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After his near-death experience in episode one, Greg returns to health with a newfound purpose – in Abby's absence he will lead the Family to safety, and that includes ditching their most volatile member, Tom. The antipathy between both men grows across the series, even after Abby's return.

Meanwhile, Greg's recollection of a mysterious postcard he received days before the virus outbreak lingers in the back of his mind as strange details from the Lab begin to connect to it...

What's happening to Greg at the beginning of series two?

"In a nutshell, Greg was shot at the end of the last series. He spends most of episode one in a state of massive shock which causes hallucinations, but it also brings on a flashback of memories he's been suppressing, which is why I think we haven't found out a lot about him until that point because he hasn't wanted to reveal the whole picture. Greg's victim line is: 'My wife just left me' but that's not the whole story, he was not the innocent party that he pretends to be."

What happens to the group when Abby is snatched and taken to the Lab?

"Greg is forced to take that leadership role. The only other person who could take over is Tom (Max Beesley) and that becomes unacceptable to Greg. There's great antagonism between me and Tom. But in this series you see a little bit about Greg's background, which is much closer to Tom than Greg would like to admit."

Were there any scary moments during filming?

"The one that I always remember was in episode four when I had to film down a coal mine, it was very warm and only nine feet across and maybe four feet deep; being that deep underground and on my own was pretty impressive."

So really claustrophobic?

"Really claustrophobic. I was only down there for 20 minutes! I have to say it was brilliant; in fact the whole episode is pretty much my favourite. There are a few explosions and some wonderful moments. We had a great stunt co-ordinator, Gary Connery, who set up some fantastic sequences."

How would you cope in a post-apocalyptic world?

"I think I'd cope very well. Before the series started I knew absolutely nothing, but I know a little bit more now. The first place I would go to is a camping shop because that's where you will find everything you really need – purifying tablets, water filters, energy bars, compact food, the kind that astronauts eat, waterproofs, plus you can get your hands on a survival book as well."

Why do you think the first series struck such a chord? Is it because we have a fear about things breaking down?

"I think so. I think it's about our modern-day priorities and how this leads us to be technology-bound. We talked about that quite a lot on set. We'd wake up at six in the morning and work until eight, and, since we were often filming in places that did not have any signal, we were all completely lost! I've never spent so much time staring at my mobile waiting for a single bar to appear so I could try to call home!"

Any anecdotes during filming?

"We were filming on a street in Birmingham, near a nightclub, early one Sunday morning when some revellers, who'd been partying all night, came out of the nightclub thinking: 'What the hell is going on here? What have we missed?' There was rubbish everywhere and all these prosthetic bodies on the streets. Totally freaked them out!"