Line of Duty’s Martin Compston
Martin Compston on why he still loves playing TV’S most troubled detective
When Martin Compston signed up to play anticorruption officer Steve Arnott in the first series of Line of Duty, he had no idea how the crime thriller would change his life.
Launching on BBC2 in 2012, the show became a word-of-mouth hit and quickly turned the Scottish star into a household name.
Now one of TV’S most in-demand actors, Martin has enjoyed a string of high-profile roles with more on the horizon. However, Line of Duty clearly will always hold a special place in his heart – even if its creator, Jed Mercurio, seems rather reluctant to give poor Steve a break!
Over the past six series of the award-winning drama, which now airs on BBC1, Steve has been wrongly suspected of corruption, framed for murder and suffered long-term damage to his back after being thrown down flights of stairs.
Last week, he was caught up in a shoot-out, as AC-12’S investigations into the actions of enigmatic DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) and the rest of the team working on the Operation Lighthouse murder enquiry took a dangerous turn.
There’s no let-up in this Sunday’s episode, either, as Steve continues to hide his addiction to painkillers. On top of that, DCS Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin), who investigated AC-12 boss Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) when he was accused of corruption, makes a shock return with news about the team’s fate. Here, Martin, 36, chats to
TV Times about why he’s relishing the latest twists for his character…
Steve isn’t in a great place and life in AC-12 is growing increasingly unsettled. What more can you tell us?
He thrives on the thrill of the chase and sees himself as Sherlock Holmes in a waistcoat! But he has got bored and AC-12 is now tainted [after
Hastings]was investigated for misconduct . So he’s lost and having issues physically and mentally. For me acting-wise, there are some golden moments and brilliant scenes where it goes really far out with where Steve is at. I was really excited reading them and hopefully I did them justice.
Do you still love playing him?
Steve is a joy to play. Every year with
Line of Duty, the scripts are a gift and we get more into the back stories of each character through Jed’s writing. It’s exciting this time, the show is going back to the essence of what made it great.
You bumped into Kelly before she joined the cast as Joanne; did you give her any advice?
Yes, I met her at the Scottish BAFTAS when she was in discussions about the role, so I asked her if there was anything I could do to help as I was excited to have her on the show.
One of the first things she said was about the interview scenes, she was terrified! But we’re just as terrified! They never get easier although we know what we’re in for and we get through with bravado and a straight face. Some of the interview scenes have been mammoth and Adrian and I got the short straw this year and are in every one, but Kelly has a couple of tasty ones, too. It is hard graft and some scenes were 36-minute takes. But she’s a trooper, she got through it!
It can be hard for fans having to wait a week between episodes! But do you think that works better than letting us bingewatch with a boxset?
Yes, it’s integral because it’s that shared viewing. People come up with their own theories during the week and anticipation is building. We’ve a loyal core of fans who’ve stayed with us, and through word of mouth and social media, the show has gotten bigger. We get new fans every year. People reach out to you from Australia and New Zealand and, recently, we’ve had a lot from India, Israel, Malaysia and Argentina. It’s amazing.
You film in Belfast; it must feel like a second home for you all now?
Oh, the show has become ingrained in the culture there a wee bit. It’s nice for Adrian because he’s from Northern Ireland and he has become an icon there. He’s got his own Belfast mural!
There was a long break in filming last year due to the pandemic. Was that tough?
This series has been a shoot like no other. When we came back, we were filming scenes from different episodes with three different directors in one day. For Kelly and Shalom Brune-franklin [who plays AC-12’S new recruit DC Chloe Bishop] coming in, it must have been a whirlwind. But we gave it everything and appreciated the fact we could get back to work.
We heard that Steve’s trademark waistcoats were a bit snug after lockdown...
When we started filming I was probably in the best shape of my life. Then lockdown happened and we all ate and drank too much.
When I came back to the UK [Martin lives in
Las Vegas with wife
Tianna Chanel Flynn and their young child] and had to quarantine,
I asked our costume designer to leave Steve’s suits in my room to try on.
That was a tough day, I was bursting out of everything! I thought quarantine would be wine and pizza, but it was water, soup and an exercise bike for two weeks!
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