To celebrate the release of The North Water, which begins on BBC Two this week, we sat down with star Eliza Butterworth to find out about the treacherous seas of the new show.
The North Water tells the story of Patrick Sumner (Jack O’Connell), a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ship’s doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic. Onboard he meets Henry Drax (Colin Farrell), the harpooner, a brutish killer whose amorality has been shaped to fit the harshness of his world. Butterworth plays Hester in the show and tells us about the dangerous nature of the show, working with Farrell, O’Connell, and director Andrew Haigh (45 Years), her character, and the success of the show after its US debut earlier this summer.
We also spoke about the final season of The Last Kingdom, which is leaving our screens after five hugely successful seasons. Playing Lady Aelswith for so many years has imprinted the character on Butterworth’s career forevermore and talks about saying goodbye to her and her amazing cast and crew friends, what the season has in store for us and how the show’s popularity has grown to degrees that even the cast was shocked by.
You can watch the full extended interview below:
The North Water starts on BBC Two on September 10th; the fifth season of The Last Kingdom starts in 2022.
