Martin Compston epitomises Scotland's success in film and television – Angus Robertson

Fans of Martin Compston are spoilt for choice at the present time.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The Scottish acting sensation is currently starring in two hit TV shows at the moment – The Rig on Amazon Prime and Mayflies on the BBC. If you haven’t seen them yet, then you simply must.

Written by the hugely talented David Macpherson and the Booker prize-nominated Andrew O’Hagan respectively, both were shot in Scotland, with The Rig filmed in the fantastic new studios in Leith and Mayflies largely on location in Ayrshire and Glasgow.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Martin Compston is joined by some top Scottish acting talent, including Tony Curran, Ashley Jensen, Elaine C Smith, Iain Glen, Mark Bonnar and many more. He has travelled far since starting his career as a teenager in the film Sweet Sixteen, which was nominated for a Palme d’Or and won Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival. Since then he has become a household name, playing Inspector Steve Arnott in the BBC drama Line of Duty and in a long, long list of other roles.

Scotland is currently going through a boom in screen production with fantastic shows for television, like The Rig and Mayflies, and also cinema, including Aftersun, which was named as one of the best films of 2022. The success of Scottish screen in general and Martin Compston in particular is much more than a coincidence. We are blessed to have such talented on-screen stars as well as writers, directors and others behind the camera making the sector grow so strongly.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.