LINE OF BEAUTY

LINE of Duty star Craig Parkinson says playing the Old Bill in the hit BBC drama has turned him into an OAPS’ heartthrob. The actor, who played bent cop Matthew “Dot” Cottan, is often spotted by pensioners in the supermarket. Craig, 42, said: “People still stop me in Sainsbury’s and say, ‘Ooh, you’re a nasty bit of work’. “It tends to be older women in their sixties and seventies who then, instead of berating me, start mildly flirting. It is most strange.” Craig’s character was killed off in series three of Line of Duty, but he made a dying declaration that could be key to series four when it returns to our screens next year. The star has fond memories of working on the show. He said: “It was the best fun in the world. You were working with people who’d practically become your family.

Breathe

“And the character was a total joy because you were constantly wearing two hats, depending on who you were talking to. “I read the last episode and I could barely breathe. It was so suspenseful. Writer and director Jed Mercurio just ramped it up to another level.” Craig’s latest project is a hardhitting new BBC3 drama called Killed by My Debt. It follows the true story of Jerome Rogers – a 20-year-old bike courier who took his own life when two parking fines spiralled and left him more than £1,000 in debt. Craig plays Ross Cutler, the bailiff who deals with tragic Jerome, played by Chance Perdomo. He said: “I deliberately tried not to play the bailiff as an outand-out villain. This was a man – also on a zero-hours contract – doing his job. Painting him as a baddie would have given the story a resolution. But there isn’t one. “What the film is trying to say is that this is the tip of the iceberg. It’s the system that’s rotten.” An inquest into Jerome’s 2016 death record- ed a narrative verdict. Coroner Jacqueline Devonish expressed concerns about the practices of debt collection agency Newlyn Plc, but concluded Cutler had been reasonable towards Jerome.

Their exchanges were captured on footage from a bodycam Cutler was wearing when he confronted Jerome, but Craig decided it would be too harrowing to watch. He said: “The director and I decided it wouldn’t be a good idea.

“It would be too distressing. That young man is dead. The wounds for his family and friends are still open, still raw.”

At Christmas he will take on a very different role – the voice of a rabbit in an animated version of Watership Down

Craig, who is married to actress Susan Lynch, 46, reckons it will be the first time their six-year-old son will be able to watch one of his shows.

He also revealed he has turned down some acting jobs so he can spend more quality time with his loved ones.

He said: “Sometimes you have to turn things down for the good of the family.”

But one thing they definitely won’t be doing together is watching the telly – because they don’t have one. Craig and Susan ditched their set because it was affecting their relationship.

He said: “I love television. It’s what I do for a living. But I remember us sitting in front of the box one night and we hadn’t spoken for over an hour.

“It didn’t seem very healthy so we made the decision to get rid of it the next day. I can always go to my ipad if there’s something I need to watch.”