My United: Dougray Scott

Scottish actor and Manchester United fan Dougray Scott, who once played legendary manager Sir Matt Busby on BBC TV, discusses his love for the club and his latest project in the local area…

Firstly, why United for you?
My Scottish team has been Hibernian since I was five and Matt Busby briefly played for Hibs in 1941 so there was always a connection to Manchester United, who my dad also supported. When Alex Ferguson became the manager, a lot of people in Scotland became focused on Old Trafford and I always loved the club as a kid. There is such a great history, with some fantastic players and phenomenal managers. 

Tell us about playing Sir Matt…
It [United] was a terrific film and it was such an honour to play Matt Busby. He was an extraordinary man. That group of Glaswegian managers from the mining area, like Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein and Sir Alex Ferguson, were exceptional. They were all from the same radius of about 11 miles, which is incredible when you think about it. It was a great film to be involved with and to play somebody as iconic as Matt Busby was pretty special. It was a very good film to watch as well. 

Is it right you have been filming in Manchester again?
Yes, I’ve been here since the end of August, filming Snatch. It’s a 10-part TV series based on the movie about gangsters, diamonds, gold, heists and travellers. It’s been terrific and it’s worked incredibly well. I love Manchester as a city and I’ve been to five matches this season. I love it! 

What are your thoughts on this season?
We’re a little bit behind at the moment but Rome wasn’t built in a day. We are in December and don’t finish until May, so there is a long way to go. I think the League Cup is really important because it can help the players' confidence. Winning begets winning and I certainly hope we can win that competition. I think we’ll finish in the top four as well, because we have a lot of great players.

Snatch, featuring Dougray Scott, is set to be released online during 2017.