Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
GRAVE NEW WORLD
A malevolent spirit, a traitor in their midst – the problems keep piling up for the first British settlers in America in series two of hit drama Jamestown
Get set for a tale of births, deaths and broken marriages – not to mention slaves, ambitious Spaniards and a vengeful ghost. Yes, it’s the second series of Jamestown, the hit historical drama about the inhabitants of Britain’s first American colony.
The action has moved on a year from series one to 1620, but life in Jamestown, Virginia, is still dangerous and uncertain for the brave pioneers. Episode one begins with a body floating in the river close to the settlement, a death that will have major consequences for many of Jamestown’s inhabitants.
Meanwhile downstream, Alice Sharrow is giving birth in dramatic fashion. She slips while out walking and plunges down a hill into the shallows of the James River, where the baby arrives.
Farmer and entrepreneur Henry Sharrow has a major role in the first of these events – and possibly the second too. ‘He spots the dead body and helps bring it back to the quay in Jamestown,’ explains Max Beesley, who plays Sharrow. ‘He may also be the father of Alice’s new child, though that’s unclear. Alice came to America to be Henry’s wife but then married his brother Silas. The paternity question is unfinished business between the siblings.’
The new, eight-part series of Jamestown is full of other intriguing questions. Is somebody in the camp feeding information to the rival Spanish settlers who’d love to capture Jamestown for themselves? Sir George Yeardley, Governor of Virginia, thinks they are and is desperate to root out the spy and prevent an attack.
How much of a danger is the local Native American tribe, the Pamunkey? Their leader Opechancanough is keen to know if the settlers plan to expand, and pressures his warrior Chacrow to get intelligence from inside the settlement.
Is blacksmith James Read finally going to forge a loving relationship? And is there really a malevolent ghost on the loose looking for revenge on those it holds responsible for its death?
The new series sees the arrival of slaves from Africa, brought over to work in the tobacco fields that the Virginia Company hope will earn them a fortune. Meanwhile, the women of Jamestown, many of them brought from England to marry and give birth to the next generation of settlers, face serious challenges.
Jocelyn, wife of Samuel Castell, of the Virginia Company, has an uncertain future, while Verity Rutter is saddled with hard- drinking tavern-keeper husband Meredith. ‘She’s frustrated by his lack of ambition but still wants her slice of the
American Dream,’ explains Niamh Walsh, who plays Verity. ‘The two of them embark on a money-making scheme that has brutal consequences.’
The woman under most pressure is Alice Sharrow, mother of Jamestown’s first baby. ‘The arrival has a huge impact on her and on the community,’ says Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle, who plays Alice. ‘She’s made into a figurehead for motherhood and future generations. She struggles with the weight of responsibility placed on her shoulders by the arrival of her child.’
Max Beesley reckons he knows why Jamestown’s been a hit with viewers. ‘It’s got love, murder, jealousy, hatred, greed – all the good stuff,’ he says. ‘There’s plenty more of that to keep viewers hooked in series two.’