The North Water is the new drama coming to BBC Two – here’s all you need to know.
Based on the acclaimed novel by Ian McGuire, the cinematic drama series is adapted for the screen and directed by Andrew Haigh and made by See-Saw Films and Rhombus Media for the BBC.
The all star cast features Jack O’Connell as Patrick Sumner, Colin Farrell as Henry Drax, and Stephen Graham as Captain Brownlee, alongside Tom Courtenay as Baxter.
The North Water starts on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 9:30PM on Friday, 10 September.
The five-part series will be made available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer after the first episode airs on TV.
Further casting includes Peter Mullan, Sam Spruell and Roland Møller.
A teaser for the series shares: “The five-part series tells the story of Patrick Sumner (O’Connell), a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ship’s doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic.
“But the ferocity of the elements is matched by the violence of his crew mates, with Drax (Farrell), a harpooner and distinctly brutal force of nature. As the true purpose of the expedition becomes clear, confrontation between the two men erupts, taking them on a journey far from solid ground and beyond the safe moorings of civilisation.”
The drama is set in Hull and on the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s with filming taking place in the arctic.
Filming as far as 81 degrees north, the BBC say it is believed a drama series has never filmed further north before.
Writer and director Andrew Haigh said: “The novel by Ian McGuire is a darkly brilliant piece of work, propelled by a vision of the world that is both beautiful and brutal. It feels bracingly modern and is piercingly perceptive about the nature of what drives us all.
“I feel incredibly lucky to be given the chance to bring this story to the screen and very privileged to be doing so with the BBC.”
Stephen Graham added: “Filming on the ship was an incredible experience and one that I will never forget. To be so privileged to see such beautiful animals like polar bears in their natural habitat – albeit it an ever changing one, sadly – was truly remarkable.”
The North Water will debut later on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 9:30PM on Friday, 10 September.
Picture: (C) See-Saw Films – Photographer: Nick Wall
More on: BBC Two
