Martin Compston has finished filming for his upcoming BBC drama Mayflies.
Mayflies is based on Andrew O'Hagan 's novel of the same name which has been described as an “intimate and devastating portrait of male friendship”. Since finishing the sixth season of Line of Duty, Greenock-born Martin has kept himself busy starring in ITV drama Our House, Amazon Prime's The Rig, and an unfortunately short role in BBC drama Vigil.
The series has been filmed in and around Glasgow and Ayrshire. In a statement to the BBC, O’Hagan said of the TV adaptation: “The story is a very personal one to me, and it’s amazing to see the characters come to life.”
Set in a small Scottish town, Mayflies tells the story of Jimmy and Tully – two young men who form a friendship based on music, films, and, a rebel spirit. Opening in the summer of 1986, the series follows the pair as they rush towards the “climax of their youth” – a music festival in Manchester. There, against the backdrop of the music they love, they make a vow: to go at life differently.
Fast forward 30 years later, however, and things change. One day, the phone rings – and when Jimmy picks up, he learns that Tully has the worst kind of news, and a request “that will test their friendship, love, and loyalty to the limit”. As the synopsis concludes: “Mayflies is a memorial to youth’s euphoria and to everyday tragedy. A tender goodbye to an old union, it discovers the joy and the costs of love.”
The series has a packed cast that sees Martin and Tony Curran work alongside Ashley Jensen as Anna, further names joining the cast include Tracy lfeachor (Showtrial) as Iona, Tom Glynn-Carney (Dunkirk) as young Tully, Rian Gordon (Vigil) as young Jimmy, Elaine C Smith (Two Doors Down) as Barbara, Shauna Macdonald (The Descent) as Fiona, Cal MacAninch (Time) as Tibbs and Colin McCredie (River City) as Scott.
Mayflies will air later this year on BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our weekly Showbiz newsletter here .
