Martin Compston's Scottish Fling - Season 1

Martin Compston and good friend Phil MacHugh travel up the west coast of Scotland on an adventure to discover the different ways people experience the great Scottish outdoors.

Martin Compston is given a taste of island life when co-host and pal Phil takes him on a journey back to his family's homeland of the Western Isles of Scotland.

From an unexpected Hebridean pipe playing welcome at the airport in Stornoway courtesy of Phil, Martin and Phil embark on their island odyssey.

Actor Martin Compston and his pal and co-host Phil MacHugh time travel through Scotland's East Coast, from St Andrews in the south to Aberdeen in the north, to challenge expectations and reveal the surprising side of some well known places.

Actor Martin Compston and his good friend Phil MacHugh set off on a sporty exploration of the north of Scotland by taking part in their very own Highland Games.

They begin their journey at Britain's most northerly racetrack, the Little Ferry Circuit in Golspie, home to the North of Scotland Kart Club. Here, they meet ex racer Abi Munro and discover how the track plays a major part in the lives of the local community. Then, the boys don their racing overalls and go head-to-head in a karting time trial.

Next, it's off to Invergordon, in the shadow of the colossal oil rigs that line the coastline, to meet two contemporary giants of the Highlands, the Stoltman brothers. Tom is World's Strongest Man two years running, and his older brother Luke is an ex-European champion, and they're going to put the boys through a typical strongman workout, but only after a bracing dip in the North Sea. And it's not all about the brawn, as the mighty strongmen reveal an unexpectedly emotional side.

Martin and Phil then head to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, to fuel their aching bodies with lunch - with a twist. They pop into the Alleycat Restaurant to meet chef and owner Andrew Bartlett and savour his vegan versions of some well-loved local scran.

Then, sticks at the ready, they take to the pitch to face each other with the Inverness Under-17 shinty team. The boys, under the watchful eye of ex-Scotland captain and manager Drew MacNeil, get a crash course in the art and history of shinty playing in the Highlands.

Martin and Phil travel through Scotland's central belt to explore why performance is such a big part of Scottish culture. They visit Scotland's National Sporting Performance Centre just outside Edinburgh to meet the men's football team, whose performances pretty much define the mood of the nation.

The boys then head from Glasgow to meet musical stadium filler Amy Macdonald. Over a round of bowls, they discuss how Amy got into the industry and what it's like to perform home and away. Martin and Phil then chat to actor and comedian Greg McHugh about his most famous character Gary Tank Commander and all things Edinburgh Festival.

Martin and Phil end their tour of Scotland with an elementally inspired trip around the Lowlands, before heading to Martin's hometown of Greenock for a heartfelt hilltop goodbye.

Thinsg don't get off to the best start when Phil is unexpectedly delayed due to bad weather on the island of Barra, so Martin flyes solo at the Edinburgh Fire Festival of Beltane. After a crash course in this night-time Celtic celebration from Angus Farquhar - the man who revived Beltane in 1988 - Martin dons mask and cloak to throw himself gamely in at the deep end.

The next morning sees the boys reuniting on the streets of Edinburgh, before setting off for a terrifying trip up a wind turbine in the Borders. Then it's on to the safe surroundings of a hotel in Stranraer that holds the unique title of being the first to have its very own curling rink. The boys are there to get a lesson in curling from some of the recent Winter Olympic stars, including gold medal winner Vicky Wright. With coaching over, Phil and Martin go head-to-head in a three-stone dramatic curl-off!

The boys decide to spend their final evening it under the stars, stargazing in the UK's first Dark Sky Park, the Galloway Forest, where they are introduced to all things cosmos by astro photographer Andrew Allan.

The pair then head back to Martin's hometown of Greenock, where their journey began. Here on the hill overlooking the town, Martin and Phil have an emotional recap of their recent adventures.