"Absolute shenanigans" as Martin Compston joins Vicky McClure for afternoon disco at The Barras

Sat backstage just before 3pm on Saturday afternoon at BAaD, the music venue and bar in The Barras, Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure and husband Jonny Owen explained to me how the idea of creating a nightclub in the afternoon for over-30s has caught the imagination in cities across the UK. Thousands have turned up for day discos in London, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield with the musical backdrop provided by DJs including Jon McClure of Reverend and The Makers.

The Day Fever phenomenon arrived in Glasgow for the first time as 800 people danced in the sunshine for five hours before dispersing at 8pm. Martin Compston reunited with his Line of Duty co-star on stage at Barras Art and Design, playing Runrig’s Loch Lomond, Teenage Kicks by The Undertones, 500 Miles by The Proclaimers and other floor-fillers before stage diving and being passed over the heads of the crowd. A clip of this moment, shared on social media, was captioned “absolute shenanigans”. Craig Parkinson who played DI Matthew "Dot" Cottan in Line of Duty was also there, dancing at the side of the stage.

Anthony Boyle, star of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks drama Masters of the Air took a turn on the decks alongside radio presenter and director Jonny Owen. Vicky McClure chatted to the crowd, played some of her own music choices including Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody: “I think that song pretty much sums up what Day Fever is all about” she says.

The crowd danced and sang, outside folk tried out BAaD’s new food menu with shawarma, burgers and pizza. Bottles of prosecco were a feature on tables overlooking the dancefloor. The atmosphere rose to a crescendo in the final hour with a lively conclusion before the sun had gone down. Tom Jones’ Delilah, Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger, Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart and Don’t Stop me Now by Queen were among the afternoon anthems.

Vicky and Jonny had visited the Horse Shoe bar when they arrived in Glasgow on Friday before joining friends for a meal at The Dhabba in the Merchant City.

With an eclectic mix of sing-along tracks from their record collection, Day Fever is booked in for another afternoon event on 18 May at the same venue. Tickets have been released to the Day Fever mailing list.

Having found an audience of over-30s who want to dress up and dance during the day, there will be more Day Fever events across the UK, including the first event in Edinburgh - they’ve sold 2000 tickets at the city’s O2 Academy on 26 May. They plan to establish a local community around a monthly event in Glasgow. More details will be released here.

Jonny Owen said: "I've known and visited Glasgow since I was a teenager. When we started Day Fever I knew that we would bring it to Glasgow. It's a nightclub in the afternoon for people of a certain age and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the dancefloor."