Wreck: Oscar Kennedy and Thaddea Graham tease ‘f***ing scary’ series two
Exclusive: The second series of the BBC horror series is "quite fucked up in a lot of ways," say the show's stars
The second series of the BBC series Wreck is fast approaching, with a premiere set for 26 March.
Previously the show’s writer and creator, Ryan J. Brown, has teased a “bigger and bloodier” sophomore series. In case you’d forgotten (Spoiler alert!) series one ended with Jamie (Oscar Kennedy) and Vivian (Thaddea Graham) leading the crew of the Velorum cruise ship The Sacramentum in a revolt against the staff after discovering a hideous plot.
Wreck series two will find the small band continuing to try and take Velorum down, this time at a ‘wellness’ festival for millionaires up in the Slovenian countryside. But things probably won’t go as planned even just based on the images we’ve seen so far!
Last summer, as the cast and crew wound down production on Wreck series two, Attitude got the chance to chat with the cast, including Kennedy and Graham about the upcoming series and what fans can expect.
Where do we meet your characters in series two?
Oscar Kennedy: We pick them up in London. Some of the main gang from season one have got an apartment together. We’re six months on from where we left them in series one. And you can tell that a lot of things have happened. But some people are still thinking about the events of series one, maybe more so than others.
Thaddea Graham: They’ve all been through a trauma, essentially. That bonds people in a very unique way. And for Vivian especially, where we find her at the top of series two mentally it’s very dark. Having to deal with everyday stuff is hard. The things that we then get put up against start to create conflict within her and with other people. People she would have turned to, she doesn’t really feel like she can. She’s feeling quite isolated.
OK: Jamie’s there but he’s not really there. Whereas Vivian is trying to get on with life, Jamie’s still on the Velorum train trying to bring them down. Vivian takes a hit for that because he’s not there for her as much as I think he probably would like to be if he was conscious of how much she is hurting.
TG: I think Vivian’s just tired because of so many things. And I think with Jamie’s dogged focus on Velorum, she’s like, ‘Can we take a second?’ I think that in any relationship any situation is tricky when two people have conflicting ideas. But they both want the same thing. They have different methods of going about it.
Some potentially rocky territory for the relationship. It’s still a relationship we don’t see enough – queer platonic friendship. What was it like bringing that to the screen?
TG: So important. We need more of that. It’s what we said about series one; they have each other’s backs and they see something in each other that other people wouldn’t take the time to look for. It’s been really lovely playing that. A lot of the time you see queer characters or relationships and it’s hard. That is true. But it can also be joyous. And you can find people who accept you, and, in the loveliest way, don’t care. They care about you but who you fancy doesn’t matter. Something that shines through is that friendship. I like that the show offers that to young people, especially, and to all ages.
How does this series build off the last? Ryan has said in the past about going “wild” with the horror aspect.
TG: He’s nailed it there. This year is a lot darker and it’s gorier. And it’s darker mentally, and it’s quite fucked up in a lot of ways. Series two feels like series one’s older sibling. It feels bigger. Even tonally and how it’s been shot, it looks more mature.
OK: Yeah, it’s a lot darker. I mean, episode one alone… Even before getting any scripts for series two, hearing the direction that Ryan was taking I didn’t know what to expect. Then I read episode one and was like, ‘Okay!’. It’s going in a completely darker direction.
TG: We’re gonna see these characters that we love, and hopefully relate to, quite conflicted and having to make hard decisions that will change them going forward.
What are you looking forward to people seeing?
TG: I like seeing the gang out of their comfort zone. I don’t know if they were in control of the ship, but it feels like they were starting to get a plan together. Whereas this feels like we’re just winging it. Some big revelations come along that they barely have time to deal with.
OK: They literally have no time, it’s one after the other. As soon as they get one bombshell another one is dropped on them like straight after. It’s crazy.
TG: I’m excited about a lot of the gory stuff in this series. Series one felt like quirky horror. This feels like dark and scary.
How has it been dialing up the horror aspects?
TG: Really enjoyable. I hate watching [horror] so much but being part of creating it is so fascinating. It does make me excited to watch it but I don’t know if I’ll be able to. It’s such a credit to Ryan and the whole team behind it that even though I know what’s happening, it still is fucking scary.
Ryan’s also talked about having a big three series plan. Has he shared details about a potential third series?
OK: Only in bits, small anecdotal things. Nothing that gives a full overview
TG: We’ll see what he’s building towards. It’s all hinting towards something bigger that none of us really could have imagined. I think we’re gunning towards that.
What has it been like to see the Wreck audience grow?
OK: It’s really exciting. It’s nice to see that people have engaged with it and responded positively.
TG: I was delighted for Ryan, especially, because this is his baby. In the writing, you see all these nods to the genre. He loves horror, and he’s so clued up on it. For it to do well and for him to get that success, he so deserves it. That was one of the best things because he’s such a good person.