Last month, we finally got the big news that acclaimed police procedural Line of Duty would be returning to the small screen with its seventh season. As anticipation rises, Martin Compston has shared that the new story will be inspired by real events.
The actor, who plays Steve Arnott in the popular BBC series, spoke exclusively with Digital Spy about the upcoming season, and reasoned that the four-year hiatus has benefitted all parties including co-stars and writer-creator Jed Mercurio.
“Success breeds success, and we’ve been very lucky that we’ve all been busy on other stuff,” said the actor. “Vicky [McClure] has done four seasons of Trigger Point since our last one.
“Jed’s been away doing a big Netflix show. I’ve done umpteen Amazon Prime shows. Adrian [Dunbar]’s been doing Ridley, so that’s all been brilliant. But we always had an eye on coming back at some point.”
In addition to giving the cast and crew a break, the hiatus has also enabled Mercurio to craft an “exciting” narrative, with Compston teasing: “It makes us excited to go back. It’s not a chore in any way.
“It also gives Jed time to fully develop a story. There was no point just commissioning it, it come back and him trying to go, ‘All right, we’re doing it. So what am I going to write about?’ He just went, ‘this would be good.’
BBC
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“With all the stuff he does, there’s a kernel of truth in it – it mirrors a real-life incident that’s happened in policing. I think those incidents are more in the public consciousness, so I think that’s going to be really exciting.”
After being in the role for over a decade, Compston explained that his age, along with a heap of industry wisdom, has afforded him the ability to look at his most famous part with pride instead of regret.
“I’m just proud of the job,” he stated. “I think if it happened [when I was] younger, you go: ‘No way, I need to get away from that. I need to be known for something else.’ If it’s what I’m best known for, I’m incredibly proud of that.”
While the seventh season of the crime drama is still a while away from hitting the small screen, Compston has another project out this week, with The Revenge Club now streaming on Paramount+.
Paramount+
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Based on JD Pennington’s novel The Othello Club, the series sees the actor portray a divorcee who attends a support group, only to find himself thrust into a world of scheming and danger as six individuals vow retribution against their former partners.
Boasting a stacked supporting cast including Douglas Henshall and Sharon Rooney, Compston reserved particular praise for co-star Aimee Ffion-Edwards, who plays Emily in the six-part thriller.
“I was a big admirer from afar,” he said of Ffion-Edwards. “She’s just a phenomenal actor and with everybody in the group, very supportive, kind and proper. She’s a little firecracker and she brings it every day, so that’s so easy to bounce off.”
Line of Duty season 7 has no release date. The Revenge Club is streaming now on Paramount+.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.