Queen Charlotte star opens up on filming "very physical" sex scenes

"There were several times when we had to stop because I was like, 'OK, what I've done there is I've hurt Freddie's back because I've thrown him against the desk way too hard'," he said.

"But the choreography definitely helps. I think, unlike a lot of the other intimate scenes within the show, it's not just two people being very physical with one another. There's also a power play going on within the scene, there's two and a half pages of dialogue.

"So the layers to our scene, which I think is utterly brilliant, also made it 10 times harder on set because me and Freddie were going, 'Right, not only have we got to nail the choreography and make sure we get the truth of this moment physically, I've got to get information from you'."

He added that shooting the scene made for "one of the most nerve-wracking days on set" but praised intimacy coordinator, Lizzy Talbot and her team for creating "such a respectful and comfortable environment" that allowed them to be vulnerable.

"It was a completely new thing for me and for Freddie, so I was glad we were on the same page on that front," he continued. "And I was very nervous on the day because you're having to be intimate and vulnerable in front of – even though it's a closed set, there's still like, 30/40 people there.

"And you’re like, 'This is my body, this is what I look like and I've got to be OK with it'. And one of the nice things actually for me about that experience is I've never been completely in love with my body, but I feel less body conscious now. Weirdly, it was quite a liberating experience for me!"

Read more:

• Queen Charlotte star on Reynolds' fate: 'We're asking questions as well'
• Queen Charlotte boss Shonda Rhimes discusses season 2 possibility

Speaking more generally about the nature of Brimsley and Reynolds's relationship, Clemmet explained how it was "more than" sex, which he explained as particularly important when it came to LGBTQ+ representation.

"We're dealing with multifaceted characters here, we want to understand these people in their truest form," he said. "So we didn't want it to just be a case of, right, let's just throw loads of sex scenes into this and that's that, it's more than that.

"We want to see this relationship living to its full potential alongside all of these other relationships within the show and that's one of the things that I feel very empowered about having made it – we get the sexual desire and we get the emotional side of these two characters.

"And I hope that when people do watch the show they feel as empowered watching it as we did making it."

Queen Charlotte is available to stream now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or find out what else is on with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.

Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.