The former Moderate Party leader Anna Kinberg Batra was until very recently the Governor of Stockholm. In the SVT series "First Lady", her husband, comedian David Batra, strives to become the best "first lady" he can – from the first formal reception at Tessin Palace to the point when the couple moves out of the residence prematurely.
Under the guidance of his mentor Elisabeth Tarras-Wahlberg, Batra travels the world to learn everything about the role and to gain new perspectives.
Residential Obligation
Personally, Batra hardly knew what a Governor was when his wife got the job:
I had to find out what this old strange title actually meant. I had, for example, no idea that people with this title have a residential obligation, i.e., they must live on the job, he says.
He describes moving into the baroque palace in central Stockholm as "a pretty absurd thing".
It's about making it a home even though it's an official place where other people come and go. It was a challenge that we try to depict in the program, says Batra and continues:
I've hardly had time to reflect on the fact that I've been right in the middle of it.
In other series, such as "Hårt väder" and "Världens sämsta indier", Batra also functions as a kind of explorer, but "First Lady" is also more of an inner exploration, according to Batra.
My career is built on talking, making things up, and performing. During this year as "first lady", I had to learn not to talk so much myself but to listen instead. It was quite nice not to be holding forth all the time, he says.
The Door was Open
It's not the first time Batra's wife has left office just before the premiere of one of his shows about her career. In 2017, he had to quickly redo his entire stand-up show "Elefanten i rummet" because she resigned as party leader just weeks before.
Depicting the turbulent spring that led to Anna Kinberg Batra's resignation as Governor was self-evident.
We had opened this door to following me as I try to become a good companion, and then this happens. There's not much to ask for, you just have to take it with you, says Batra.
"First Lady" premieres on October 22.
Anna Kinberg Batra was appointed Governor and head of the Stockholm County Administrative Board in 2023. In the spring, Kinberg Batra's recruitment of three higher officials, whom she was personally acquainted with, was questioned.
The controversy led to the matter being investigated by the Chancellor of Justice and the National Anti-Corruption Unit.
On September 27 this year, the government announced that Kinberg Batra had to leave her post.
