Strider and Pippin reunited at last... in Fife

THE noble warrior Strider’s quest to rescue the hobbit Pippin has left film fans on the edge of their seats.

The last instalment of the Lord of the Rings saga saw the tall, dark Strider, played by Danish heart-throb Viggo Mortensen, nowhere near finding his stricken friend, played by Scots star Billy Boyd.

But now the pair have been reunited in the unlikeliest of places - North Queensferry.

The two actors, who struck up a firm friendship while filming Lord of the Rings in New Zealand, met up again after Boyd made a starring appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival.

With film fans waiting anxiously until December to see whether Strider and his companions will find the lost hobbit and his friend Merry, the two actors had no plans to wait that long for a reunion.

Instead, Boyd, 35, invited the Danish film star to visit him at the rented home he was staying in while he appeared in San Diego at the Lyceum Theatre.

The actor from Glasgow threw a party after the curtain fell on the last of his five shows in Edinburgh on Sunday and a casually-dressed Mortensen was among the guests. One source said: "It was a party in North Queensferry with the production people from the play and Billy Boyd.

"Viggo was perfectly charming, but it was obviously not a dressed-up do because he was just wearing jeans and a long-sleeved white T-shirt.

"His hair was longish and blond and he looked nothing like his character Strider does in the film - carrying a plastic bag and a can of Stella. He said he was over from California and staying in Edinburgh for a few nights with his son."

Boyd played the hero Frodo’s loyal sidekick Pippin in the film trilogy based on JRR Tolkien’s classic novels.

The pint-sized actor, who was brought up in Easterhouse, Glasgow, has received rave reviews for his role as a playwright character in San Diego, a new play by Scots writer David Greig.

His appearance has been one of the highlights of the Festival to date, according to International Festival staff.

A Festival spokesman said: "The play was a popular and critical success.

"It has had rave reviews and it has been virtually impossible to get a ticket by the time the production opened.

"Ninety per cent of tickets were sold out. It is a home-grown theatre company and there was an excellent cast."

Mortensen, who has also starred in the blockbuster films Carlito’s Way and Crimson Tide, is believed to have visited the Lyceum to see the play during his stay in Edinburgh.

The pair struck up a strong friendship after filming all three Lord of the Rings films in one marathon 18-month session.

The arrangement meant the actors were together for long periods of time, sword-fighting, training, rehearsing and dining as a group.

The fellowship that was forged on screen by the characters was mirrored off it as the group of actors - which also included British stars Sean Bean and Orlando Bloom - became close friends.

As a mark of their friendship, the actors got tattoos of the word nine - the number of members in the Fellowship of the Ring - written in Elvish.

Mortensen’s character Strider is one of the brave warriors enlisted to help protect Frodo Baggins, who has to destroy a powerful and mysterious ring before it falls into the wrong hands.

In the second film, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the Fellowship which was formed to help Frodo splits up into three groups.

While Frodo goes to Mordor with his faithful companion Sam to destroy the ring, Pippin and fellow hobbit Merry fall into danger after being captured by the vicious soldier orcs.

Strider - who is also known as Aragorn - accompanied by Legolas, played by Orlando Bloom, and the dwarf Gimli, set off to find the missing pair of hobbits.

The two towers between Mordor and Isengard have united and the corrupt wizard Saruman, under the power of the Dark Lord Sauron, have created a grand army bent on the destruction of man and Middle-earth.

The rebellion against them is building and will be led by Gandalf the White.

Fans of the films will have to wait until the final part of the trilogy, The Return of the King, is released in cinemas in December to see the culmination of the adventure.