Boats and Stunts

(calm, eerie music) - Why don't we put that down?

- One of the interesting elements of shooting the series has been that it's a very varied approach to a script.

So, it's a really nice mix of the personal and the very dynamic.

So we go from being something that focuses on one camera with one character into something that is multiple cameras, cameras on quad bikes, cameras on boats.

We've used all sorts of different techniques, ways of getting as many shots as possible to cut together these very dynamic action sequences.

(thud) (car exploding) We've had some great explosions in this season as well.

(car exploding) And then we've been lucky enough to have a drone with us for the duration of production.

But it wasn't just about the idea of using the drone as a flying element to be high and wide, but to also try and bring it in and make it a little bit more personal and give us this sense that the camera, although high, would often drop down into the actor's space, as the scenes were beginning, in particular.

It also gives us this flexibility to get out over the water, which is also something that's very, very difficult to do in any traditional sense.

- I think of the top five hardest films ever made, I think at least two of them have been shot on the water, that being Jaws and Water World, and they all cite working on water being an utter nightmare.

I think at least on Water World, they had the sense to shoot that in the Caribbean or somewhere like that.

But to shoot boats on the west coast of Scotland in winter, I hope is one of the toughest things that we'll ever do on camera, because just the nature of the sea and how she works.

And I remember seeing at one point we had five boats on the water, and I was looking at the boats and they were all going in separate directions.

Yeah, and that kind of sums it up really.

(laughing) - Nicola Walker's learned how to drive a powerboat, Jamie has learned how to drive a powerboat as well, I think Ukweli is going to do his license, and that's really fun to see the actors enjoying that very much.

(waves crashing) - Round and round us.

- You have to learn to drive things when you're an actor, you have to jump in and out of cars and stuff, but I've never driven a boat.

I have never.

So a complete novice.

It's all very well when you're sitting at home reading that you jump into the RIB and fly up the Clyde, then of course you got to learn how to jump in the RIB and how, not only to drive the RIB, but how to drive bigger boats.

- So I'm now the proud owner of a level two powerboat license, which is recognized all over the world, so I can go anywhere in the world whatsoever and say, "I'm commandeering that boat, thanks."

- You know, it's like you've gotta fake it to look as though you've been doing it forever.

And when you're, you know, a beginner you tend to be very careful.

And I was really nervous about it.

It's just sometimes I think you can see the terror (laughing) around my mouth, I'm trying very hard to cover it.

It's either terror or just like, just absolute joy.

It sort of veers between the two.

- Piloting a RIB at 30 knots down the Clyde has been just great fun.

I mean, who gets to do that?

It's wonderful.

Can't get enough.

So just do more stuff, and I'm looking forward to be seeing more stuff in scripts about me, maybe even, maybe like that Bond chase along the Thames, something like that.

- When we do the scenes of Annika arriving into harbour or pulling up to a pontoon, I am... Look I'm smiling and acting, but inside the internal monologue is just me swearing in terror.

Because when you're trying to act and you're trying to neatly, essentially park, a very expensive boat it's quite, it's really frightening.

It's really frightening.

If you make a mistake, it's going to be expensive, and they talk to you like you're the captain.

I mean, that's the rule, you know, I am, it's my boat, I am the captain of the boat!

(laughing) I think they've got a lot of faith in me, probably more than I have in my skills.

- We have had a great boat team and we've had very willing actors and that's really fun to see the actors enjoying that very much.

And our crew are, you know, they're really good at dealing with the challenges of taking on the water.

Oh, it's been a fantastic show to make and we are really, really proud of everything that we've achieved here.

(seagulls calling) (calm, eerie music)