Rising star of Scottish screen Lorn Macdonald on working with his acting inspiration David Tennant… and trying not to tell him

For Lorn Macdonald, swapping lines with one of his acting heroes in a suitably memorable scene was a fitting climax to a year full of memorable moments.

The breakout star from Edinburgh had a standout 2019, winning a Scottish Bafta for best actor in Beats, an acclaimed movie about two friends in Scotland’s ’90s rave scene.

Now he’s appearing alongside David Tennant in Channel 4’s prime-time four-part drama, Deadwater Fell.

“Being another lanky Scot, David Tennant is an absolute hero of mine,” laughed 27-year-old Lorn, who also starred in the latest series of BBC’s Shetland.

“He’s someone I’ve looked up to since I was 14. I remember studying his Hamlet speech before I went in to audition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

“So to have scenes with him, including a one-on-one scene, was just another check in the column for how weird life has become.”

But Lorn didn’t tell the Broadchurch star he was a big fan.

“I had worked on a speech to tell him all these things, but I managed to restrain myself,” Lorn admitted. “I thought it would be better if I just got on well with him as a colleague rather than him thinking he was working with a big fan.

“The fact that when we were alone or waiting for the cameras to go up, and I was asking him what he was watching or telling him funny stories from past productions, he probably got the impression I was a little bit obsessed anyway.”

Written by Grantchester’s Daisy Coulam, Deadwater Fell is about a Scottish community rocked by a horrible crime.

Tennant plays Tom, a well-liked GP in the village of Kirdarroch, where he lives with his wife, primary school teacher Kate (played by Anna Madeley), and their three daughters.

When their house goes on fire, Tom is the only survivor.

But it soon becomes apparent that Kate and the kids weren’t killed in the fire and the villagers realise something unspeakable has happened, as suspicion falls on Tom for their deaths.

The Good Fight star Cush Jumbo co-stars as Jess, Kate’s friend and the wife of policeman Steve (Matthew McNulty), who is hellbent on searching for the truth.

Daisy says similarities can be made between Grantchester and Deadwater Fell.

“Although they’re completely different shows, they cover similar themes, beyond the crimes and solving them,” she said.

“I’m interested in crime not just as a shocking act but as a psychological study. So, in Grantchester and in Deadwater Fell, we’re looking behind the tragedies to get to the truth, what causes these events, the real people involved and the impact upon them.”

Daisy didn’t have anyone in mind for the roles, but feels they struck gold with the former Doctor Who.

“The moment we got David it was clear it was always his role. He brings so much to the part and the series as a whole,” she said.

“But like with most dramas, I wrote it a year before it got the green light. In a way, it was just an exercise in writing something with themes I was quite passionate about, so no one was attached.

We’ve ended up with one of the most talented and incredible casts anyone could ask for.”

David said both the script and getting to film in Scotland were major draws.

“I read the first episode and was intrigued and compelled by these characters,” he said.

“I didn’t feel like I quite knew what everyone’s story was and that, of course, makes you want to know what happens next.

“Daisy created very real, very believable, characters, who had a history to them. That was immediately intriguing. And it was hugely appealing to get to spend some weeks back in Glasgow. I still have family there and it’s a city I grew up around and has always meant a great deal to me.

“Any excuse to return to Scotland, I’m always happy to embrace.

“To be filming with a fantastic Scottish crew and a lot of local actors, too, was one of the great joys of this job for me.”

Lorn plays Taylor, a rookie cop. “I’m a young police officer just starting out on the scene,” he explained.

“Suddenly this horrific thing happens that he doesn’t know how to deal with, so it’s just about supporting his much more experienced, older partner.

“Usually I play really tortured characters, but here I was the straight-laced, happy-go-lucky officer, so it was a welcome change.

“A bit of the pressure was off and I left the big emotional scenes to the other actors.”

Of Beats, Lorn added: “Film is where my passion lies and for my first movie to be something I care about and for it to be received the way it was, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.”

Deadwater Fell, Channel 4, Friday 9pm