Martin Compston has spoken about how working on his latest BBC drama has been a 'rare' moment for him as an actor. 

Airing in December, Mayflies tells the story of two best friends, played by Compston and Tony Curran, whose lives are rocked by the news that Curran's character has months to live after a devastating diagnosis. 

The two-part series explores sensitive themes of loss and assisted dying and has been lauded by viewers, and Compston has opened up about how proud he feels to have been part of it. 

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Speaking on his Restless Natives podcast, said: "People getting in touch about Mayflies has just been unreal.

"It’s really hit a nerve with people and I’m really proud of the show and I really appreciate the stories people are sharing."

His co-host Gordon Smart suggested that the project could serve as a badge of honour due to the emotional impact it has made on people.

He said: "It’s magic when people say can you pass a note onto Martin to say there’s not a dry eye in the house, and it’s from people who are granite, folk you never expect to show a bit of emotion.

"That must be the ultimate badge of honour for an actor."

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Compston added: "We all believed in it and we had the highest hopes you could have for a show, it’s very rare that you hit that in your career and that’s exactly what I felt like we were aiming for.

"We wanted to make something that was beautifully shot, lovely acted and spoke to people. It wasn't necessarily about splashing headlines."