MARTIN Compston has spoken out for the first time on the Line Of Duty reboot, and says there’s one demand he has made to show bosses.
The Sun exclusively revealed earlier this year that the BBC drama was returning for a seventh series, after the sixth instalment aired in 2021.
And now, Martin says that the five-year filming gap is exactly what he and co-stars such as Vicky McClure needed before returning.
“You need some distance from it right after because it’s so intense. I mean, look, I’m forever grateful and really appreciative of the support it gets, but when it’s on, it is quite full on,” he said while appearing on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with The National Lottery on Virgin Radio UK.
However, Martin has given show boss Jed Mercurio one ultimatum, and it won’t go down well with fans.
The actor, who hails from Greenock in Scotland, is delighted to finally see his country qualify for the World Cup for the first time in decades, and says he won’t let work get in the way of catching a game.
Appearing on TalkSport, Martin said: “I’ve already said to Jed, ‘You need to find me time [to watch the game] or kill me off’ because I’ve been waiting for this.
“The last one we were there, I was 14, the last time we were at a world cup. I remember thinking and saying to the lads, ‘We’re 18 in the next one, we’re going’ and now I’m in my forties.
“So, I’m not missing it, I’m definitely getting to something.”
Martin portrays DS Steve Arnott in Line Of Duty, starring alongside Kate Fleming actress Vicky and Ted Hastings star Adrian Dunbar.
Despite the big hiatus between seasons, Martin says the new show is worth the wait – admitting it was “now or never” for a return.
“I think it was getting to the point, if you leave too, too long between it, I mean, I think it is great to leave the distance because it gives Jed time to write it and come up with a proper storyline. I mean, it’s fantastic… already it’s a proper page turner.
“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.”
Filming will start next spring in Belfast, meaning the six-parter could be on our screens by late 2026.
There’ll also be a new villain appearing on the horizon in the form of sexual predator DI Dominic Gough – though the usual star guest playing them 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 satisfactory continuation of the story in series seven.
