The North Water

Based on Ian McGuire’s acclaimed 2016 novel, The North Water is set in 1859 and follows disgraced ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner (BAFTA winner Jack O’Connell from ‘71 and Unbroken), 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 crewmates, chiefly Drax (MTV Movie Award winner Colin Farrell from The Lobster and In Bruges), a harpooner and a distinctly brutal force of nature. As the true purpose of the expedition becomes clear, the conflict between the two men takes them on a journey far from solid ground and beyond the safe moorings of civilisation.

Directed by multi-award-winning BAFTA nominee Andrew Haigh (45 Years, Looking), the five-part British/Canadian co-production’s ensemble cast also includes BAFTA nominee Stephen Graham (Boardwalk Empire, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

The North Water is nominated for two 2022 Satellite Awards: Best Miniseries & Limited Series, and Best Actor in a Miniseries for Farrell.

The series has a 95% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Globe and Mail saying, “This might be Farrell’s best work yet. His Drax is a believable monster of a man, uncivilized in thought and action, epitomizing the rawness under the surface of Victorian niceties.”