Channel 5's hit drama The Game returns for a second season on Tuesday, September 1, with Jason Watkins and Robson Green reprising their roles as former detective Huw Miller and serial killer Patrick Harbottle respectively.
The synopsis for the new series reads: "A year after surviving a brutal stabbing, Huw believes he has escaped the psychological grip of serial killer Patrick, now imprisoned for his crimes. But Patrick is not finished. From behind bars, he begins a new game - one that reaches deep into Huw’s family, dismantling his moral compass and forcing him toward an unthinkable choice: stopping Patrick for good might just come at a devastating personal cost."
Filming in the Basque Country
Like the first series, season two was shot in the Basque Country. While season one featured scenes filmed in Bilbao and Vitoria Gasteiz, filming for the new instalment largely took place in San Sebastian.
Indy Lewis, who plays Huw's daughter Margot Miller, said of the location: "When they said we were filming the whole of series two in San Sebastian it was fantastic. I speak a bit of Spanish but in the Basque Country they also speak Euskera, which is the dialect."
She added: "We were trying to get our crew to teach us things like, ‘what time is lunch?’ and ‘hello’ and ‘thank you.’ It was nice to try and stretch my language a bit."
Cast praise for San Sebastian
Lewis also praised the local food: "The food in San Sebastian is incredible. There are all these pinchos bars. Pinchos are like tapas. You can go from bar to bar for your meal, which we did regularly. A lot of the time we were like, ‘This isn’t a job!’ And in Spain, you not only have lunch you have bocata, which is sandwich time. That is mandatory, so you basically have two lunches. We should have that at home!"
Amber James, who plays DS Jenny Atkins, said of the crew: "Our crew were amazing. I grew up in the South of Spain. I moved to Spain when I was about eight and did most of my schooling there. I don’t speak Basque – that’s a whole other world – but I speak Spanish and a lot of the crew, thankfully, also spoke Spanish."
She continued: "They were so pleased when you have a go at speaking their language with them. We laughed every day. It was such a lovely group of people. They are very down to earth. Their culture is very chilled, and they can’t do enough to make sure that you are happy and enjoying yourself. I made a lot of good friends."
Places to visit in San Sebastian
After shooting in San Sebastian, James recommended the old town: "For me, it would be the old town, just wandering around the streets. It’s such a charming place. You almost feel like you are in Verona. It has all these little winding streets with balconies with washing hanging up. Everyone is leaning over their balconies with cigarettes and coffee in the morning."
She added: "It’s a lovely soundscape to wake up to. Have a wander early morning as the city is waking up."
Starring alongside Watkins and Green are Sunetra Sarker, Indy Lewis, Amber James, Sonny Ashbourne Serkis, Tanya Franks, Dominic Rowan, Connor Calland, Carl Rice, Amanda Bright and Richard Pepple. The Game season 2 starts on Channel 5 at 9pm on Tuesday, September 1.
