Ahead of its debut on the BBC Three, on 6 October, the cast and crew of new slasher comedy series Wreck have talked about their experiences filming.
Ryan J Brown (Creator)
Where did the idea for Wreck come from?
I’m a huge fan of the horror genre and I’m always on the lookout for a new, exciting setting. I read some shocking material about the cruise industry and I was hooked – it seemed to provide the perfect setup. I hadn’t ever seen a slasher series in the UK, and thought a cruise ship would be the perfect, unseen setting.
Can you set the series up?
Pippa Walsh (Jodie Tyack) is working aboard the Sacramentum cruise ship as an entertainer, and vanishes. Her brother Jamie (Oscar Kennedy) suspects foul play and doesn’t believe the official party line from Valorum, the cruise company, that she jumped. He buys someone else’s place on the Sacramentum and goes aboard a couple of months later to find out what happened. Within a day, he realises this is way bigger than he’d imagined, that everyone there is a suspect and that the perpetrator is still aboard the ship.
Have you ever been on a cruise?
I haven’t and not sure I ever will… Thankfully there is a wealth of material out there. You can really fall down the rabbit hole. We also spoke to people who have worked aboard some cruise liners. There are actually websites dedicated to tracking deaths and disappearances!
How did Covid affect the writing of the series?
Suddenly you had all these people trapped in their bedrooms, like cabins on cruise ships, feeling completely out of control and young people were at the mercy of adults AKA partying politicians. Who would have thought a cruise ship would be a timely representation of intergenerational divides? The show does have an uplifting message about young people coming together, finding a voice and fighting back. It’s quite cathartic: a teen slasher show and a piece of genre entertainment that also subtly looks at capitalist structures.
How did you come to film in a disused tyre factory?
We explored filming on board a cruise ship but building sets meant we had complete creative control, designed by the amazing John Leslie, which we wouldn’t have had on an actual cruise ship. What our director Chris Baugh has managed to do is insane, let alone during a pandemic. I don’t think I’ve seen a BBC Three show like it before.
Did balancing the scares and the laughs come naturally?
It’s sort of an instinctive thing. Horror is tension and comedy is release. If you have funny characters in a heightened, scary scenario, responding to terrible stuff, things sort of balance themselves naturally. Having an amazing team around me who would tell me when to reign stuff in was also super useful.
Were you paying homage to particular films or series?
The whole series is full of references and easter eggs, from character surnames to locations on the ship. The films of Wes Craven (Scream, Nightmare on Elm St) and John Carpenter (Halloween) have been big influences on me, as well as the work of George A. Romero, The League of Gentlemen, Edgar Wright. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is also a big one.
Are you easily scared?
I’m a little desensitised these days, but when I am, I love it. I’m very drawn to the strange and unsettling. Human beings, and what we’re all capable of, is the scariest thing for me.
Why did you want the killer to be dressed in a duck costume?
I wanted something that represented a shiny, corporate innocence but with a real darkness within, and Quacky felt like the perfect thing (I’m proud to be the voice of Quacky).
How was the reality of Quacky?
Terrifying. I’ve tried on the costume and it changes you! The geniuses at Millennium, who made the suit, tried lots of different prototypes and designs. It took a long time because it had to look like a real mascot that wouldn’t terrify families, while also having a really creepy edge.
How did you pull the cast together?
I spotted Oscar in a film and knew immediately that he was Jamie. With Jamie we needed somebody who could play the emotion and then switch on a dime to be really funny. We found Thaddea next, and she was literally the part I’d written – it was so strange how similar to Vivian she was. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were when we saw them do a chemistry test together. Once we’d found them, they kind of set the precedent and everyone else followed.
How important was it to have a strong LGBTQ+ representation?
It’s so important to me. The lead group of characters is predominately LGBTQ+. This was an opportunity to have a show with LGBTQ+ heroes who weren’t going through trauma about their identity. They exist in the real world where the stigma does exist, but it’s not the focus and it doesn’t define them. Horror has always been queer, from the stories to the people that make them, but often it’s been buried in subtext.
Oscar Kennedy (Jamie)
How would you describe Jamie?
Jamie is a young guy from Sheffield, not very sure of himself, quite awkward and a bit timid. He’s been completely wrecked by the loss of his sister on a cruise ship called the Sacramentum and needs to find out what happened to her. He strikes up a deal with a guy called Cormac, who worked on the Sacramentum the previous year, so Jamie can take Cormac’s place on board this year. It doesn’t quite work out like that, although Cormac does end up being one of Jamie’s good friends.
What was Pippa doing on the Sacramentum?
She was one of the entertainers, putting on shows and little musical renditions – the complete opposite of anything that Jamie would find himself doing, because he’s one of the grunts who keeps things going on the ship, out of sight of the passengers.
Were brother and sister close?
Definitely. Pippa practically raised Jamie, because they lost their mum when they were quite young and their dad is an alcoholic who isn’t any help on the occasions he is around. She was a maternal figure for Jamie, which is why it hit him so hard.
Why doesn’t Jamie believe that Pippa took her own life?
Pippa is an outgoing, happy person. The official story is that she went overboard, but he saw no reason that she would want to do that. That’s not to say that someone who projects happiness outwardly doesn’t have demons, but he knows she would have called him or spoken to him before doing anything like that. Things just don’t add up for him.
Has he had support from anyone after her death?
Not initially. Their dad wasn’t around, so Jamie had to fend for himself for a time, trying to deal with the idea that his sister might have killed herself. When he gets on board, he does meet a couple of people who begin to see this strangeness in the story and try to help him. Vivian in particular is his rock – they begin to try and uncover this thing together.
Why do Jamie and Vivian bond so tightly?
They’ve had similar situations in that they’re either estranged from their parents or don’t have them in their lives. They’re both outcasts, but they fit in with each other and they’re there to escape the normality of life at home, whatever that means.
Is Jamie a natural detective?
No, he’s just a young guy and a long way from being a pro, so he definitely needs help. He couldn’t do any of the stuff he does without the help of Vivian and Cormac.
Did you have your own theories about the identity of the killer?
It was something we were talking about, because I hadn’t seen the last two episodes when I got the part. We were hearing whispers and everyone was coming up with wild theories. I don’t think anyone got it right, so to finally read the final episodes was crazy.
Did you and Jamie have much in common?
Yeah, I relate to his awkwardness. He’s in that period of trying to figure out who and what he is, and I understood that struggle to try to fit in when you feel like you don’t.
Do you have sea legs?
No, I’m definitely a landlubber. I’d never been on a cruise, just a ferry when I was young and that’s quite different. One of my biggest fears is being lost at sea: the thought of being in the open ocean absolutely freaks me out. I’m definitely happier with my feet on the ground.
Are you a fan of the genre?
I love TV and film that bring different genres together and makes them work, which Wreck definitely does. There’s never a moment where the comedy seems forced, or the horror is pushed too much. I’ve loved Shaun of the Dead for a long time and this is a similar blend – everything works in a perfect balance.
Are you easily scared?
I don’t like to admit it, but I think I am. I remember watching the trailer of The Grudge when I was about nine and having sleepless nights thinking this scary girl was going to come after me. Hopefully, the trailer for Wreck will haunt the dreams of loads of nine-year-olds!
Were you pranking each other on board?
There were a couple of times we managed to get each other. We had an interview day where we were let loose on set, which was this disused tyre factory in Northern Ireland, so a pretty dark, scary setting already. There were so many doors to hide behind, cubby holes and drawers to fit yourself in. There’s a morgue on the ship with drawers of dead bodies in, and while Thaddea (Graham, playing Vivian) and me were filming, I pulled the drawer open and Jodie (Tyack, playing Pippa) came out and screamed – that was pretty good. The outtakes for this show will be great…
Did you film on the water?
The majority was in a studio which was amazingly convincing. The cabin rooms looked exactly like the real thing and they created this incredible long corridor called the I-95, the highway for all the crew members to get to and from where they’re going. We did shoot some scenes on the deck of The Nomadic, which is moored right outside the Titanic Museum – it’s one of the ships that used to take people to and from ship to land.
What were your thoughts on seeing Quacky for the first time?
Terrifying, he’s a fun-looking character, but stare into his eyes long enough and you’ll freak out.
What was the most challenging aspect of the shoot?
It was the first time I’d ever been involved in such a long job from start to finish, over four months. It was quite daunting at first, but I got used to it. We’d all became so close knit by the end of it.
What’s next?
Nothing official, although I’d love another series of Wreck because I want to know what’s going to come out of Ryan’s brain next.
Thaddea Graham (Vivian)
Have you ever been on a cruise?
When I was younger we went on a river cruise up the Yangtze River. It was beautiful, with mountains either side, so not your typical round-the-world cruise liner. It was only five days and we could always see land, so we didn’t feel too trapped.
Did you research into life on a cruise ship?
I came on board quite early – excuse the pun – and had loads of time to think about cruise life. I listened to a podcast called Behind the Crew Door, by someone in an onboard entertainment team and another one who did sound mixing. They talked about their stories and brought people on to talk about all the shenanigans – Ryan’s caught the drama and the small-community vibe really well: the working conditions are challenging at times, but it’s the people who pull you through.
What appealed about Wreck?
A lot of the time, scripts start strongly then the momentum dips. Wreck comes in at 10, then goes to 12, down to 11, up to 14… I couldn’t put it down. My friend was auditioning before I knew about it and asked me to help with the Irish accent, so we read the first episode and it was amazing! He told me it was shooting in Northern Ireland and they were looking for a Chinese Mancunian, but I had faith in my agent and after a couple of days she sent me the breakdown just as I was sending a message to her about it. What I love about this show is that you come as you are. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what walk of life or whether you’ve been on a cruise before, the characters take you at face value because none of that other stuff matters in the middle of the ocean – I’d never really seen that before. Plus, I’d never seen a killer duck.
How does Vivian come to be on the Sacramentum?
Vivian has told her parents that she’s gay and, while they didn’t say it was wrong, they were like, if you keep it quiet, it’ll pass. She stole their credit card and got onto the boat as a last-ditch attempt to get away from home, and finds a load of people who don’t care about any of that. She’s a lone wolf and okay with that, but when she meets Jamie she finds something she’s never had before. They’re like soulmates who just understand each other and don’t have to explain themselves. I don’t think she’s ever had that before. She’s very guarded but, without trying, he makes her feel safe and seen, and she offers that for him as well.
Ryan says he’s amazed at how similar you are to Vivian.
I’ll take that as a compliment! Vivian’s a lot braver than I am, confident and comfortable in who she is and doesn’t care whether you like it or not. She treats everyone the same and doesn’t let anyone talk down to her. We’re both stubborn and strong-willed, but she’s more reckless: I’ll take a leap of faith, but I’ll make sure there’s somewhere to land! Spending that much time as Vivian gives me a peek at what it would be like if you lived your life 100% authentically – you’ve got to save some of you in this industry, so to be totally open was amazing.
What’s her job on board?
She and Jamie are called “bloobs” because they’re newbies who wear blue T-shirts. We do all the boring jobs, we’re confined to tiny cabins and would ideally never see the light of day, whereas the entertainment crew are more glamorous – they have showers or baths in their rooms. The main hub of activity is a big corridor called the I-95, which is also one of the busiest highways in America. Fortunately, although we should be cleaning in the kitchen and toilets, we manage to find something more exciting to do.
How was the set?
We were shooting in an abandoned tyre factory in Ballymena in Northern Ireland during the winter, so it was cold! We also went on location which was bizarre, having grown up in a lot of the places that we ended up shooting in. It was my dream to be on stage at the Waterfront Hall, a big concert venue where I used to see shows when I was little, and sure enough we shot on it. We also shot on the Nomadic, a tender that used to take people out to the Titanic. The company who built it tried to make it look really glamorous, so we filmed on there for a lot of the deck scenes – that was a real honour.
Did you have your own theories about what was going on?
I had absolutely no idea what was going on. This is a big difference between Vivian and me. She was very switched on, but I was lost most of the time. When we all came in for costume fittings, only some people were being taken in for the Quacky costume, so I thought that was immediately suspicious…
What did you make of the costume?
I hated it. I’m so bad with horror, and whoever was in the Quacky suit had a lot of fun with it. They’d chase you or walk behind you and pop out. They enjoyed spooking people.
Was there a lot of that?
There was – it didn’t take much, because the combination of being cold and the mindset meant we were all quite jumpy. It wasn’t ideal because my reaction when anybody scares me is to hit them! I loved the cast though, we still have the group chat and meet up in London.
Do you have a favourite scary movie?
Train to Busan, because I really bought into the relationships, which is something that we did here –you earn all the madness. I remember a cartoon version of Noddy that I couldn’t watch because of the goblins even though they weren’t scary, they were essentially just bad kids. My mum would skip the bits in Cinderella with the stepsisters, because it frightened me too much. That just didn’t exist in my version of the story. They were all very nice and had tea parties!
What was the biggest challenge of making Wreck?
There’s a lot of blood in the show, and it’s really sticky and really cold. At one point Jamie and I get absolutely doused, which is a really cool shot, but we suffered for our art! Still, where else are you going to get covered in fake blood while screaming your head off?
Jack Rowan (Danny)
What did you make of Quacky?
I have quite a big moment with Quacky. The last thing I did with our director Chris Baugh was a film called Boys from County Hell, when I was up against an ancient Irish vampire called Abhartach. We were both thinking: what are you doing? Where’s the normal stuff? So the first thing I did when I saw it was look at our director Chris Baugh, and burst out laughing…
Are you easily scared?
I’d like to think when it comes to the deeper stuff that I’m quite brave. I’m all good with the classic slasher movies, but I don’t like supernatural stuff – I watched The Invisible Man recently and it was terrifying, and I feel the same about films like Insidious.
What’s your favourite scary movie?
Hands down, the original Halloween. Even that soundtrack gives me the chills to this day. Sometimes when I need to get into the mood of a certain character, I’ll play that because it’s so atmospheric.
Did you always fancy being in your own slasher series?
I’m up for anything. If it’s the right thing, the right people, the right vibe, I’m in. In the case of Wreck, the big draw was working with Chris again. Boys from County Hell was the last job I did before the pandemic and Chris always said that he’d want to work with me again. I didn’t have to audition, which felt like a step in the right direction.
Is it flattering that someone would look at Danny and think of you?
I’d like to think it wasn’t quite like that! I like to really focus when I’m working away, and initially an audition came through for the lead part of Jamie. I never auditioned in the end, but while I was in a ten-day hotel isolation in South Africa on another job, the role of Danny came up so I was up for it.
How would you describe Danny?
He seems to think a lot of himself, but he’s definitely misunderstood. There’s a picture painted of him from the outside but, much like a lot of people, there’s a deeper thing going on inside. He might appear to be one way, but he has a lot more heart than you might think.
What is Danny’s history with Pippa?
They’ve been in a relationship and, at the beginning of the show, they’re going through some difficulties. Danny very much loved Pippa and really misses her. There’s a bit where he brings a girl back to his room, then it flashes forward to the post-coital moments and he says, “you can stay if you want”. He’s trying to be cool and blasé, but I read into it that he really could do with the company.
Does he have a tribe on board ship?
Danny’s done a few tours of duty and got past the initiation period that Jamie is going through. Now he’s the one doing the initiations. He’s one of the cool kids who are like, if you want to be part of our team, you have to do what we say. But there’s a human under the bravado
What is Danny’s official job title?
He’s part of the entertainment crew, although that term covers a lot of bases. There are no actual scenes of me doing any of the singing and dancing, but I know people who’ve done a year on a cruise.
Were you tapping those people up for insights?
Not really. My girlfriend’s dad used to be an entertainer on a cruise ship, he would do comedy, singing, a bit of everything in a one-man show. He was very much into cruises and my girlfriend went on cruises a lot to visit him. But I’ve never been on a cruise. I don’t think it’s for me. If I’m away for a long job, I can usually look out the window and make little local connections. On cruises, you’re in different places every day. I love the ocean, but I’m too much of a home-comforts person for a cruise.
What will your girlfriend’s dad will make of Wreck?
I’m sure he’ll love it! It’s got charm and, with it being on BBC Three, it’s got that young feel. The killings hit hard, but there’s also comedy there.
How immersive was the set?
I had the worst start to that job ever! When I got there, I was already booked into my hotel and the producer rang me to tell me I’d got Covid, so I was in a hotel for ten days and couldn’t leave the room. It was pretty frustrating, but once I actually got on set, it was amazing.
What was the biggest challenge of the shoot?
It was quite cold, but we were supposed to be in the Bahamas in tight polo shirts and shorts and skirts. I was doing a scene in water and it was freezing cold: I went from being cold to more cold and then, after I got out, even colder. But I love getting stuck in, so it was a rush and a fun set to be on.
Wreck premieres on BBC Three on 6 October.
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