Famous Scottish actor Martin Compston, and his PR pal Phil MacHugh, tackle the topic of performance in Edinburgh during this week's episode of the 'Scottish Fling.'
The duo, who have been friends since the age of 17, have travelled across Scotland to better understand what it means to be a modern Scot. Each week they visit a new area and tackle a different topic - this week being performance throughout the Central Belt.
During their visit to the Scottish capital, Compston and MacHugh take in the Beltane Fire Festival, where the Line of Duty star gets a chance to chant and dance the night away. As well as this, the pair meet up with Greg McHugh during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to discuss what performance means to the well-loved comedian and his home city.
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Ex-Hibs player and Scotland midfield maestro John McGinn showed off the state-of-the-art performance facilities at Heriot-Watt university, where he challenged the 'Scottish Fling' hosts to a penalty shootout alongside three Scottish goalies.
The episode will air at 10:00pm on BBC Scotland on Thursday, October 6, with viewers also getting the chance to tune in on BBC Two on Friday evening at 9:30pm. Compston and MacHugh will jump between Glasgow and Edinburgh as they grasp what performance means in modern Scotland.
Amy Macdonald will also feature and explore how football became Scotland’s national celebration from the bowling club where the old Hampden stadium was situated. They will also meet a young Glasweigan TikTok sensation and battle head to head in a tag team wrestling match.
Phil MacHugh, who is currently living in Edinburgh but is originally from the Western Hebrides, said: “Our journey across Scotland is about discovering what makes Scotland tick in the modern age. We have tried to move away from the traditional tartan, tweed and Irn Bru style Scottish travel documentary series that have been done in the past, it is a really new age, more modern human look at a travel log.
“The idea came from Martin wanting to learn more about Gaelic culture and the two of us wanting to reconnect with our Scottish roots.
“I come from a Gaelic background and I really want to make the language cool again. We also wanted to focus on ancient Scotland and explore what this means to modern Scots.
“Edinburgh is home for me now and it is really exciting to come to the Central Belt. We came to Edinburgh in May to film the Beltane festival.
“There is a funny story to that however, as I was at a wedding back home and could not get back down as the weather meant there were no boats, planes, trains or automobiles that could bring me back to Edinburgh. So Martin filmed that element himself, dancing and chanting away with those taking part in the surprisingly little known festival.
“Throughout the episode we explore the idea of performance in modern Scotland and this also brought us to a training day with John McGinn. I’m not a huge football fan but Martin is footy daft and we went head to head in a penalty shootout which should be fun viewing.
“It was a great pleasure to get to interview Greg McHugh at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and hear his passion for the city and how he started off in small venues before becoming the UK superstar that he is today. I genuinely think Edinburgh is an exciting hub for all performers and there is so much happening on a yearly basis.
“We have access to so many festivals on our doorstep that locals can become involved in - it is not something that is common across the UK. Edinburgh has always been at the forefront of performance in Scotland and there is still room for it to grow, especially when you consider the music scene.”
You can watch previous episodes on BBC iPlayer or watch the show live on Thursday on BBC Scotland at 10:00pm or on Friday on BBC Two at 9:30pm.
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