Stephen: 'Filming in South Africa is such a joy'
Wild At Heart is back on ITV1 on Sundays and we spoke to actor Stephen Tompkinson about what's in store for jungle fans... This series begins in London doesn't it? That's a new twist for a show about the African safari... "Yes it does. It opens with Danny and Alice's honeymoon. I thought we'd be going somewhere glamorous but no.. rainy London! We filmed at the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral." What happens while they're in London? "We meet Danny's dad, who he's been estranged from for a long time. His dad was a bit of a Lothario and left his mum when Danny was 18 for a nurse and cut off all ties. He hasn’t heard of him at all. He comes back into his life in a surprise way." Does he follow Danny back to Africa? "Alice invites him back and they attempt to patch things up. But there's a bit of a twist to the tale..." What else is in store for you this year? "Danny has a new job. He goes for the job of state vet where he feels he could do some good. And then there's a bit of a threat to Leopard's Den when a mining company starts developing the land around it." Do you still enjoy making the show? "Yes, I'm not bored of it yet and they always manage to move the story on. As long as it gets the viewing figures, I'd hope we will keep making it. Filming in South Africa is just such a joy - it's not a bad job..."
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.