Klondike

Klondike is based on Charlotte Gray's novel Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike and marks the Discovery Channel's first-ever scripted miniseries.

The miniseries was green-lit by Discovery Channel in December 2012, with executives noting it complemented existing reality series like Gold Rush and Jungle Gold through shared themes of man versus nature and man versus self.

Ridley Scott served as an executive producer on the project, describing the Klondike Gold Rush as 'the last great gold rush' and highlighting how the story is chronicled through the perspective of a young Jack London.

Richard Madden took the role of Bill Haskell partly because he was already a fan of Discovery's reality series Gold Rush and found the script genuinely 'epic.'

Production began in March 2013 in Alberta and was expected to take 54 days to shoot six hours of footage.

Filming took place in April on Fortress Mountain in Kananaskis Country, where the cast had to endure frigid conditions.

A set representing Dawson City was built on the CL Ranch west of Calgary, but unexpected warm weather forced the actors to wear many layers of clothing while pretending to be cold.

To play Bill Haskell, Richard Madden had to learn mountaineering in Alberta and was required to jump into river rapids rated grade 4, while also dealing with high altitudes and wind machines that he said helped him get into character.