The star of the military action drama reveals five secrets from the set

1

This is the final series and the last risky mission for Section 20, an intrepid fictional branch of the British intelligence service, of which my character Colonel Alexander Coltrane (pictured) is in charge. At the wrap party, the regular cast were handed photograph albums featuring their best moments – it was a great way to say goodbye.

2

We filmed in Croatia which stood in for lots of countries, and one location, a town called Obrovac, had been shelled during the Yugoslav

Wars. It was doubling as Russia and every night the art team put up Russian road signs, and every night they’d be defaced. It seems the locals thought the Serbs, who also use the cyrillic alphabet, had been around wanting to take the town back.

3

Section 20 is tracking down a weapon which could wipe out millions in this series. The action scenes were hard and occasionally resulted in cuts, bruises, or worse. But this isn’t a period drama where you lean on a mantelpiece and deliver beautiful dialogue – you had to juggle physical exertion alongside your lines.

4

I missed my family like crazy when we filmed the previous series in Malaysia. This time they were only two hours away in London and came out a few times. We even had a family cruise on a yacht – me, my wife Kerry and our three girls – which was used in one episode.

5

My final scene was about as unglamorous as is possible. Some of us were underneath a half-built hospital, which had been there about 30 years, covered in dirt. The scene was vital, but it felt so miserable. As for the ending, it’s definitive – not with a massacre of characters, but loose ends are tied.