Line of Duty star Martin Compston reveals why he can't watch himself in season one

Line of Duty actor Martin Compston is happy to be back on screen with the rerun of season one on BBC One – but you won't catch him watching it.

Why? "I have a fear of the those woolly cardigans that Jed [Mercurio, showrunner] put me in!" he told The One Show on Monday.

As amusing as this was, he clarified the real reason he'll be doing something else when episode three, featuring a climactic one-take signature interrogation scene, screens. "It's hard watching yourself and for me it was hard going into such a high profile job, doing a different accent, with all these wonderful actors so it would be hard to watch back," said Martin, who plays DS Steve Arnott, a very fresh-faced new recruit to police anti-corruption unit AC-12 DS Steve Arnott.

Compston only has great memories of filming season one of Line of Duty.

"I've never laughed so much as I did on series one," he said. "We were a very close bunch, very quickly, had some great nights out. I'm just chuffed with how it's worked out. In terms of filming it was about 10 years ago now so it was a long time [ago]."

Compston reiterated his burning desire to resume filming Line of Duty season six after it was halted in March, a victim of the COVID-19 shutdown.

"We've got a definite date we're working towards but there's no point in announcing it because the situation is so fluid and it can change daily. Hopefully we will get it done before Christmas," he said.

"I think there will be changes, massive changes off camera in terms of protocols and social distancing, how many people can congregate, where we're wearing masks and what not, so it's going to be a completely different feel."

Compston said the quality of the scripts on Line of Duty wouldn't be compromised by Mercurio to accommodate the new safety guidelines, although there could be location changes to make shooting scenes easier.

Line of Duty season one resumes on BBC One on Monday night with Arnott and AC-12 breathing down the neck of the increasingly evasive DCI Tony Gates (Lennie James). In this episode he faces an intense grilling over his lover Jackie Laverty.

RadioTimes.com’s Q&A with the Line of Duty cast and writers is available to watch on our Facebook page. Line of Duty seasons 1-5 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.