Phil MacHugh
I recently met (at the vibrant One Hundred Shoreditch Hotel) with proud scotsman, TV presenter, journalist and PR man, Phil MacHugh to talk all things Scottish! From his Gaelic (pronounced ‘Gaa-lik’) upbringing to his latest ‘Scottish Fling’ with longtime friend and co-host, Martin Compston, star of BBC drama Line of Duty.
The Scottish Gaelic name for (Scottish) Gaelic is Gàidhlig, pronounced ‘gaa-lik’.
Phil attended one of the few Gaelic schools in Scotland, back in the 90’s. He explained, growing up in one of these schools was a very creative education with lots of traditional Scottish singing, dancing and acting. He tells me “it is quite the natural progression to see many Gaelic-taught children enter into the world of media“. Having an uncle, Mick MacNeil, in the popular 80’s band “Simple Minds” meant that Phil was no stranger to the social life of celebrities. It’s really no great surprise that, although he found himself possessing no musical talent, he had a bounty of all other necessary qualities to enter the industry as a presenter. However, he was too ambitious to only be seen as a Gaelic presenter. Getting the opportunity to present Tartan Week (a big event that takes place yearly in New York celebrating Scottish-American heritage) helped him realise his drive to do more. Phil went on to study journalism which was ultimately his ticket to more parties and thus the path to starting up his own PR company, SKAPA PR.
“it is quite the natural progression to see many Gaelic taught children enter into the world of media'“
With the Scottish creative industry being quite a small world, Phil and Martin became close friends at the beginning of their careers. Young, eager, ambitious, always game for a laugh and the last 2 at the bar at every event talking plans for the future!
During covid lockdown, Martin set about trying to learn Scottish Gaelic, which resulted in constant phone calls to Phil for help. This inevitably got the pair of them talking and their idea for a ‘Scottish Fling’ was born. It all came together pretty quickly, Phil tells me, “It’s a challenge led series which is essentially our love story to Scotland”. The series can be found on BBC iPlayer and uncovers the unseen bits of Scotland, “the stories that you won’t find in the tourist brochures” Phil says, “finding the heroes that are well known within their professions but aren’t necessarily recognised as Scottish”.
“Scottish Fling is essentially our love story to Scotland”
Both Phil and Martin took time out of their busy schedules and spent a full on, amazing, 6 weeks together, travelling their beloved Scotland. Both of them discovered things about their country they didn’t know and shined a light on the “modern Scot and the Gaelic language”. Phil tells me much of the inspiration behind the series is to demonstrate “what an exciting place Scotland is to live, grow and breathe in, getting away from the traditional tartan, whisky drinking and football lovers”. Having a Gaelic background, and with more schools having a proper Gaelic structure in place now, one of Phil’s goals with the ‘Scottish Fling’ was to make the language more appealing, and with Gaelic becoming a trend on TikTok, it appears he has achieved this.
“Gaelic TikTok’s are a growing trend”
Phil talks so animatedly about the series making it quite clear just how much fun they had making it! “What was really nice about putting this together was the real sense of freedom we had with the excellent production team. We were allowed to be ourselves, be organic, and for Martin, he was without a persona, so you can really see him for the genuine, interesting and lovely man that he is. We really leaned on each other, complimenting each other with our different skill sets. There was so much good energy, it feels like mates on a road trip”.
What was your most memorable part of your 6 week fling?
“Definitely becoming a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) character. It was such a good laugh, having watched it as a child and then discovering Scotland has this little pocket of people that create mega stars in this field was phenomenal!. Choosing our own characters and learning how to wrestle was such a standout highlight”.
What is your favourite part of Scotland? and for someone who, embarrassingly, has never been, what is the one place/thing I must not miss?
“The Outer Hebrides, with its unique beaches and crystal clear waters, is my favourite. North West Scotland, my mum used to tell me that you could see New York on a clear day as it’s the most western point of the UK, you can’t of course, see New York, but my sister now tells her children the same story” he laughs. “You can’t miss the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the worlds biggest Arts festival, it has such an unreal energy, the city just comes alive. Do both, take in the city and escape to the wild, untouched places”.
That really is the appeal of Scotland, so much natural, untouched, raw beauty and the lively, bustle of the cities as well as many hidden gems to be found, if Phil and Martin’s series, ‘Scottish Fling’ is anything to go by. Scotland is certainly so much more than the cliche tartan and whisky, they are advanced, being one of the first countries to have allowed gay marriage, they have many new growing communities and are ever evolving whilst endeavouring to keep their treasured history alive.
“The Outer Hebrides, with its unique beaches and crystal clear waters, is my favourite”
Quick Fire Round;
What do you wear under your Kilt? Calvins
Do you play the bagpipes? I play the Chanter (the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder)
Do you like haggis? LOVE it! especially with HP sauce
What did you have for breakfast? A croissant
What is your guilty pleasure? Netflix’s ‘Is it cake?’
What 3 guests, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party? Shawn Mendes, Princess Diana and Celine Dion
What’s your most annoying habit? I’m a control freak!
What’s your favourite memory? My Grandmother, she was a huge inspiration and such a big support.
Last Album you listened to? Fred Again
What makes you belly laugh? A good piss up with my friends, at least 10 margaritas, I am Scottish, remember?!
What makes you belly laugh? “A good piss up with my friends, at least 10 margaritas, I am Scottish, remember?!”
Written and photographed by Dawn Collins
Follow Phil on Instagram @iamphilmachugh
With special thanks to One Hundred Shoreditch Hotel
