The Season 3 Battles Have Begun in Northern Ireland

By Cat Taylor  

Photo Credit: Helen Sloan

In the forests of Clandeboye, on a Wednesday afternoon in August, a man and his wife were walking their dog and heard the sound of a fight.

It was an important rehearsal, and the two main protagonists are two of my season favorites: an unexpected pairing, whose war of words is almost as full-on as the fight. This struggle has been choreographed and rehearsed for weeks, with each move carefully placed to match the terrain. The fighters wore pads and fell on crash matts, though for the close-ups later in the week, during the first night shoot of the season, the landing would not be quite so comfortable. It will be a character-defining scene, for more than one who is involved, so it has to be done well.

More departments began to arrive for a full run-through. VFX was involved in creating the final moments of the scene, and special effects had a lot to do to make it all work. Armoury had designed a special weapon for this scene alone, and there was a nervous moment when it was first tested against the wood of a massive tree stump and the body of one of our brave stunt guys.

The couple asked what was happening, and looked on for a while, but were gently guided toward the path. What happens next is too big a secret for anyone to know, and it certainly can’t be told by me.