Who is Lisa McQueen? Meet the new Line of Duty villain played by Rochenda Sandall
You wouldn't want to mess with "balaclava woman" Lisa McQueen
Line of Duty series five goes "behind the balaclava" – and one of the first things we discover is that one of these balaclava men is actually a woman.
Newcomer Rochenda Sandall stars as Lisa McQueen, a key figure in this organised crime gang.
- Stephen Graham’s character is the "most dangerous" Line of Duty villain yet
- Line of Duty spoiler-free review: a triumphant return – with a menacing new villain and plenty of twists and turns
- Listen to the RadioTimes.com Podcast now: subscribe on iTunes / subscribe on Google Podcasts
Here's what we know ahead of series five...
Who is Lisa McQueen?
The BBC has confirmed that Lisa McQueen (Rochenda Sandall) will be a pivotal figure in a “deadly organised crime group” that is “known to have links with corrupt police officers and suspected to be under direct command of the shadowy figure known only as ‘H’.”
Along with the leader of the "balaclava men" (Stephen Graham's character John Corbett), she will be a “person of interest” to the team at AC-12.
Teasing details of her character, Sandall told RadioTimes.com and other press: "There's a power struggle between myself and Steven Graham's character and we're running a big criminal gang of horrible burly men, awful and really bad, bad, bad – but that's about all I can tell you!"
As for her role as one of the balaclava (wo)men, the actress added: "I do wear a balaclava! I've got a special girly one. When you take it off it's all glitter that falls out. Joking, joking! She's more mean than the guys! No, I did get a special lady one, to fit my barnet in. It was great pulling it on for the first time. Epic."
Where have I seen Rochenda Sandall before?
You may previously have seen Rochenda Sandall in the TV series Love, Lies and Records, in which she played Anna, or as Jean Reid in Broken. She has also appeared in Coronation Street, Into the Badlands, Girlfriends, and the Black Mirror choose-your-own-adventure episode Bandersnatch.
Sandall also has a pretty excellent story about how she first found out she'd been cast in Line of Duty.
"As an actor it's a total dream come true," she said. "I mean, I couldn't believe it when I even got an audition for the show, let alone get the actual job... I was on the way to Ikea to buy some wardrobes so I went for more expensive wardrobes. Totally lost it in the car, and then I went round all of Ikea and bought loads of unnecessary candles, a stuffed elephant, and then I went and had some Swedish meatballs."
Party on.
You can find her on Twitter @RochendaSandall.
Authors
