The quest to find a source of bio-fuels at the bottom of the Arctic ocean is the main theme behind The Deep, a new five part science-fiction series due to start on the BBC on Tuesday 3 August 2010. The action is set aboard The Orpheus, a high-technology submarine sent to isolate and exploit the genetic qualities of the organisms found in the vent fields of the Lomonosov Ridge.
But the last crew sent on a similar mission disappeared, and as well as fighting extreme conditions they soon realise that they are not the only ones out there. What they do not know is if the others are there to search for the same bio-fuel and other natural resources, to salvage the previous submarine or just stop them finding out what happened to the previous crew.
Captain Frances Kelly (played by Minnie Driver) has to hold all this together while dealing with the extra problem of chief engineer Clem Donnelly (played by James Nesbitt), whose main concern is finding out what happened to his wife who was on the previous mission. Her difficulties are not helped when the Admiralty forces her to take a salvage expert – Raymond Hopkins (played by Tobias Menzies) – with her at the last moment. Hopkins’ real agenda is not clear.
The mystery deepens when disaster strikes and they are rescued by a seemingly empty and vastly superior Russian submarine.
The Actors in The Deep
British singer-songwriter and actress Minnie Driver had no qualms about taking on the role despite saying she would never act in anything involving water again after her role as Karen in the 1998 film Hard Rain. “I really like strong female characters in films and television and yeah, Frances Kelly is a very committed, apparently single minded captain, and scientist,” she said “I was very attracted to that.”
Her opposite number is Irish actor James Nesbitt, whose role as Tommy Murphy in Murphy’s Law twice gained him best actor nominations at the Irish Film & Television Awards. His dual role of the doctor and Hyde in Steven Moffat’s Jekyll earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
Goran Visnjic plays Samson, a married marine biologist who has a fling with Kelly to add to the underwater confusion. Visnjic is well known for his role as Luka Kovac in ER and as the lead in the 2004 TV movie Spartacus.
Tobias Menzies was Brutus in the 2005 TV series Rome, Andrew Lawrence in Spooks and Frank Gallagher in Casualty. He also played Villiers in the 2006 big screen production of the James Bond movie Casino Royale.
Also in The Deep are Sacha Dhawan as Vincent, Vera Filatova as Svetlana, Antonia Thomas as Maddy, Orla Brady as Catherine Donnelly, Molly Jones as Scarlet Donnelly, Sinead Cusack as Meg Sinclair and Shonagh Price as Sandra.
The Team Behind The Deep
The Deep was written by Simon Donald and Paul Rutman, produced by Will Gould and directed by Colm McCarthy and Jim O'Hanlon. The executive producer is Greg Brenman. It was made by Tiger Aspect for the BBC.
The Deep and the Environment
The Deep raises a number of environmental issues concerning exploiting the natural resources of the Arctic for short-term gain against preserving it as an area for biological study. This conflict is thrown into the mix in the TV series to add to the drama.
Steve Rogerson - Steve Rogerson is a UK-based writer specialising in television, technology, sports and beer.
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