While viewers embark on the incredibly long wait for the new installment of Line of Duty, which starts filming in January, star Martin Compston will be seen in a number of different roles. He features in a couple of surprising guises and again in the familiar role of a efficient and brave hero in Red Eye.
New Territory in The Revenge Club
First up is The Revenge Club, where Compston offers a standout performance. The story involves a support group for divorcees, a ragtag gang brought together purely by their mutual fate of being left. “There is no other explanation for these people to be in each other’s orbit,” Compston observes. “They’re all desperate and in serious need of friendship. They’re all, in their own ways, hurt, which makes for this volatile mix.”
“If you’ve got an enthusiasm about what you’re doing and enthusiasm for what you’re doing, the audience will be with you.”
While this might appear bleak, the show is the opposite – including scenes in a run-down community centre are vibrant. The schemes of revenge, undertaken by the whole group, start off relatively mild before turning into dangerous ground. The show initially evokes certain series but soon finds its distinct identity. “It resides in its own space,” he explains. “It transitions from dramatic scenes into a sort of heist. You think you’re going down one path, then you’re not.”
Venturing Beyond the Comfort Zone
Two interesting things stand out about Compston's casting in this show. The first is that he's playing for laughs, a rarity for him. “This was outside my comfort zone,” says Compston. The second shift is his role as the romantic lead, a significant change from his usually complex fictional relationships. Compston and his co-star display a engaging sparky chemistry.
“That’s one of the things I appreciate about the show,” he states. “We aren't just good guys who have been hurt. Our exes might just be people who’ve progressed with their lives. All of us have gone down this path because we had little to hold onto, and suddenly we have this unit.”
A Tour of Las Vegas
Even more unexpected is the off-screen Compston showcased in the forthcoming travelogue Living Las Vegas. Having married American actor Tianna Chanel Flynn almost a decade ago, he divides his time between Greenock and Nevada. The program follows him navigating his second home city, making friends with characters from a retro store owner to equestrian instructors. It presents a endearing and consciously non-political portrayal of daily life.
“A lot of people operate on social media,” he says, tactfully. “I am not oblivious of the challenges out there, but we live on a nice street, we’ve got friendly neighbours... we’re all just living our lives.” He states his personal political views but adds that, as a resident, he mostly prefers to remain private in an increasingly angry discourse.
The New Series of a Cultural Touchstone
The recent announcement of Line of Duty's seventh season has fueled tremendous anticipation. The series earned unprecedented audiences for its previous finale. “The 9 o’clock hour, be it on a Sunday night or over the holidays, it’s priceless,” Compston says. “You feel like you’ve got the nation in the collective grip if you’ve got something great to show them.”
He notes that the figure of Supt Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar, has struck a chord deeply with the British public. “He is like the nation’s uncle. A guy who wants to do good. People want to support the heroes, and know there are decent people out there.”
New Horizons
In the interim, Compston returns to action-packed drama territory in the new season of Red Eye, utilizing the determined qualities viewers know him for. Beyond acting, he is increasingly moving into behind-the-scenes roles. “You get that innate guilt, you feel you need to do something,” he jokes of his drive.
He describes one passion project, a biopic about Allan Pinkerton, a Scottish man who created the Pinkerton detective agency in America. “He started the secret service, worked on the Underground Railroad... led an incredible life. This man from the Gorbals.” It seems like a role perfectly fitting for an actor known for playing principled characters.
The Revenge Club is available now on Paramount+; Red Eye is broadcast on ITV1 on New Year’s Day.
