{"id":46457,"date":"2024-02-22T18:18:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T17:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1996995"},"modified":"2024-02-22T19:05:55","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T18:05:55","slug":"martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Compston on \u201cbig question\u201d of Line of Duty season 7: \u201cIt\u2019s got bigger every year\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\"> Compston chatted to The Radio Times Podcast about his new travelogue series and, of course, the future of Line of Duty. <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By Kelly-Anne Taylor\n                \t\t<\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Thursday, 22 February 2024 at 17:18 PM<\/p><hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body> <p><em>This interview was originally published in\u00a0<strong>Radio Times magazine<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Known and beloved by many as one of the leading actors in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/programme\/b-zhxf82\/line-of-duty\/\">Line of Duty<\/a>, Martin Compston is back on our screens \u2013 but not in the capacity you may instantly imagine.<\/p>\n<p>While the actor is known for his roles in the BBC crime drama, as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/drama\/the-rig-season-2-confirmed-newsupdate\/\">The Rig<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/drama\/vigil-season-3-release-date\/\">Vigil<\/a>, Compston returns to TV in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/programme\/b-3np349\/martin-compstons-norwegian-fling\/\">Martin Compston\u2019s Norwegian Fling<\/a>. The new series of the travelogue follows the actor and his friend Phil MacHugh as they travel the length and breadth of Norway from Oslo to the North Arctic.<\/p>\n<p>The first season saw the pair travel their homeland of Scotland but in this second series, they\u2019re touring remote scenery and some breathtaking adventures. To mark the release of the new series, Compston chatted to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/the-radio-times-podcast-series-five\/\"><strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a> about his Nordic adventures as well as his obsession with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/drama\/the-bear-season-3-release-date\/\">The Bear<\/a>, the pull of his home country and of course, whether he would return alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/drama\/vicky-mcclure-frightening-reality-trigger-point-newsupdate\/\">Vicky McClure<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/going-out\/tickets\/kiss-me-kate-adrian-dunbar\/\">Adrian Dunbar<\/a> for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/drama\/line-of-duty-star-comeuppance-newsupdate\/\">seventh season<\/a> of Line of Duty.<\/p>\n<p>He also chats about owing his career to Ken Loach and Jed Mercurio, as well as wanting to do less on-screen nudity and how his position in the industry has helped those conversations.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Martin Compston on Line of Duty, on-screen nudity and running with wolves\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/6ojywRaD5YeNcpjTQVyRR2?utm_source=oembed\"\/>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the view from your sofa?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here in Vegas in front of the sofa is my son\u2019s table, which is full of toys. When you\u2019ve got a four-year-old, the house is a riot. We\u2019ve got a big telly. My wife [American actor and event planner, Tianna Chanel Flynn] has green fingers so there are flowers and plants hanging around. We\u2019re very lucky to also have a home in Greenock, in Scotland, where I\u2019m from \u2013 the view from the sofa there is overlooking the Clyde and it\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What have you enjoyed watching on TV?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve just started Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is brilliant. I got quite obsessed with The Bear \u2013 it was pretty sensational. I couldn\u2019t make my son\u2019s breakfast without saying, \u201cYes, Chef!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who gets control of the remote? Something tells me it\u2019s your son\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Oh, for sure! All we get are Disney films, Minions and Despicable Me. My wife would probably say it\u2019s me who controls the remote \u2013 although she gets control of most things in the house, to be fair!<\/p>\n<p><strong>When did you realise you wanted to be an actor?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When I was 15, I went on a double date with my mate and we saw My Name Is Joe, a Ken Loach movie. It was the first time I saw people on the big screen who spoke like me. The following year, Ken was casting a movie [Sweet Sixteen] in my town and I went along. I\u2019m very lucky \u2013 everything aligned for me in that period. If I hadn\u2019t seen that film, I would never have gone to the audition and if Ken wasn\u2019t holding auditions in my town, I probably wouldn\u2019t be an actor.<\/p>\n<div class=\"image-handler__container image-handler__container--aspect\" style=\"padding-bottom: calc(100% \/ 1.501210653753);\"> <picture> <source media=\"(max-width: 320px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=599%2C399 2x, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=899%2C599 3x\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 320px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=299%2C199, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=599%2C399 2x, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=899%2C599 3x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 375px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=708%2C472 2x, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=1064%2C709 3x\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 375px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=354%2C236, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=708%2C472 2x, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=1064%2C709 3x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 425px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=809%2C539 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 425px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=404%2C269, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=809%2C539 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 589px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(max-width: 589px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=554%2C369\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 992px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=45&amp;resize=815%2C543 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=407%2C271, https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=45&amp;resize=815%2C543 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 590px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?webp=true&amp;quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370\" type=\"image\/webp\"> <source media=\"(min-width: 590px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=555%2C370\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> <img class=\"wp-image-1691094 align size-landscape_thumbnail image-handler__image image-handler__image--aspect no-wrap js-lazyload\" srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/08\/3199-0e5bea9.jpg?quality=90&amp;resize=620%2C413\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" alt=\"Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar in Line of Duty.\" title=\"3199\"\/>\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div><div class=\"caption-hold\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-copy\"><i class=\"icon-arrow icon-camera-circle\"\/> Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar in Line of Duty.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\"im-image-caption\"> <i>BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<p><strong>You made your name as Line of Duty\u2019s Steve Arnott. Did you realise how much that role would change your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I probably owe my career to two people \u2013 Ken Loach and Jed Mercurio. I didn\u2019t think anybody would ever trust me to be the lead on a BBC network show. None of us had any idea what it would become. Vicky [McClure] and Aidy [Adrian Dunbar] became my best friends. We speak pretty much daily on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Would you do another series?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Every year it has got bigger and the numbers on the last series were insane. It was quite overwhelming! I remember going for a walk in Edinburgh when the last episode aired. The streets were empty because everybody was inside watching the finale! It felt like mammoth pressure \u2013 and almost became too big and took on a life of its own. We\u2019re really lucky that we\u2019ve got each other to keep ourselves grounded.<\/p> <p><strong>You\u2019ve spoken out about wanting to do less on-screen nudity. Does having an impressive CV make that easier?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Absolutely \u2013 I\u2019m lucky I\u2019ve got myself in a position where I can have those conversations. I also feel I\u2019ve done my time \u2013 I\u2019ve done full frontal. I\u2019ve had my arse out loads. I sometimes get sent pictures of it on social media \u2013 being a father, you do have to start being more careful, but if it was essential to the story, I\u2019d be up for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In your latest travelogue you\u2019ve swapped Scotland for Norway, where you meet a pack of wolves, and one puts its tongue in your mouth!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve realised I\u2019ve got a mad sense of security. When the experts said it was OK to meet the wolves, I thought fine. I didn\u2019t really have any fears. I think that\u2019s why the show works \u2013 my travel companion Phil MacHugh likes Scandi pop and fine dining \u2013 I like running with wolves and getting ducked underwater! Maybe I\u2019m having a midlife crisis \u2013 I\u2019ve also started taking three-wheel motorbike lessons.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The first series felt like a homage to Scotland \u2013 as you\u2019ve got older do you feel that pull of home more?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One hundred per cent. I\u2019m lucky I have a home there. With age, you do start to appreciate what the country means to you. I do as much as I can to try and promote it. I\u2019m very lucky that I\u2019m getting to be on the other side of the camera, producing. There are a lot of Scottish stories I want to tell.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Martin Compston\u2019s Norwegian Fling is available to watch on BBC iPlayer and will air on BBC Two on Friday 23rd February at 9pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for something else to watch? Check out our full\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/streaming-guide\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/streaming-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Streaming Guide<\/a>, or visit our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/entertainment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Entertainment<\/a>\u00a0hub for the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/magazine-subscription\/?utm_term=evergreen-article\"><strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a><strong>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/audio\/podcasts\/\"><strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Compston chatted to The Radio Times Podcast about his new travelogue series and, of course, the future of Line of Duty. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":46458,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-scaled.jpg",2560,1706,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/02\/martin-compston-on-big-question-of-line-of-duty-season-7-its-got-bigger-every-year-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Compston chatted to The Radio Times Podcast about his new travelogue series and, of course, the future of Line of Duty.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/46457"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}