Wild At Heart Stephen Tompkinson: 'I never stop pinching myself'

TV Times talks to Stephen Tompkinson about the new series of Wild at Heart.

What was it like coming back to film the new series?
"I was stood on the balcony of my dressing room and I could see Three the elephant with her two babies. There was a bunch of warthogs nearby and the baby elephants were practising their charging by flapping their ears, making a noise with their little trunks and then running back to mum because they were scared. Everyday you get a treat like that, I never stop pinching myself."

So being with the animals has lost none of its magic?
"Filming is more enjoyable every year. The more time I spend around these animals the more captivated I become. It is glorious."

So what about your character Danny's relationship with Alice, played by Dawn Steele, in this series?
"This whole series is about them living and working together and the bumps they face along the way. They are the perfect couple really, they have so much in common. Danny is ready to take it to the next level and ask Alice to marry him, but then his stepdaughter Olivia [played by Olivia Scott-Taylor] turns up."

What was the scariest moment in this series?
"Definitely the scenes with the white lion which needed some treatment. We had 20 minutes to film four scenes before the lion woke up. I had to put my mouth over it’s nose and pretend to breathe for it. As I did that it let out this huge growl! We carried on and finished the scene, luckily it was a tense scene anyway, so not a lot of acting was required!"