WHEN it comes to role prep, Martin Compston is taking no chances ahead of his return to Line Of Duty – five years after the BBC series’ last season.
In fact, the Scottish actor, 41, is now on a strict diet ahead of the show return to ensure he fits into his character Steve Arnott’s signature ensemble, with the health kick initiated by his wife.
Martin’s wife of ten years, Tianna Chanel Flynn, even has the actor cutting out sugar for the new health kick.
The Scottish star explained: “I’m filming series seven of Line of Duty in the spring.
“And before I start a new project I do this thing called the Whole30 organic diet, orchestrated by my wife, who, unlike me, is a phenomenal cook, where you totally cut out sugar.”
Talking to The Times, he continued: “Yesterday she made chicken wings, asparagus, cabbage and a miso sauce for lunch, which all helps me fit nicely into my Steve Arnott waistcoat.”
The Sun exclusively revealed last year that BBC drama Line Of Duty was returning for a seventh series, after the sixth instalment aired in 2021.
Martin portrays DS Steve Arnott in Line Of Duty, starring alongside Kate Fleming actress Vicky and Ted Hastings star Adrian Dunbar.
Filming starts this spring in Belfast, meaning the six-parter could be on our screens by late 2026.
With the show having a five-year hiatus, Martin teased in December that it would be “worth the wait”.
“I think it is great to leave the distance because it gives Jed [writer Jed Mercurio] time to write it and come up with a proper storyline.
“I mean, it’s fantastic… already it’s a proper page turner,” he said on TalkSport.
Martin added: “So with that, you’ve got to come from a solid base rather than just commission it. Like the, the scripts are brilliant and we’re all excited to get back.”
There’ll also be a new villain appearing on the horizon in the form of sexual predator DI Dominic Gough – though the star guest playing the character has not been confirmed.
Fans of the show were generally unhappy about the lacklustre conclusion of the last series, when DSU Ian Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle, was seemingly exposed as arch villain H.
They will be expecting a more gripping continuation of the story in series seven.
