I always like it when I discover a series that’s in development and one I haven’t heard about, ’til now! This appears actually different as well, especially with the current trend of certain ‘types’ of dramas doing the rounds and as I think you’ll discover that The North Water sounds very interesting indeed!

Currently filming in Hungary, the adaptation is set in Hull and also the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s. The drama, made by See-Saw Films, recently completed its first leg of filming in the Arctic, shooting for three weeks in Svalbard. The unit travelled as far as 81 degrees north to film sequences in the pack ice, the furthest point north it is believed a drama series has ever filmed before and brings forth a whole new reality to ‘on location’ productions.

It’s literally just been announced that Stephen Graham, Tom Courtenay and Peter Mullan are among the names joining Colin Farrell and Jack O’Connell in Andrew Haigh’s forthcoming adaptation. Alongside those big names, there’s also Sam Spruell (Legend) as Cavendish, Roland Møller (Atomic Blond) as Otto, Philip Hill-Pearson (The Bay) as McKendrick and Kieran Urquhart (Humans) as Jones.

These first images from The North Water’s icy locations feature Farrell, O’Connell and Graham in character for the first time as Henry Drax, Patrick Sumner and Captain Brownlee respectively. Further images show Spruell as Cavendish and Møller as Otto. Graham will play Brownlee, the Volunteer’s Captain, whilst Courtenay will play the ship’s owner, Baxter.

Stephen Graham says:

“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 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. On board he meets the harpooner Henry Drax (Farrell), a brutish killer whose amorality has been shaped to fit the harshness of his world. Hoping to escape the horrors of his past, Sumner finds himself in a male-dominated world, on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath. In search of redemption, his story becomes a harsh struggle for survival in the Arctic wasteland.

Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Ian McGuire, The North Water (3×60’ and 1×90’) is adapted and directed by Andrew Haigh, and is produced by Kate Ogborn. Executive producers are Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman for See-Saw Films, Niv Fichman for Rhombus Media, and Jo McClellan for the BBC.