Parties and taxi rides could take on a whole new meaning for Peter McDonald after Sea Of Souls. The handsome Irish actor is steeling himself for a flood of paranormal outpourings from the public when they see him as arch sceptic Andrew Gemmill.
"It's started already," he says with mock horror. "I only have to mention what I'm doing and people immediately start telling me weird and wonderful tales of the odd things that have happened to them – when the series is shown I won't be able to hide."
Not that McDonald will mind in the least. He may never personally have turned pale at the paranormal, but he can understand and empathise with why people do.
"A lot of it is very logical," he reasons. "We have lived through this explosion of computers and technology and most of us have absolutely no idea how it all works.
"We are surrounded by things that are a mystery to us and that can drive some people to think that there is something happening in the air. We are no longer living in the old, simple, rural society with basic structures where everyone knew their place in the world.
"The need to believe in something larger than ourselves, it is a natural human condition. It doesn't have to be a paranormal thing, or provide first hand proof of the spirit world – and I'm disassociating this now from religion because anyone who believes in religion, doesn't mean that they believe in hocus pocus, but they believe in a spiritual life.
"It's like wanting to drink water, having to eat food – it's within everyone, you just have to be aware that it is a natural drive."
Despite that, McDonald ranks himself firmly at the shoulder of Andrew Gemmill when it comes to needing evidence and proof for any claims of paranormal experiences.
"OK, I've never had an actual experience, myself," he concedes. "But I do think that probably 99% of what people claim to have experienced is definitely not paranormal.
"There are an enormous amount of people who come forward with things and basically it's just a combination of psychological factors that they are going through."
Which is why I Went Down star McDonald is more than happy to be the 'dog with the bone' on Monaghan's team at Clyde University's Parapsychology Unit.
"Gemmill is not cynical," he insists. "In fact he's the opposite.
"He is just a bit too dogmatic about what he believes is the point of parapsychology. He's fascinated by the human mind, by looking at people who claim to have had paranormal experiences and his approach is to document them scientifically.
"If someone claims to have had this incredible paranormal experience then Gemmill needs to look at their lives, their psychological make-up at that time. Were they half-asleep, did they have some kind of psychological condition that could lead them to jump to this belief?
"These people inspire his curiosity. He doesn't dismiss them and he isn't cynical about their experience, but he believes their experience has an explanation.
"He thinks there are new psychological terms of reference to be discovered. To him that is what the unit's research is all about – and he doesn't mince his words."
Gemmill is also a man of high principles. "At the start of the series he is concerned about just how far the unit should enter into people's lives, or if they are somehow encouraging people to further believe that they have had a paranormal experience.
"His take on things is that 'There is an explanation for this – we just have to find it'. But in the third story, which focuses on voodoo and cult rituals, that attitude is severely challenged."
Like his screen alter ego McDonald was drawn to the series because it had a firm grip on reality.
"When you mention a TV show about the paranormal, some people would think X Files," he explains. "But that was about aliens and the characters worked for the government.
"This is far more real – a bunch of people working in Glasgow. Parapsychology departments do actually exist and what our characters do is a job, an academic post.
"It was also interesting that the three of us come from very different angles towards the subject.
"So, although we are trying to approach it scientifically, there is a lot for an audience to identify with, no matter whether you believe or are completely against belief.
"But there's more to it than that even because it's also quite dark and the good voices don't necessarily win in the end."
You could be forgiven for thinking that McDonald is drawn to the dark side. He was a sensation last year in the Olivier award-winning, deep black comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore playing an IRA hit man who ends up centre stage surrounded by gallons of gore and body parts.
"That was one crazy play," he laughs. "Bizarrely, playing a psychopath who feels righteous in his violence turned out to be great fun to do. But I know that audiences were quite nervous about laughing at first."
It was getting cast for the lead role in the film I Went Down that gave this Dublin-born actor his biggest screen break, after working mostly in Irish theatre after graduating from University College, Dublin (UCD).
"I was very active in UCD's Drama Society, where you could do six full plays a year if you were to put your mind to it," he says.
"That was after singing and playing guitar in a band called The Negatives. Ironically, when we broke up in the late 80s, we were playing the kind of music that later came out of Manchester and became incredibly popular.
"But I think my parents were pleased I decided on the acting business. Music was the one thing that was even more shaky."
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