Loch and role: How dream home became surprise star of TV thriller
Locked down viewers who can’t get away fall for ideal getaway
It has become Scotland’s most-talked-about house
– an ideal getaway when we are allowed to get away – and the breakout star of a TV thriller racing towards an Easter weekend climax.
The home inhabited by Martin Compton and Sophie Rundle, who play the married couple at the centre of a dramatic surrogate conflict on BBC drama The Nest, has captured the imagination of a nation dreaming of wide-open spaces.
The house, named Cape Cove, is situated in the coastal village of Cove, on the Rosneath Peninsula on the Argyll coast and is described by property writers as “a beautiful glass cocoon” that “opens up to let the outside in”, with views to Arran and Bute on the shores of Loch Long.
The stunning property was designed by Glasgow architects Cameron Webster, who gave it new life as a five-bedroom luxury lochside bolthole having formerly been used as a boat house and a signalling post during the Second World War.
But, even before the social restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, Bodyguard actor Sophie, from Buckinghamshire, was so enchanted by the experience of filming on the west coast of Scotland that it made her want to move here.
Sophie said: “That house is absurdly beautiful. It was an old lookout post in the Second World War, and these architects came in, and it’s now all floor-to-ceiling windows and feels like it’s actually floating on the water.
“And the scenes with the sunset? They’re absolutely amazing.”
Speaking to The Sunday Post during filming in Glasgow, she added: “I want to move here. I think the city has a great atmosphere and I’ve been going to the countryside.
“The industry is really changing. You don’t need to be in London all the time.”
Co-star Martin Compston grew up on the opposite bank of the Firth of Clyde in Greenock. He described the stunning fictional home as “very Bond villain”, and nearby residents often refer to it as the “James Bond House”.
Martin added: “The place was really spectacular.”
Cape Cove, is rented out by its owners as a holiday let. Sleeping 10 and renting for almost £3,000 a week, and demand has soared since the five-part series started last month, although no one will be visiting until lockdown ends.
Letting agent Holiday Cottages reports a surge in views of the property on its website saying: “The 2021 dates are booking up very quickly, this may be due to a number of rescheduled bookings given the current situation. It’s an incredibly popular property.
“Traffic to the property on the other hand, is up 1,500% up since it aired, which is incredible.”
The series, which concludes in a double-header of episodes tonight and tomorrow, features a raft of Scots actors, including David Hayman, James Harkness, Shirley Henderson and newcomer Mirren Mack.
It follows the story of a wealthy young couple who, unable to have a child, turn to a surrogate option – with dramatic consequences.
Speaking during filming, Martin, who lives between his home in Nevada with American wife Tianna Chanel Flynn, and his hometown of Greenock, said: “The whole thing is a really emotional story.
“At their core they are two good people and, while you might think it’s very clear who is being exploited, by the end it’s not clear who is using who. It poses really good questions. You can have noble intentions but it might not justify how you go about achieving those aims.
“It’s been a tough shoot, but being in Glasgow and close to my family in Greenock has been really enjoyable.”