Series due to be broadcast in the autumn after filming in the Arctic and Hungary also stars Colin Farrell
This England, Line of Duty and Time star Stephen Graham goes further than he has ever done before for his new BBC drama.
Filming for The North Water took place in the Arctic, in the frozen seas of the Svalbard archipelago – sailing as far as 81 degrees north, the furthest point north it is believed a drama series has ever filmed before.
Set in Hull and on the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s, The North Water is based on the novel by Ian McGuire and alongside Graham as Captain Brownlee, stars Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell (who also starred in This Is England) and Tom Courtenay.
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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 (an almost unrecognisable 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 BBC has today released images from the forthcoming drama, filming for which also took place in Hungary.
The North Water will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer this autumn.