and 2 of the show have played in France to audiences of 4million viewers per episode, equating to the entire population of New Zealand. It also screened in Italy, Denmark, United States and Canada with a total of 15 million viewers around the world.

The lead detective drives a 1971 Holden Kingswood, has a hankering for country music, and is a bit of a conundrum himself. What it lacks in blood and guts, it makes up for with solvable crimes, understated humour, and small town New Zealand character.

Many of us recognise Tim from his days acting in Shortland Street, The Almighty Johnsons, as well as lead roles in the cult favourites, Braindead and Jack Brown Genius. He prefers the challenge of being behind the camera these days. His first major break in writing for television came when he was asked to join the storylining team for series two of Outrageous Fortune.

He was an integral writer for six series and says that experience set him up to embrace the realities and limitations of the television format.

"While there is an element of craft to writing for television, in the end you've still got to make two hours of TV that people want to watch. You still have deadline. You still have to do the work. The key is to enjoy the process and embracing that. If the show is fun to write, it is not a chore."

A large reason for the success of Brokenwood is the dry humour and understated quirkiness of characters amidst the murderous plots. He says real life people, places, and situations are the inspiration for his process.

Asking the question 'what if?' is where he starts, and he used it to good effect when he was at a funeral.

Followers of the next series will recognise Mrs Marlowe playing the organ at a funeral in episode one. That particular storyline was created when he asked himself "what if" at a family friend's funeral in Tauranga early in the writing process.

Then, on the way back from that funeral he passed Matamata and saw the Hobbiton turn-off. This led to an idea for episode two. It's this approach to real life situations, letting them percolate, then allowing the creative process to lead him to write for Brokenwood.

"It's a case of seasoning. When you're cooking you want a little bit of this and a little bit of that and when you get the balance of flavours right, it's a good meal. That's where The Brokenwood Mysteries is at in this series. We know when the seasoning's just right, so it feels like a very satisfying meal. I hope our fans will feel sated and replenished after each episode."

the fine print
What: The Brokenwood Mysteries
Where: Prime Television
When: Sunday, October 30 at 8.30pm