By David Craig

Published: Saturday, 07 January 2023 at 12:00 am


The Rig star Martin Compston has addressed two shocking deaths that occur early on in the new supernatural thriller, admitting he feared his character would be next to meet their grisly fate.

The series takes place on an oil rig located off the coast of Scotland, which unexplainably loses contact with the mainland as a mysterious fog rolls in.

The show is co-directed by Line of Duty‘s John Strickland and retains several of the crime drama’s cast, as well as its boldness when it comes to killing off characters with little warning.

The first two episodes see both Leck (Emun Elliott) and Alwyn (Mark Bonnar) die under terrifying circumstances, with Compston telling Metro that the twists caused him to worry about his own character.

“I thought, when will it be me? It’s hanging over you,” he said. “It’s one of those things that makes great drama – when you think, ‘Actually, any one of us could go.”

His co-star Iain Glen, who viewers will recognise from Game of Thrones, said he saw a parallel between his earlier fantasy drama and The Rig in terms of how they use death to heighten the narrative.

“I was quite shocked by it and it did remind me a little bit of Game of Thrones and the outcry and shock of Sean’s [Bean] early demise,” he said. “And I think writers have slightly picked up on that.”