UK Edition
Feeds
Rex Images
Wild At Heart star Stephen Tompkinson has insisted that shots of animals and scenery are the most important aspects of the show.
The ITV1 drama, which returned to screens last night, follows a couple who have moved from their home in Bristol to live in South Africa.
Stephen, who plays vet Danny Trevanion, admitted that he and co-star Amanda Holden (Sarah Trevanion) play second fiddle to the lions, zebras and giraffes which can be seen by viewers every week.
"Neither of us would dare say that we are the stars of the series - the animals are, and so is the land," Tompkinson told the Daily Record. "There are places where you could stand and look around for 360 degrees, and you cannot observe one tiny mark of man for as far as the eye could see. Incredible. And the creatures - truly magnificent.
"The obvious thing to say is that they are all wild, although they do live on huge reservations, and they are not like actors. Tell an actor what to do, and after maybe a few takes, he or she will get the shot right. You don't, you can't, tell a wild animal what to do.
"It's either there, or it isn't - and it's due to some very fine camerawork and some darned good luck that what we got on film looks amazing. Some of the footage certainly isn't what is on the pages of the script - there are moments that were just spontaneous."
Wild At Heart continues on Sunday at 7.45pm on ITV1.
