From land-yachting to stargazing, actor Martin Compston sees a new side to his homeland…
Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling Thu 10pm BBC Scotland, Fri 9.30pm BBC2 (11.30pm Wales)
Alicia Miller - 20 September 2022
You may think you know Martin Compston already: he’s DI Steve Arnott in Line of Duty. He is serious, dour, at home in gritty storylines. And English. Except he’s not. Born and bred in Greenock, near Glasgow, he’s as Scots as can be, and now deploying his native accent – in a Scottish travelogue. “Scotland is a vivid landscape that changes from top to bottom,” he says, “and we were lucky to travel the length and breadth of the country.” The “we” refers to Compston’s long-time pal and co-host Phil MacHugh, a witty fellow Scot who joins him on the road trip. In Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling, they’ve been exploring unseen corners of their homeland, from the west coast and Western Isles where they both grew up, to the Highlands and Lowlands. It’s a bit like a Scottish version of The Trip, with more locals and less food (though there is a tense moment with some oysters – “my food hell!” says Compston).
Scottish Fling is a candid, light-hearted docuseries that sees the old friends sampling everything from land-yachting to go-karting, with laughs aplenty en route. It turns out, perhaps unexpectedly given the kinds of characters he normally plays, that Compston has quite the sense of humour. And he’s not the only one showing off a new side. The series is all about putting forward a “fresher, trendier, cooler Scotland – a reimagined version of the country”, as MacHugh puts it. Boundary-pushing Scottish personalities feature in every episode, from a drag queen to a Syrian refugee barber.
“You’ve seen the whisky documentaries a million times,” says Compston. “We want to see modern Scotland.” In some cases that means finding out how old traditions like Gaelic game shinty feature in contemporary life, and in other cases it means unearthing new discoveries. “We got to several hidden gems, like the spring Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, a sort of pagan rave. We ate at Inver [inverrestaurant. co.uk], a Green Michelin-starred restaurant that, as the crow flies, is not far from my hometown but I didn’t even know was there.”
Not that the boys escaped the Scottish clichés entirely. “One of my key requests,” says Compston, “was that I didn’t want kilts and I didn’t want bagpipes. Then I land in the Hebrides and there’s Phil waiting with his kilt on.” At the mention of this, MacHugh hoots with gleeful satisfaction: “I arranged that!” MacHugh loves to rile his pal throughout the show, from some cringeworthy rapping in Aberdeen to eccentric musical choices for car karaoke – for example, the Vengaboys.
Though the exploring takes place partly by electric car (“See, modern!” says MacHugh) and partly by campervan, Compston plays designated driver the whole way. MacHugh, meanwhile, gets to enjoy the view and elaborate alcohol pairings at long lunches. Compston sighs; “When I signed up, I thought I might be able to have a glass of wine. But he became very comfy in the passenger seat!” Despite the campervan, there wasn’t much camping. Instead, the two explorers discovered Scotland’s quirky hotel scene. “In one place there was nothing but a great dane behind reception. It kept barking every time I hit the bell,” laughs Compston.
A favourite was Uist Stormpods (uiststormpods.com), a “hobbit house” overlooking the Outer Hebrides. “It was beautiful. We were literally out in the elements. When we woke up, the place was covered in snow.” But the best bit? For Compston it’s a toss-up between curling (“Once you get into it, it’s so technical”) and coasteering on the Knoydart peninsula. For MacHugh, it was stargazing in Galloway Forest, the UK’s first Dark Sky Park: “We were out there for hours, and the darker it got the more we saw. Stars… galaxies… It’s remarkable to think that’s on our doorstep.” Meeting the national football team in episode two was also pretty memorable – particularly for Compston, who played professionally until he was 17. “They’re my heroes. What they achieved not so long ago in the Euros put a smile on the country’s face. Then, afterwards, to go to Eriskay and play on a pitch that’s been recognised as globally unique by Fifa, that was special.” MacHugh interjects: “Though we had to pick up all the sheep muck from the field before we played.”
You may think you know Martin Compston already: he’s DI Steve Arnott in Line of Duty. He is serious, dour, at home in gritty storylines. And English. Except he’s not. Born and bred in Greenock, near Glasgow, he’s as Scots as can be, and now deploying his native accent – in a Scottish travelogue. “Scotland is a vivid landscape that changes from top to bottom,” he says, “and we were lucky to travel the length and breadth of the country.” The “we” refers to Compston’s long-time pal and co-host Phil MacHugh, a witty fellow Scot who joins him on the road trip. In Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling, they’ve been exploring unseen corners of their homeland, from the west coast and Western Isles where they both grew up, to the Highlands and Lowlands. It’s a bit like a Scottish version of The Trip, with more locals and less food (though there is a tense moment with some oysters – “my food hell!” says Compston).
Scottish Fling is a candid, light-hearted docuseries that sees the old friends sampling everything from land-yachting to go-karting, with laughs aplenty en route. It turns out, perhaps unexpectedly given the kinds of characters he normally plays, that Compston has quite the sense of humour. And he’s not the only one showing off a new side. The series is all about putting forward a “fresher, trendier, cooler Scotland – a reimagined version of the country”, as MacHugh puts it. Boundary-pushing Scottish personalities feature in every episode, from a drag queen to a Syrian refugee barber.
“You’ve seen the whisky documentaries a million times,” says Compston. “We want to see modern Scotland.” In some cases that means finding out how old traditions like Gaelic game shinty feature in contemporary life, and in other cases it means unearthing new discoveries. “We got to several hidden gems, like the spring Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh, a sort of pagan rave. We ate at Inver [inverrestaurant. co.uk], a Green Michelin-starred restaurant that, as the crow flies, is not far from my hometown but I didn’t even know was there.”
Not that the boys escaped the Scottish clichés entirely. “One of my key requests,” says Compston, “was that I didn’t want kilts and I didn’t want bagpipes. Then I land in the Hebrides and there’s Phil waiting with his kilt on.” At the mention of this, MacHugh hoots with gleeful satisfaction: “I arranged that!” MacHugh loves to rile his pal throughout the show, from some cringeworthy rapping in Aberdeen to eccentric musical choices for car karaoke – for example, the Vengaboys.
Though the exploring takes place partly by electric car (“See, modern!” says MacHugh) and partly by campervan, Compston plays designated driver the whole way. MacHugh, meanwhile, gets to enjoy the view and elaborate alcohol pairings at long lunches. Compston sighs; “When I signed up, I thought I might be able to have a glass of wine. But he became very comfy in the passenger seat!” Despite the campervan, there wasn’t much camping. Instead, the two explorers discovered Scotland’s quirky hotel scene. “In one place there was nothing but a great dane behind reception. It kept barking every time I hit the bell,” laughs Compston.
A favourite was Uist Stormpods (uiststormpods.com), a “hobbit house” overlooking the Outer Hebrides. “It was beautiful. We were literally out in the elements. When we woke up, the place was covered in snow.” But the best bit? For Compston it’s a toss-up between curling (“Once you get into it, it’s so technical”) and coasteering on the Knoydart peninsula. For MacHugh, it was stargazing in Galloway Forest, the UK’s first Dark Sky Park: “We were out there for hours, and the darker it got the more we saw. Stars… galaxies… It’s remarkable to think that’s on our doorstep.” Meeting the national football team in episode two was also pretty memorable – particularly for Compston, who played professionally until he was 17. “They’re my heroes. What they achieved not so long ago in the Euros put a smile on the country’s face. Then, afterwards, to go to Eriskay and play on a pitch that’s been recognised as globally unique by Fifa, that was special.” MacHugh interjects: “Though we had to pick up all the sheep muck from the field before we played.”
ALICIA MILLER