GRcade

A host of stars are braving the Arctic chill of Sky Atlantic HD's huge new tv series Fortitude, premiering Thursday 29th January 2015 at 9pm.

Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston, Sofie Grabol, Richard Dormer, Jessica Raine, Luke Treadaway, Nicholas Pinnock and Johnny Harris will star in the 12 hour thriller, which is centered on a mysterious death in the Arctic Circle and will be filmed in Iceland and the UK.

Fortitude is a place like nowhere else. Although surrounded by the savage beauty of the Arctic landscape, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. In such a close-knit community a murder touches everyone and the unsettling, mysterious horror of this crime threatens the future of the town itself.

The local Chief of Police, Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Dormer), has to investigate alongside DCI Morton (Tucci), the detective who has flown into Fortitude so fast that questions are being asked about how much he knew, and when. As these two cops try to make sense of the killing, each finds compelling reasons to mistrust and suspect the other.

The murder is a catastrophe for Hildur Odegard (Grabol), the town's Governor. It threatens her ambitious plans to transform Fortitude from a mining town into a site for high-end tourism. And for Henry Tyson (Gambon), a wildlife photographer who only has weeks left to live, the murder is the catalyst to unearthing Fortitude's darkest secret.

Also key to the story are Charlie Stoddart (Eccleston), an English scientist who heads up the Arctic Biology department at the Fortitude Arctic Research Centre, talented young scientist Vincent Rattrey (Treadaway), the newest member of Stoddart's team, and Jules Sutter (Raine), who is married to Frank Sutter (Pinnock), Fortitude's chief search and rescue pilot.

As the cold Arctic darkness gives way to endless summer nights, this apparently idyllic community struggles to make sense of the murderous horror that has been let loose in its heart.

Created and written by Simon Donald, Fortitude will air exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD on 29th January 2015.

With its strong cast, diverse ensemble of interesting characters, beautiful visuals, and patient direction, Fortitude is a promising freshman outing from cable obscurity Pivot and a worthwhile addition to an already over-stuffed subgenre. It remains to be seen whether audiences will seek out the channel and series, but those who do will be treated to a refreshingly specific take on an all-too-frequently generic setup. A

I'll confess to losing the thread of the plot a time or three over the five hours I watched (the show debuts with the first two hours; there are a dozen in total), yet the location and the sense of unease that came with it kept pulling me along. B+

Fortitude's allure is its off-puttingness; those making a home there must indeed be tenacious, and with "Fortitude," the same tenacity is required of its viewers. American mysteries build in so much exposition and reiteration for 140-character attention spans; here you have to pay attention to make "Fortitude" a trip worth your while. A

'Twin Peaks in the arctic – unsettling and claustrophobic' The big-budget arctic circle drama, which stars Sofie Gråbøl, Stanley Tucci and Christopher Eccleston, is a blizzard of intrigue that may baffle some

Fortitude is a truly chilling whodunit drama set in the frozen landscape of the Arctic Circle. With an A-list cast and a stunning setting in the Arctic Circle, this crime drama is one not to be missed.

An enigmatic and engrossing whodunit that should move to the top of everyone's DVR queue. A

I know there are already too many great series to watch, but you’re gonna want to watch this one.

TigaSefi wrote:Suprising lack of feedback here! Feels completely overwhelming for a start so hopefully it will settle down into several engaging story. Bit shocked at someone being offed so early which is a shame. I hope that style of credit ending isn't a regular feature or I'll have to switch over as soon as it rolls

mrspax wrote:Did I miss the explanation for Gambon burning that letter by the way or is that still open ended? We didn't catch who it was from.

Fortitude starts strongly on Sky Atlantic

Game of Thrones is channel’s only programme to attract similar numbers as more than 700,000 tune into series launch

Sky Atlantic’s £25m series Fortitude launched with just over 700,000 viewers on Thursday night – the four-year-old channel’s biggest audience to date for a UK originated drama.

Fortitude averaged 722,000 viewers and a 3.5% audience share from 9pm – nearly 20 times the normal ratings for that Sky Atlantic slot. Only Game of Thrones regularly attracts a similar or bigger audience for the channel.

None of the cast for the second series have been announced ahead of the final episode, but Sky head of drama Anne Mensah, who is also an executive producer on the show, said she expects those who make it to the end of the series alive to return.