The North Water

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1859. Patrick Sumner joins The Volunteer as a ship's surgeon, hoping to lose himself in the tough physicality of an Arctic whaling trip. But the ferocity of the elements is matched by the violence of his crew mates, with Drax, a harpooner, a 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 way beyond the safe moorings of civilisation.

The The North Water, released on DVD 18th October 2021 from BBC Worldwide, is based on the book by English author and academic Ian McGuire, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Much of the shoot took place north of the Svalbard Archipelago, the cast and crew working entirely offshore in the Arctic Ocean.