The Rig season 2 can only mean one thing! Martin Compston, Iain Glen and Emily Hampshire are back for a second season of Prime Video's supernatural thriller and this time the crew of former oil rig Kinlock Bravo are in the Arctic Circle where they face a fight for the future of humanity.
“We find ourselves in a very different alien environment with the big players in this world starting to abuse the planet in different ways,” says Iain Glen. “In the broadest sense I think it’s about the future of the planet.”
Here’s everything you need to know about The Rig series 2….
The Rig season 2 release date
The Rig season 2 launches worldwide on Prime Video from Friday January 3 2025.
Is there a trailer for The Rig season 2?
Yes there's a trailer for The Rig season 2 and we see the rescued crew taken to a secret Arctic facility after the devastating tsunami. We see them work out Pictar’s plans for the Arctic and how this threatens to bring about "the end of all life". Can they take on the company and save humanity? Take a look below...
The Rig season 2 plot
The Rig season 2 picks up directly after the events of The Rig season 1, when a deadly tsunami swept across the coast of the North Sea, we see the crew rescued. But rather than heading home to their loved ones, they are horrified to find themselves airlifted to a secret offshore facility in the heart of the Arctic Circle. There they meet Pictar CEO, Morgan Lennox, played by Alice Krige, and discover the company’s plans for the seabed. And once again, this will put them on a collision course with the mysterious lifeforce called the Ancestor.
The Rig season 2 returning cast
The Rig season 2 sees the return of Martin Compston as Fulmer Hamilton, Emily Hampshire as Rose Mason and Iain Glen once again playing Magnus MacMillan. Also look out for Owen Teale (Lars Hutton), Rochenda Sandall (Cat Braithwaite), Stuart McQuarrie (Colin Murchison), Abraham Popoola (Easter Ayodeji), Mark Addy (David Coake), Molly Vevers (Heather) and Nikhil Parmar (Harish).
New cast joining The Rig season 2
Star Trek Picard's Alice Krige is joining The Rig season 2 as Morgan Lennox. The Queen’s Gambit and Midas Man star Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Ross Anderson (The Last Kingdom), Phil McKee (Deadwater Fell), Mark Addy (Game of Thrones) and Johannes Roaldsen Fürst also join the cast.
Interview with Iain Glen on The Rig season 2
We hear The Rig series two is a fight for the future. What can you tell us about that?
Iain Glen says: "Thematically both the first and second series are about how we are treating the planet, most loosely and most broadly. And the second series gets into that even more. So the most important future is ours, humanities in relation to the world in which we live. I get to the end of a series like The Rig and think ‘where the hell do you go from here?’ and honestly I was just bowled over in terms of what writer David Macpherson put together in terms of a script. How do you harness the themes you’ve already set up and yet generate a whole new world that deals with it and goes deeper? That’s what he’s done."
What can you tell us about The Rig series 2?
"We were very fortunate. They gave us all six episodes to prepare for this and the final sequence is breathtaking. Actors always want to be in the place where they are filming so when we first started this it was like ‘oh great, we’re going to get onto an oil rig and it will be brilliant’ and it was like ‘woah woah’.
"Actually, it would be impossible to film on a rig so you have to be pragmatic about it. So, a big part of this show is about what can they do to create this world around us. I think they have done the most amazing job, particularly in this second season because it gets monumental and it gets under the water as well as over the water. In a nutshell for us as a crew you find us in a very familiar environment in the first season with very unfamiliar things happening.
"In this one you find us in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar things happening so it’s double alien to us. We were asked to go outside of our knowledge in the first season and now we’re transported to this other place. It’s doubly disorientating. Right from the word go they have managed to create and generate this world for us to be inside which is very plausible and what the big players are up to is very plausible. You kickstart right from the word go. There’s no scene setting or main character setting, we are off. I hope people love it as much as we do. We felt really good watching it. You never can tell but I think it has a lovely feel."
What can you tell us about the filming of The Rig season 2?
"In the first series, we bled out into the waters of Leith and drone shots were done in the Arctic. But if you commit to doing these sequences inside a studio you can just do so much more. The fact that we can control that environment means you can do infinite things. It’s cutting edge. I’m very proud as an Edinburgh-born boy that we are doing this there. The technology they are using and the things they are doing to generate these worlds is really cutting-edge. As an actor I’m used to staring at dragons that aren’t there because that’s part of our world, dealing with green screen, blue screen but when the environment is being put around you, it’s a different level of it. I approach with trepidation when I watch it but I was blown away. It’s just fantastic what they’ve done."
It's all very claustrophobic. Do you have any fears in real life?
"I don’t think I do. No. I’ve got children who have got phobias about everything and I’m always the one who is picking up the spider or doing whatever. I think things change though. Looking back, I was so careless when I was a kid. I’ve done the highest bungee in the world and I’ve done a skydive but if you asked me to do that now I’m not sure I’d be rushing at it in quite the same way."
Can you tell us the new Pictar CEO Lennox, played by Alice Krige?
"Lennox is high up, a different echelon of Pictar who arrives to try and clean up the mess of what’s happened at the end of the last season. They are on damage control and this lady comes in very high up to manage it. We discover she has a previous relationship with Emily’s character which was complicated and things were promised but didn’t happen in terms of her route through the company. There’s a good backstory there."
How are the characters dealing with the emotional fallout from series one?
"Obviously there are characters who are very concerned about family that has been left. They are transported to this world that they don’t expect to be in but the main thing is they are having to think very quickly on their feet because they are dealing with an unfamiliar world and they are jack-knifed into a role that they are very unsure whether they should be playing. Pictar are asking something of us so everything is tarnished with the worry about the loved ones that are left behind and what’s actually going on all up the East Coast where most of the damage has been done by the massive wave. All that is in the ether at the beginning of the series."
Did you do any stunts this season?
"There were some. There’s a whole car driving sequence which was fairly hairy. There’s also a massive ice sequence where it gives underneath which we all had to get down and dirty to do. There’s a big underwater sequence as well. Nearly every episode has a fairly significant set piece that is asking something from us as actors. I don’t think any new skills were required for what we were required to do but just a lot of physical demands on it. I’ll never forget falling off a rig for series one. I was literally with the stunt guy saying, ‘mate just listen, I don’t need to wear the harness, get it off. It’s restrictive, just let me go, I’ll be fine’. And they were like ‘Iain sorry we’ve got to put the harness on’ and me going ‘ok’ and then falling off. What an idiot."
What can you tell us about the relationships in The Rig series 2?
"Fulmer’s relationship with Emily in this second season really blossoms and it’s incredibly difficult but I think they do it really, really well. The circumstances don’t really lend themselves to these guys getting to know each other but you can really feel the attraction between them right through the whole series and in those moments they manage to snatch together. Whereas the series deals with pertinent things we should all be wrestling with it really is primarily an entertainment thing and there’s great thrills throughout but there’s also a really touching love story that is happening at the heart of it as well and in other areas of the drama as well."
Did they create real ice for you?
"They really have. You’re dealing with the same elements that you would be if you were on a glacier in Iceland but it just doesn’t happen to be minus 20C. A lot of what we were doing was negotiating the danger of walking across ice that you don’t quite know how it’s behaving then very dramatic things happen that are quite unexpected to do with the ice and the ice changing shape and melting. It’s not that hard to do because they absolutely put you inside the environment. It’s about looking after yourself in the environment and committing to what is happening within the scene."
What was it like when you first saw the sets?
"Where we shoot this in Leith in Edinburgh, it’s a vast, vast studio so like in the first season we were able to create a triple deck rig using all original stuff this time they were able to expand into really big areas when we were shooting exterior scenes. You are able to look out on the ice. What we are on is a vast mobile unit which was a big surprise to us. So this stack actually moves which comes as a big plot change within the series as well. So in some of the places on set you can literally look out through water into the ocean and you’re looking out into the ice scape. It’s high-tech territory because Pictar are cutting edge with what they are trying to do with investigating and sourcing these different minerals. So there are very detailed sets."
Has it made think twice about being green?
"You do your best and I certainly try but the big players in this field do need to do their bit. We can do what we can in our domestic lives but whether you are still going for fossil fuels that’s not something I feel I can affect too much. The people in those fields have got to listen to the scientists and I feel like they were at one point and now somehow it feels like there’s been a bit more tilting societally away from being green. You can hear two people and one is painting a positive picture and the other is painting a negative picture as to whether countries are genuinely trying to find greener solutions to energy."
Will there be The Rig season 3?
"We know it’s in the ether, we know it’s a possibility. At the end of season one we hoped for a season two and we thought the end of the season was begging for another season. It certainly was throwing up a huge question mark. And we were all delighted but Prime Video keep their cards close to their chest understandably so we won’t know. But the early signs are that there’s moves towards that. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. It’s one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever done. For no other reason than we have a laugh, I think they should it. There’s a shadow cast over the end that has a similar feel to the first season which makes you wonder what the hell is going to happen next."
Interview with Martin Compston
What can you tell us about the crew’s fight for the future in The Rig season 2?
Martin Compston says: "David has done a wonderful job. He’s just shining a light on things and it made me wonder why is there not more urgency? People are seeing these ice caps are melting and then what is underneath. There’s a whole lot of resources under there and that ice disappearing is going to benefit somebody and at some point there will be a fight to see who owns what and who can grab what. it almost seems to be this point with us that before we understand anything or try to explore what is happening on the seabed floor, we try to exploit it for monetary value. The show is entertainment first, it has to be. If you just hammer people over the head with a message people can lose interest in it. There are more subtle and clever ways of doing this. You can get across this important message by making this huge, entertaining sci-fi show."
What more can you tell us about The Rig series 2?
"The difficult part of a lot of first series is just setting up a lot of the characters and who they are and what they are about. With this because the main cast is already set up, we’re straight into it. There’s that thing about where is this helicopter going. We were all hoping it was going somewhere a bit warmer but we’ve ended up in the Arctic and right away you have this sense of claustrophobia because we’re out there on our own. With an oil rig in general, never mind one in the Arctic, if don’t like somebody you are going to be in close quarters with them all the time. There are places to hide but you’re working right on top of them. We introduce all our new characters who seamlessly come in and do a wonderful job. But it really kicks off straight into the action with this series and it feels like everything about season two feels bigger. We always wanted to make something ambitious with a global reach. I always think with a horror or a sci-fi show there can be a great story but then it falls apart when you see it, whatever it is, because everybody has their own imagination and it can be underwhelming. This show when it comes to the crescendo is overwhelming. It’s really emotional and the special effects are incredible. The last 20 minutes of the show deserves to be on a big screen. It’s really spectacular."
What can you tell us about the filming of it?
"We’ve got a brilliant sequence out on the ice shelf. For me, it just made me proud that we could pull this off all in Scotland. The technology and the amazing sets they can build down there are wonderful. From that point of view I’m really chuffed to be a part of it. It feels like it’s getting bigger and bigger. Iain is an Edinburgh native and I have to say it’s one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. It’s a brilliant place to film and we just have a laugh. Filming the first one in Covid in some ways was tough but because we were all in a bubble together, we could only hang out with each other so it built this great camaraderie between us. So by the time we got to the second one we were all buzzing to get back to it. It’s one of the nicest jobs I’ve ever been on.
"That’s no reason to recommission a multi-million-pound series just so we can have a laugh but it’s something I really look forward to. Myself, Iain and Emily and John Strickland the director always had a weekly dinner and it’s the highlight of the week. It’s a lovely job. On set, every now and again we had to do that cold hand acting because we were meant to be in the Arctic and the costumes were basically the proper grade stuff people would wear up there. But when me and Iain were doing lap after lap after lap, it gets a bit toasty in those things. Iain is a fabulous number one, he sets the tone for everybody and comes and has great fun but me and Emily struggle at times having not gone to drama school and in the earthquake scenes I was acting in a way I felt quite nervous to do. But Iain fully commits to it and he brings you along with him."
Do you have phobias in real life?
"No there’s nothing particularly. My wife is terrified of spiders. I’d probably say it would have been heights but I’ve done a skydive so I kind of get a kick out of fear. There’s a bit of me that when things scare me a bit I kind of enjoy it. Us actors store those feelings so you can tap into at a later date. There’s an element of the narcissist about it because you still feel like you’re in a spy movie."
Did you enjoy acting with the new cast members?
"Alice comes with such pedigree and a massive CV. Ross Anderson and Phil McKee bring a bit of Scottish grit. They really committed. They pull off those roles as tough oil rig men really convincingly. I know it sounds very odd but they do bring a bit of danger that feels real. Johannes is good fun. I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time in Norway before we started filming and they are all just a little bit off-centre in the sweetest way possible. They have got a wonderful sense of humor and Johannes’ character is so quirky that I think it’s a brilliant bit of casting. He’s great."
Did you do any stunts this season?
"Out on the ice, there’s a big set piece that was quite something. The technology now is fantastic. We’ve got this green screen and we’ve got these iPads where you can see what you’re looking at in the distance and if you get closer it gets closer and further away the same. I don’t think we can call it a stunt but that final sequence with a couple of characters on this journey, I’m immensely proud of how it’s turned out. There was a moment at the end when you’re seeing these things and they did this amazing shot. It’s hard to commit to those things sometimes and I find it easier to commit to these things when I’m on my own. When you’ve got really good actors around you, you’re thinking, ‘are they are thinking why the hell is he pulling that face?’ whereas on my own at times I can completely disappear especially as Fulmer has got this ongoing thing with the connection so he’s got all this stuff going on in his head. There was one moment when they had these amazing lights in front of us and I really felt like I felt it on my own. I felt like I was at the place and the scenario and the scene worked out when he's in a dark place mentally and physically and then it was nice to see that shot because I felt in the moment I was really living and feeling this thing and when I saw it back I felt like that came across. That’s really satisfying because sometimes what you are feeling inside doesn’t always commute on screen for that moment. For that particular moment I really felt like everything came together. I’m really excited for people to see that end sequence."
Did they create real ice for you?
"In practical terms, a big thing from the props people was don’t step on the fresh snow because nobody would have stepped where we’re about to step. Nobody would have been in that world so it had to be fresh. We did have that ice shelf which was really good for us physically to be able to have space to run and move and crawl and get involved in and see what we are supposed to see around us. We also have a new toy this season which is very spectacular. I showed my little boy and he’s convinced I’m on a spaceship. It has that feel to it. Everything seems to be cutting edge."
Has it made you more aware of being green?
"I hope we’ve already been thinking that. I think any right-minded person knows we’re getting to a critical point now if we’re not already past it so everybody should be doing their bit. Not everybody can afford an electric car right away but if you do the right things it helps. There are bigger questions here that the series is addressing as we keep kicking this down for future generations but it’s got to get to some point where people stand up and go we’ve got to do something about this now."
Will there be The Rig series 3?
"Let’s see if we make it. I would love to do another one with the guys. It’s been one of the most enjoyable jobs I’ve ever been on. The thought of doing another one would be great but let’s see what the viewers think. It’s got to do well. The first one was a huge success so we got another one, so I’m hoping that now we have somewhat of an inbuilt audience and you’re going to have people come back to watch it. I think they’ll be in for a treat because I do think it’s a step up. Everything about it feels bigger. I think it’s got legs. Sometimes you come to an end of something and you go ‘that was good, it was a good run but now it’s over’ but you feel like with David’s writing and these pertinent questions about what’s going on with energy, then there’s plenty of scope for it to keep going."
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
