Martin Compston swaps crooked coppers for coming-of-age conundrums on new BBC adaptation Mayflies

Martin Compston swapped the sterile offices of AC-12 for the great outdoors as he filmed a new coming-of-age drama in his native Scotland on Wednesday. 

The Greenock-born actor, best known for his role as cockney detective Steve Arnott in BBC series Line Of Duty, was filming scenes for forthcoming show Mayflies in rural Ayrshire, south-west Scotland.

Preparing for a location shoot,  Compston, 38, looked notably different to the street-savvy Arnott in bookish glasses, a nautical striped T-shirt and relaxed brown chinos. 

At one point the actor – who takes a lead role as Jimmy in the new drama – took  a seat on a grassy slope while going over his lines with members of the Mayflies production team.

They were eventually joined by co-star Tony Curran – cast as Jimmy’s childhood friend Tully – who smoked a cigarette during a break between scenes. 

The show, an adaptation of author Andrew O’Hagan’s critically acclaimed 2020 novel, is described as an “intimate and devastating portrait of male friendship” as two best friends are reunited by tragedy 30-years after the “climax of their youth.” 

Focused: At one point the actor reclined on a grass incline between takes while going over his lines with members of the Mayflies production team

Side by side: He was soon accompanied by co-star Tony Curran, who plays his best friend in the new BBC drama 

Set against the backdrop of 1980s Britain, it will see Compston portray one of two young men who forge a close bond over their shared love of music, film and rebellion. 

Key cultural moments, among them Manchester’s burgeoning late ’80s and early ’90s indie scene, will be highlighted as the two friends make a shared vow to live life on their own individual terms. 

But three decades later their bond becomes strained when Jimmy’s old friend calls with some devastating news “that will test their friendship, love and loyalty to the limit”. 

The show will also star Ashley Jensen – best known for her performances in Ricky Gervais comedies Extras and After Life – in a yet to be announced role, and will be developed by Scottish production company Synchronicity Films for the BBC. 

Don’t mind me: Compston wore bookish glasses, a nautical striped T-shirt and relaxed brown chinos as he prepared for his latest scenes

Old times: The actor is best known for his role as street-savvy detective Steve Arnett in the hugely popular crime drama Line Of Duty

A synopsis for the show reads: ‘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.’ 

Speaking about the forthcoming TV adaptation, novelist Andrew O’Hagan said: ‘For a while now, I’ve admired the work of Synchronicity Films — Scottish in its bones and international in complexion — and it’s a thrill to see them bringing Mayflies to BBC One.

‘The story is a very personal one to me, and it’s amazing to see the characters come to life in Andrea Gibb’s wonderful adaptation. Director Peter Mackie Burns has a singular vision, and I look forward to seeing what he makes of the Ayrshire landscape and the emotional reality of this story.’ 

Mayflies will air on BBC One, BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer at a yet to be confirmed date in 2023.