The new series starts next week on the BBC Scotland channel and BBC Two.
In this new series, actor Martin Compston embarks on an unforgettable road trip around his beloved Scotland with co-host and friend Phil MacHugh, to experience what makes this modern nation tick.
Martin Compston:
“Having spent the last few years travelling for work this is me getting reacquainted with my homeland and joining me is my lifelong pal the mighty Phil MacHugh… I’ve felt like I’m falling in love with Scotland all over again. It’s the place but it’s the people – that’s what makes it so special.”
Their onscreen travels begin and end in Martin’s home town of Greenock.
But over the course of the six-part series, they will also be seen on the dramatic west coast, before journeying to Phil’s ancestral turf in the Western Isles. Further episodes see the pair explore the East Coast, taking in St Andrews, Dundee and Aberdeen before setting off on a jaunt through the Highlands. Their travels continue through Glasgow, Edinburgh and Ayrshire in Scotland’s Central Belt before the boys wind up in Greenock again via Edinburgh, the Borders, Galloway Forest and Stranraer in the final episode, devoted to the Lowlands.
In the first episode actor Martin Compston and good friend Phil MacHugh travel up the West Coast of Scotland ‘through villages and towns’ on an immersive adventure to discover the different ways people experience the great Scottish outdoors. Their journey begins in Martin’s hometown of Greenock where Phil has arranged some unexpected transport across the water to sunny Dunoon. Here the boys indulge in an end-of-the-pier snapshot of the traditional seaside holiday Martin experienced as a boy; crazy golf and ice cream with a not so traditional local, BBC’s Drag Race winner Lawrence Chaney.
Next, the boys pick up their campervan Celine and head to the banks of Loch Lomond to meet Instagram rambler the Hillwalking Hijabi, Zahrah Mahmood, taking in the stunning views from the top of Conic Hill before grabbing the ultimate selfie.
Having built up an appetite, the pair swap Loch Lomond for Loch Fyne as they go all ‘The Trip’ and drop in on the green Michelin restaurant Inver to get a taste of Pam and Rob’s take on the local produce – though Martin isn’t easily convinced by the seafood menu.
Then Celine whisks them north to a dramatic evening pit stop at Glencoe before Martin and Phil take a final leap into the unknown with an outdoor Coasteering awakening as they go cliff jumping on the Knoydart peninsular with outdoor enthusiasts Zeemon and Lucy.
Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling, which is a Tern TV production, airs on BBC Scotland Thursday 8 September at 10 pm and will also be shown on BBC Two starting Friday 9 September at 9.30pm.
