We're already obsessed with Shardlake, the new Disney+ series following the Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) as he is sent to investigate the murder of one of Thomas Cromwell's (Sean Bean) men in a monastery in the north of England.
It's set during a time of political and religious upheaval, when Henry VIII beheads his second wife Anne Boleyn and sets about dissolving the monasteries, so there's plenty of tension to go around in this thrilling murder-mystery.
But with any period drama comes a hint of danger when it comes to horse riding, and leading man Arthur revealed to HELLO! and other publications about the terrifying incident that nearly ended very badly. In the new show, both Shardlake and his partner Jack Barak (Anthony Boyle) are often filmed riding across dramatic scenery as they go about Cromwell's business.
Arthur had never ridden properly before, so immediately started taking lessons as soon as he knew he'd got the role. He got the hang of things quickly: "I got better as we went through. My horse was a bit of a prima donna actually, a bit difficult. I think he'd been background before, so he'd been used to being on a set, but now he was the lead."
© Martin MlakaThe cast and crew were filming on a long stretch of beach that was littered with boulders which made the horses nervous. Arthur recalled: "We were trotting along, and then it bolted and jumped over this bush and we were barrelling towards the crew. He stopped just in time, but it was a bit of a hairy moment. It was really [expletive] scary." Thankfully, no one was injured.
READ: Arthur Hughes reveals scoliosis prosthesis worn on Shardlake
Arthur was involved in another physically testing scene when his character falls into a bog. To create the scene, the crew had to find the wettest patch of land possible and dug out a section, filling it with water for Arthur to 'fall' into: "That's my favourite scene," Anthony told HELLO! "Arthur stuck in a bog."
© Disney+"The bog was quite a fun day because we could only do one or two takes of me falling in because the costume would just get completely ruined. They actually built a dry bog in the next field where I could pretend to be stuck," remembered Arthur.
Anthony's least favourite scene to film also involved water: "You're getting naked and you're jumping into the pool and it's freezing. Even though the pool was like a jacuzzi, you've got to jump out and get your hair warmed again and heated into a quiff and then jump in again. So there's a bit of that repetition."
The inhospitable castles were cold, many of them elevated: "There wasn't really anywhere to get warm, so you were just wet and freezing for the rest of the day. But you can't complain. It's a blessed life."
Shardlake is available to stream on Disney+.
