It's a 'get a pizza in and be prepared to have the life frightened out of you' sort of film.

That's how London-born but Kent-trained actor Neil Maskell, who counts credits in BBC's Peaky Blinders and King Gary, describes "Bull" – a new revenge thriller coming to streaming platforms.

Neil Maskell speaks of the ferocious Covid-19 filming schedule on new crime thriller 'Bull'

Neil is best is known for his hard man appearances in British crime and horror films such as The Football Factory and Kill List.

In his latest role he plays the titular "Bull," a former enforcer who mysteriously returns home after a 10-year absence.

His return sets him on a vengeful mission to find his missing son and seek revenge on those who double crossed him and left him for dead.

"It's really character led and invested in the people that it is about," says Neil. "There's a lot of hidden truth and subtext and even politics about it that I found fascinating so on a lot of levels it was an exciting prospect."

A major draw for the TV and film actor was the opportunity to work with director Paul Andrew Williams, who bagged a BATFA for his 2006 drama 'London to Brighton'.

Speaking to KentOnline, Neil said: "Paul always roots it in a reality and a truthful set of circumstances that I think an audience can relate to and emphasise with these characters.

"Even in this case which feels like an exciting, B movie thriller. It's got relatable characters in it. I was thinking there's a lot more to this necessarily than it might have been described in a couple of sentences."

Scenes took place at Dartford Working Men’s Club and various private houses and locations across the town.

Production teams also visited Forge Farm Meats in Tunbridge Wells and a private house in Gravesend.

Neil, who was born in London but grew up in Barnehurst, Bexley, added: "We talked about it being the end of the line and of course Dartford is literally the end of the line. It's the first Kent stop.

"They definitely used the worst and least pretty parts."

But despite some of the more darker locations, chosen to match the film's gritty aesthetic, Neil spoke highly of one part of the set.

"The working man's club we used, which is in the middle of Dartford is ******* beautiful. Gorgeously kept, what a place. It doesn't look it from the outside but if you go in... the place is immaculate."

'Bull', which was released in cinemas last year, is being lined up to feature on Sky and Amazon streaming platforms next month, among others.

It is the latest in a long line of productions shot during Covid-19, which brought its own set of challenges.

Neil recalls an uncomfortable daily swab test and how a fellow actor described it to him like someone retrieving a dropped set of keys "from down the back of his neck".

"We were tested within an inch of our lives," he adds, before beaming a smile and letting out a belly laugh.

"Relating to and putting your hands on someone else felt, alien, strange and dangerous. That was an odd thing because we were really in the thick of the pandemic."

But as a whole, Neil, who also starred in Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur, says production crews managed risks well and no one caught Covid-19, adding: "It actually impacted us much less than it might have done."

'Bull' co-stars Scottish actor David Hayman, of ITV's Trial & Retribution, and Tamzin Outhwaite, who played Mel Owens in EastEnders.

The flick had a ferocious filming schedule to match its fast-paced content, which saw it shot in just 18 days across more than 30 locations.

"In a way it's helpful because it's immersive," explains Neil. "You don't have time to think. And often thinking time and downtime is what gets in your way as an actor because you can get nervous and start to overthink things.

"When you have got to get on the horse which is charging whether you like it or not and cling on for dear life it's strangely in some ways easier as an actor."

It was also something of a homecoming gig for the Dartford-trained actor who started his career with the Miskin Theatre, which forms part of North Kent College's campus in Oakfield Lane.

"I went to the Miskin when I had just turned 16 and I finished 17 or 18 because it is a two year course," he said.

"Then across the next ten years I went and directed plays there off and on.

"It's brilliant and all the musicians who work there, it's an incredible staff down there of really really talented people."

Neil, who lives in Antwerp, Belgium, with his wife and son, is also now preparing for the release of his directional debut, Klokkenluider.

It stars 'Victoria' and 'The Serpent' actress Jenna Coleman and BBC series The Musketeers' Tom Burke, in a darkly comic, character-driven thriller plot following a government whistleblower and his forthright wife in the Benelux nation.

Turning his attention back to Bull, he praised the work of distributors and said it had performed well in cinemas.

"I think it's a great Saturday movie. It's really sort of a thrilling, foot to the floor, full throttle movie," he said.

"It's a get a pizza in and be prepared to have the life frightened out of you sort of film."

'Bull' is being released on most digital platforms on April 8. Click here to view the trailer.