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Arctic adventure

Even in the age of CGI, heading out on location brings a sense of realism that’s hard to replicate through post-production trickery. Which in great part explains why key scenes in The North Water, a tale of whalers set in the middle of the 19th century, were filmed in frozen Arctic seas around the Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago, including segments captured in the pack ice.

Adapted by director Andrew Haigh from Ian McGuire’s acclaimed novel, the five-part drama follows a ramshackle crew of chancers and crooks as they voyage north out of Hull at a time when the whaling industry was in decline.

Those making the trip include Patrick Sumner (Jack O’Connell), a disgraced army surgeon who signs up to be ship’s doctor and soon has cause to regret his decision. His crewmates include skipper Arthur Brownlee (Stephen Graham) and, fatefully, Henry Drax (Colin Farrell), a vicious psychopath who makes his coin as a harpooner. Rounding out a strong cast, Tom Courtenay stars as the whaler’s owner,