Surrounded by the savage beauty of the frozen landscape, Fortitude, a small town in the arctic circle, is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now.
SKY ATLANTIC’S EAGERLY anticipated new drama Fortitude starts tonight.
If the hype is to believed, this drama set in Svalbard in the Arctic Circle is the next big TV hit.
The premise centres around the discovery of the body of a local research scientist, in a town where nobody is born or dies, and polar bears outnumber people three to one.
Intrigued? US TOO!
Here’s why it should be next on your list.
It’s got quite the cast
Michael Gambon, Sofie Grabol (The Killing), Christopher Eccleston, Aaron McCusker, Richard Dormer and Stanley Tucci to name but a few.
STANLEY TUCCI!
Yes, him from The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games and BoJack Horseman.
It’s got an “iceberg thick plot”
According to The Guardian Fortitude is “one of those dramas that plants tiny clues in quietly muttered and seemingly inconsequential lines, teases at intricate backstories then slams the shutters closed”.
Colour us interested.
It looks beautiful
The series was filmed on location on a glacier in Iceland, while in London the interior scenes were filmed by the same production designer used by Game of Thrones.
The promotional hijinks
To promote Fortitude Sky Atlantic took a life-sized polar bear around the streets of London.
https://vine.co/v/OTdFTLlaVMx
It’s the most expensive British drama ever made
At £30million this is a big gamble. Director of Sky Atlantic Zai Bennet says the show is “not really an experiment” but rather a nod to where Sky’s ambitions lie for the channel.
If you’re wondering where they spent that £30m, here’s one costly move: They shipped snow from London to Iceland for shooting, because it didn’t snow enough on location.
