David Hayman says new Scotch series is far from the worst gig he’ll have

HE jokes that it’s a dirty job but someone has to do it.

In reality, David Hayman knows travelling round the world tasting whiskies is far from the worst telly gig he’ll ever land.

Scotch: The Story Of Whisky is the new three-part series starting this week.

Our national drink is very much a worldwide phenomenon, with David revealing that some 30 countries produce their own take on Scotch.

Tasmania, halfway round the world, is just one of them and he clocked up the air miles only to find it was strangely familiar.

“These upstarts are snapping at our heels and they’re making damn fine whisky,” smiles David as he sits down in a Glasgow bar – soft drink in hand – to talk to iN10.

“Tasmania has won two world awards in the past few years, including Malt Whisky of the Year.

“They have a similar climate and when their peat was analysed it had exactly the same properties as peat here.

“There’s 15 distilleries on the island and it’s superb, really delicious whisky.”

David’s travels also took him to Japan where he sampled their sweeter-tasting fare which trendy locals happily consume as highballs in smart bars.

Tight filming schedules meant shooting – and supping – at odd hours.

“I think my earliest tasting for the cameras was at 9.40am, which, honestly, was a record for me,” says David, who recalls hating his first whisky experience, sips of his dad’s dram at Hogmanay parties.

“As well as the foreign trips, I was in London talking to bartenders who create the most amazing cocktails.

“They had cream and all sorts in them and while I had to taste them I didn’t really enjoy them.”

The programmes look at the rich history and the sometimes even richer present, with multimillion pound investments and multibillion pound income.

But some of the places that have fared less well also feature.

“I was in Campbeltown where there used to be 36 distilleries and now there are just two because tastes have changed.

“Speyside’s gentler whiskies took over and you see shells of buildings and can really sense the ghosts of bygone distillers.”

Although he has decades of acting experience, including playing the lead in a dozen series of ITV’s crime drama Trial & Retribution, David’s been mixing that up with presenting duties.

He stepped into the footsteps of celebrated walker and broadcaster Tom Weir with a tribute series called On Weir’s Way With David Hayman.

It went down so well that he’s now taking over the mantle fully with a new series called Hayman’s Way to be shown early next year.

“I’m the new Tom Weir – minus the wee bunnet. I thought that was uniquely his.”

While he has a relaxed, natural way in front of the cameras, David reveals that wasn’t always the case.

Having been a character actor all his days, being told: “Just be yourself” sent shivers down his spine.

But he’s far from giving up on the day job.

He spent a month in India filming Viceroy’s House alongside Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, Michael Gambon and Gillian Anderson.

And Gillian, currently starring in The Fall, made quite an impression.

“I was madly in love with her anyway, and even more so after that.

“She had no airs and graces at all and would just fall asleep on a chair or table top and not care a damn what anyone thought.”

We’ll also see David at the start of next year in a lavish 19th Century political thriller being screened on BBC1.

“They built a huge township on the Essex marshes,” adds David, who starts work on a new film with Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton and Celia Imrie this week.

“I play Tom Hardy’s manservant and they built this two-storey Georgian house in Ealing studios. It had proper staircases, murals, ballrooms, everything.

Scotch: The Story Of Whisky, BBC2, Scotland, Tuesday, 9pm.

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