Line of Duty's Sixth Series Contains the Show's Best Scripts, Says Martin Compston

The BBC's Line of Duty returns for its highly anticipated sixth series this Sunday, and on 15 March, Martin Compston appeared on Lorraine to tell fans what they can expect from the show. Compston plays the lead, Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, and told viewers that series six is going to answer a lot of viewers' burning questions.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that series three was a lot of our favourites, because it was sort of the culmination of series one, two, and three coming together, and with six it feels like that again. It feels like four, five, and six, have been built into this big climax," Compston told Lorraine Kelly.

Like many shows, Line of Duty was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a halt during filming which then delayed the series's return. "Coming back was just such a strange environment. There's one scene particularly where me and Adrian [Dunbar] were just standing outside a police station, and then I walk round the corner. On screen it's the same scene, but in reality, it was shot seven months apart," the actor said.

Compston also talked about the pressure of trying to return better than ever, and pinpointed Jed Mercurio's scripts as the reason for the show's success. "There's a run of three episodes in this series which I think is the best scripts [Jed's] ever written. They were just absolutely thrilling to read and perform. It's exciting to see that he's still at the top of his game," he explained.

Line of Duty returns to BBC One on Sunday, 21 March, at 9 p.m.