Tomorrow (Sunday 12 July) sees the start of new BBC1 drama The Outcast, which stars George MacKay as deeply troubled teenager Lewis Aldridge who's just been released from prison.
The drama is an adaptation of the award-winning novel by Sadie Jones and is spans the 1940s and 1950s.
But while 23-year-old George had fun going back in time to play the lead role, he admits that he hit a stumbling block with the cars.
“It was wonderful," he says. "There is so much heaviness within the script that I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit of fun getting to wear the suits and drive the cars. That was really exciting.
“There’s a sense of edginess in that time, and a sense of possibility, and that was echoed in the clothes they wear. I loved all the costumes.”
Daisy Bevan and George MacKay star in The Outcast (BBC)
But asked how he’d found being behind the wheel of the vintage cars, he admitted: “Well, there was one scene which is quite argumentative and I just remember stalling four times in filming and having to go back and back and back. You forget when you speed off in the final cut that you stalled three or four times before that.”
George says that although filming was intense, he’d still enjoyed making the programme.
“There was an intensity to the whole thing and we were working really quickly so there was a real excitement and a buzz," he says. "You’re constantly jumping in and out of heavy and emotional scenes and playing different ages.
(BBC)
“The focus that everyone had to have pulled us together and we had a lovely time, which was so important. When you’re dealing with heavy themes, you need to feel you can count on everyone. I always looked forward to being on set, no matter how intense the subject matter was.”
The Outcast begins on Sunday, 12 July at 9.00pm on BBC1.
