Christopher Eccleston has said the cast of Fortitude found their own fortitude in the freezing conditions of Iceland through a stiff drink.

The former Doctor Who star appears in the moody new crime drama series which was shot in Iceland and makes a feature of the snow and ice covering the landscape.

Christopher, who had already filmed in Iceland for Thor: The Dark World, said: “I did Thor Two, whatever it was called… Dark Underpants or something, but I had a much better time on Fortitude.

Christopher Eccleston
(Sky Atlantic/Tiger Aspect Productions)

“I much preferred the locations that we shot in, I had a much better script and I wasn’t in prosthetic make-up for eight hours every day. And I wasn’t a naughty elf. I was a naughty elf in the bar on Fortitude, but I wasn’t a naughty elf [on set].”

His co-stars on the series included Michael Gambon, Sofie Grabol and Stanley Tucci, and he added: ”It had some great beers – Icelandic beers – and we all tried the local stuff. There are some serious drinkers in Iceland, and some serious drinkers in the cast of Fortitude, it has to be said.”

However, he admitted that as much as he loved the programme he wasn’t looking forward to seeing himself in it: “I don’t like watching myself back. What happens is, you’re watching something, and you think, ‘This is great, but who’s that idiot?’ And it’s you.”

Fortitude
(Sky Atlantic/Tiger Aspect Productions)

Christopher also said that he wouldn’t turn down a part in Downton Abbey because he had to be willing to work on anything.

He explained: “If the script was good enough, yes. I think you’ve got to leave yourself open to everything, when you’ve got a mortgage…”

:: Fortitude begins on Sky Atlantic on Thursday, January 29.