Scots Batman revels in a role that 'makes a dream come true'

SCOTS actor Sam Heughan has said it is a "dream come true" for him to play comic book superhero Batman.

The iconic story is being brought to life through the Batman Live stage show, which began in Glasgow last night.

Sam, from Dumfriesshire, studied at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and has appeared in TV soaps River City and Doctors. He also plays Tennent's Lager creator Hugh Tennent in a series of adverts for the brand.

His new role as protector of Gotham City sees him take on the much-loved super-villains Catwoman, the Riddler and the Joker.

He said: "To play Batman is a dream come true, I was a fan as a kid. I was a big fan of the Michael Keaton films and of the Tim Burton film. I used to have the Batmobile t-shirt when I was younger. I would never take it off. And to be back home as well in Scotland is fantastic.

"Batman is a really well-known role so there was a lot of pressure to get it right. Everyone here is a fan so we hope to portray a really good Batman.

"This production is very similar to the comics done by Jim Lee. The production is based on a lot of his drawings, so it's really true to the original.

"We had a two-week bat bootcamp before we started rehearsals, where we learned to do different kinds of martial arts and fighting.

"In the afternoons we rehearse a lot of flying scenes, where we're about 50 feet up. There's a cat-batfight and we had to learn to use the harnesses. It's been full-on but everyone is really enjoying it."

Batman Live is at the SECC from tonight until Sunday.