Outlander stars Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish are back for a brand new season ofMen in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham.
Following up on the hit first season where the iconic duo embarked on a roadtrip in their native Scotland, this time they will discover the adventures that await in New Zealand.
“We wanted to find a place that was influenced by Scotland and one in five New
Zealanders have Scottish heritage,” McTavish tells Foxtel magazine journalist Jim Maloney in a new interview.
“The other reason was simply practical – I have a home in New Zealand, so it’s somewhere that I’m very familiar with and I knew that Sam had never been, and it was the kind of place that he would love,” added the Glasgow-born star, who has called New Zealand home since 2011.
In the four must-watch episodes – which airs on Foxtel from August 13 – viewers will travel alongside McTavish, 68, and Heughan, 43, as they experience the thrills that await in New Zealand. The new season is full of adrenaline-packed adventures with the pair facing mountain ziplines, 300-metre swings and Great White sharks.
There will also be delicious food along the way as they immerse themselves in the Māori culture.
“New Zealand is known for [adventures] and Sam wanted to really test me to the limit to see how I would cope with the horrors that he was going to unleash upon me!” said McTavish. “But in the rest of the season, we explore Māori culture, New Zealand history, there’s food … But you can’t go to New Zealand without exploring the kind of things that make your heart want to stop beating!”
But despite the brace faces they put on during filming, McTavish – who also serves as executive producer on the show with Heughan – recalled times where he almost wanted to tap out of the challenges.
“It’s true to say that in this season there was more than one occasion where I said to the director, ‘Listen, I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do this.’ And it was the same when we got into a shark cage,” he recalled.
“The thing that scared me most about that wasn’t the shark, which was bad enough; it was going underwater with a breathing apparatus, because I’d never done that before. And it combined so many of my fears – sharks, underwater breathing and enclosed spaces. It was the perfect storm for me.”
Still, the experience will be an unforgettable one for the actor.
“We had a helicopter ride over Milford Sound, which is like Jurassic Park. It’s primordial. I remember the first time I went there when I was doing The Hobbit and it is a place that exceeds all of your expectations,” he said.
Needless to say, McTavish would not hesitate to sign on to Season 3, if it’s in the pipeline.
As well as loving being on the road with Heughan, McTavish still has a score to settle with this co-star after he was forced skinny dip in the North Sea in Season 1.
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“I’m in massive deficit. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to ever get ahead again because of what he did to me on this one,” McTavish said. “But he did let slip that his biggest fear was snakes.”
“Unfortunately, there are no snakes in New Zealand, but I am holding on to it for future reference. I will not rest until I have exposed Sam Heughan to several snakes!”
Men in Kilts Season 2 premieres on Sunday, August 13 on Foxtel
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