Trainspotting 2 stars Ewan McGregor and Jonny Lee Miller jumped in an old BMW convertible to film a scene under the cover of darkness in North Lanarkshire.

The A725 near the Raith junction was closed as the pair were driven up and down the road by an unidentfied actor believed to be a new character in the sequel.

Filming had earlier taken place around The Orb pub in nearby Bellshill before moving to Orbiston Junction, where a mile-long section of the road was closed under police supervision.

Director Danny Boyle sat in the passenger seat of a blacked-out Mercedes people carrier which drove alongside the BMW, with a monitor on his lap allowing him to see all the action.

Close to 100 cast and crew worked through the night. Before filming began, close-up car scenes were rehearsed on a site at the Bellshill Industrial Estate.

Nearby residents were kept in the dark about the shoot in a bid to keep details about Trainspotting 2 from leaking out.

The film, loosely based on the Irvine Welsh novel Porno, is due for release in January 2017, 21 years after the original.

The Scottish Government gave the green light for filming to take place on the road which links Bellshill and East Kilbride.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: "The Scottish Government is keen to promote filming at Scottish locations, given the clear economic benefits it brings to the country and the support it offers our film and tourism industries.

"It's not every day we are approached by a production company asking to film on the trunk road network, and when we heard it was for the sequel to cult-classic Trainspotting, we were keen to make it happen.

"It takes a great deal of coordination to accommodate filming requests. We are mindful of the impact of a road closure and aim to minimise any potential disruption to road users.

"We were delighted to welcome Danny Boyle and the cast on site to film on the A725."