Silverpoint has returned for a second season, with the youngsters facing major challenges as they seek to save the world! Paul Simpson caught up with Oliver Cunliffe (Louis), Maiya Silveston (Kaz), Krish Misra (Glen), Katy Byrne (Meg) and Aiofe Hughes (Bea) along with producer Trevor Klein to discuss how this year’s adventures differ…

 Mild spoilers for the first six episodes

Have you enjoyed making Silverpoint as much as it seems to come across on screen?

Oliver: Yes, absolutely. It was amazing. I’m sure everyone else agrees. Although there were such massively early pickups, at 6am, I still managed to enjoy every day.

Maiya: Filming season 1 and season 2 were two really different experiences because in season 1 we were all really new and it was the sort of getting to know you process but then for season 2 it was really exciting because we’d all come back, we all knew each other – and also there were more people in season 2. So it was just like one big summer.

I still can’t believe that it’s a job, it was just fun to do. A lot of people are like ‘What was it like? What was the job like? Was it hard work? What did you get paid?’ And I was like ‘I don’t know, I just spent time with my friends.’

An old actor friend of mine used to say, ‘We’re being paid to play.’

Maiya: Literally.

Aoife, Bea’s separated from the others by the events that happened at the end of season 1; how did it feel being totally off and getting your own episode?

Aoife: It was really, really cool, I absolutely loved it. At some points it was a wee bit lonely because I was the only one on set for a good bit but I made so many friends with the crew as well. I’m in love with Bea’s story in this season, it is just so good. She gets separated but I think she just proves that she’s such a strong person and yes, I love her.

Krish, you’ve got a great moment where when you’re meeting the other teams and you’re teased about the ‘relationship with the dinosaur’ and you have to say ‘No, she was a mermaid.’ Was that line and that whole bit difficult to do keeping a straight face or was everybody behind the camera going ‘We’re going to make you laugh.’?

Krish: I remember I broke character a little bit because I just kept on mixing up the words dinosaur and mermaid a bit and that confused me. It was a really fun scene because Glen’s always very light hearted and in that moment he’s feeling the pressure from everyone else. Even though it’s a funny moment for everyone else, it’s because Glen’s a bit stressed and he wants everyone to know that a dinosaur is not dateable but a mermaid is perfectly acceptable!

Katy, things have changed quite a lot for Meg this season, in terms of her position in the group. Were you surprised when you read that, in the scripts, that suddenly in the fairground alternate, you’re suddenly the leader, you’re turning the snake into a firehose?

Katy: Yes, it was very different from season 1 because obviously she goes from being shy and held back to being really confident, trying to protect her friends. When I was first reading the script I thought ‘She deserved it and she deserves the growth.’ And it just works for her, so it was nice, yes.

Oliver, Louis’s been, effectively, the leader in season 1 or regarded as such. Do you think he had a problem with Meg becoming leader because what comes across is that, he’s more invested in the problem than in the dynamic between the team, really until Bea arrives.

Oliver: I don’t think he has a problem with Meg being a leader but I think because he’s so desperate to find out what’s happening with everything, he’s trying to get as close as he can to find out who’s behind all this, so he thought if someone else leads the team it might push him away from his goal. If he’s guiding the team then he can guide everyone together for his goal, a little bit, but also as a collective goal.

It’s a little bit selfish from Louis, so I think there’s a little bit of jealousy, which I kind of like from Louis for Meg. But I think it’s more he’s worried that his desperation will get the best of him, and he’s worried that Meg might focus more on the games rather than what’s happening. But I think later on down the line he does accept it more and lets Meg lead because she deserves it, really.

Jealousy seems to be a key note to a lot of the relationships this season – there’s the whole thing with Kaz and Jay that is beautifully played and directed. Trevor, was that one of the underlying themes for season 2?

Trevor: Yes, I think that’s fair to say. You always want to be very clear that these are real kids. It’s so important when you’re casting, and you’re trying to get the group to feel like they’re ordinary teens in an extraordinary situation and to behave in a way that feels real. A big part of that is jealousy.

They’re fighting for their friendship; if they lose, their memories get erased so the stakes couldn’t be higher but still in the moment, people forget. They make friends, they make allies, they make the wrong allies. They’re not always seeing the bigger picture and particularly in episode 6, that really comes to a head. Some of my favourite scenes with the gang are in that.

I also think that the frustration you were mentioning between Louis and Bea topples over at the end of episode 8 as well and that’s maybe less jealousy and more Louis keeping stuff in his head that he should be speaking out loud and not really communicating properly, with Bea.

At the end of season 1 and going into season 2, did you guys talk with Lee about where you thought your characters might go the following year? Or was it very much ‘No, we enjoyed this, we’re going to sit back and see what he throws at us this time round?’

Oliver: I think, a little bit of both. I know Maiya specifically requested a love interest in the first season which is why we got Noah’s character (laughs) for a love interest in the following season.

But apart from that, for me personally anyway, we know how capable Lee is. He’s an amazing writer and I feel like any one of us feels that anything he throws at us, we can do and are happy to do so. We always have our trust in him, so we just let him do his job.

Krish: I was very happy to do what Lee threw at me because he knows what he wants from Glen and because he’s such a comic character, I feel like Lee had a better idea of where that could go, realistically. But one thing I did want to include and Trevor didn’t exactly approve, was some fish flops – beautiful slippers that looked like fish. They’re not in the show, sadly but they could have been.

No panning down to your feet…

Trevor: They did get passed round. I think there’s a picture of pretty much everyone in the crew wearing them at different points, so they definitely had their impact on the series and I think, in the right way, in the end, not on screen.

Krish: Yes, that’s fair enough.

Aoife: To be honest, mine was just better style, better costumes. Bea’s costumes in season 1 really suited her, personally I did not like them, but season 2, she really came through with the style so that was good, for me.

Physically you are the characters when we look at them but obviously you’re not those characters. Set aside the weirdness of looking at somebody who resembles you, what would you think of the characters that you play, if you met them socially?

Maiya: If I met Kaz, I would probably want to slap her in the face because she is not the nicest of people but to be fair, in season 2, she really develops. In season 1 she’s quite cold, she keeps her distance from people, but then in season 2, she gets close with Meg, and she makes new connections with other people… but if I met her, I don’t think I’d like her.

Katy, if you met Meg in real life, what would you think of her?

Katy: I think we might be good friends, I’m not gonna lie, because I feel like she’d be a bit like me in the sense that when you first meet her she’s more shy but then when you actually get to properly know her, then she’s a bit more out there and fun.

Oliver, how about you?

Oliver: I think, my first impression of Louis would be ‘This guy’s a bit weird.’ He’s very nerdy but I do think him and I would get along – but I think Louis tends to explain things too much to people that already understand them. There’s a moment in the second series where he does a lot of, I want to say mansplaining to everyone and I reckon if he started doing that to me I’d start getting annoyed, especially if I already understand that concept… but I probably wouldn’t because I’m not as smart as Louis.

Aoife, how about you and Bea?

Aoife: I think we would be friends. I think I might just have to tell her to not worry about every little detail and just, there’s a bigger picture here. But I generally love Bea as a character, so yes I think we’d be good friends, we’d get along.

And Krish, would you want Glen to wear the fish flops?

Krish: I mean, of course but even if not, I reckon we’d probably get along. Especially, season 1 me and season 1 Glen could be easily confused. We’d be complete best friends or I’d get really annoyed by him because he’s so similar to me. Nowadays, I feel like both me and Glen are subdued and chilled out a bit and Glen’s less saying everything that pops into his head – but some of the things he comes out with, I think I’d find really funny because they’re just so random and out of pocket.

Trevor, with season 2 the characters aren’t actually any older than they were at the end of season 1 but obviously everybody’s growing up and changing. Did that have any knock on effect in terms of how you shot stuff? Or  is it just, you’re working with a team that knows each other and knows each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so it made life a little easier?

Trevor: Second series are always easier from that point of view, certainly when you’re bringing back a cast. We’ve had a whole series to get to know all of you as actors and as people; you’ve got to know your characters and we’ve got to see how you played them so we can play into those strengths a lot more. Your performances were amazing so that was brilliant,

Obviously the advantage of casting to age, which we always try to do, is that we get really authentic performances. The disadvantage is, if there’s a year between series, they’re a year older and that’s occasionally noticeable in small ways like height, Olly! On the whole, it’s something audiences forgive completely because they get how it works. I think the only thing we reshot was that scene as they push through the red doors and that was also in part because we hadn’t cast the other teams at that point, except for Emily who plays Emma who returns to say ‘Hi, we were wondering who the last four were.’

So we picked that up again but I think, if you’re not really looking for it, you forget it as a viewer and you’re just into the story. So, definitely a fan of the second series: you can learn from your series 1 mistakes and make new mistakes and also, everyone’s just a little bit more comfortable

It was great, I think, for the new cast coming in, to have these guys as people to look up to, learn the ropes from. For a lot of people, it’s their first big gig, similar thing, first time away from home for a long time: they needed the steady hands of the assembled, esteemed actors to guide them through.

Was there really any rivalry between the different groups in real life, or did the teams bond together in the same way that Dragonfly has?

Oliver: I think probably, just because let’s say Landslide for example, a lot of their scenes are going to be together, they’re obviously going to bond a lot quicker. But I think, no matter what team they’re assigned to, everyone on the cast gelled really quickly. I was living with Noah and Charlie so we bonded because we’re sharing a space together.

Everyone was friends with everyone on set. There were no issues between anyone, really. I think everyone was so easy going to get on with. I think we’re very lucky to have that as well. I feel like it’s quite rare for everyone on set, with such a big cast to get along.

For each of you, what was the best moment of shooting season 2?

Katy: There were so many times, especially when it was all of us together, filming. It was so fun because between takes you were just chatting and lying about. I don’t know if anybody else feels the same way but at one point we were at a beach and I really enjoyed that, so that was probably the best for me.

Maiya: It’s so hard to pinpoint a favourite bit because there’s so much that happens. With all the different locations, they were so fun to film on – this time we went to so many places like the beach and fairground, all the places you’ve seen in the trailer.

Some of my favourite moments from filming were in the first few weeks and after work we’d all be hanging out together. I just like the simplicity of that because there were just so many people and everyone was friends. We’d all just hang out and it was just so nice to have that. I know that’s kind of simple but having all those people, having all those friends, having chats and conversations and just hanging out, I just loved it.

Aoife: I think mine’s pretty similar to Maiya’s. I wasn’t there when everyone else in the big massive cast was there, I didn’t have any scenes with them, but the odd day that I was there, everyone was just so welcoming. Even though I knew Katy and whoever, everyone else I didn’t know but they were still so welcoming and warm, to just let me come in and spend time with them. I created such strong bonds with so many of them, even though I wasn’t actually there.

Krish: I think, if I had to pick a location, I loved the beach because it looks sick, and then, I think, the fairground, because everyone was there and there were a lot of big group scenes which were fun. There was one lunchtime when we were allowed to go on some of the fairground rides, out of character and that was absolutely incredible.

Also, I loved lunchtimes and times on set where everyone was together because we could play card games and Mafia – Mafia was a favourite – and Ninja. I was very bad at Ninja but Olly, he was an undefeated Ninja warrior.

Oliver: I think it’s so hard for me to pick a favourite moment, filming, because I feel like I enjoy literally every single part of it. On set, off set, there wasn’t a bit that I didn’t enjoy. Maybe apart from the early pickups but, even then…

I don’t think I can put a finger on what my favourite bit to film was. Either, it would be the beach – but the beach was freezing and it was so cold, so that gets down-ranked but the scenes we did there I really enjoyed – or it was the spaceship. The set was incredible. It was actually small but the way that the director and the camera worked together to make it look massive was incredible. With all the camera angles and tricks that they used, it was insane. I really liked the bit with the holograms, and Maiya’s got a really beautiful scene where she has some trouble in the spaceship and she does a really good job.

Silverpoint airs weekly on Wednesday & Thursday at 6pm on CBBC; the whole series 1 and 2 are available on iPlayer

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