Martin Compston on new series Fear and 'not getting hopes up' for Line of Duty season 7

We’re at the stage of life where everything revolves around the kid, so I’m rarely on it! Usually, I do the mornings and my wife does night-times. If I’m not working, I’m in bed by half eight and up at six with the wee fella.

Do you and your wife ever get to spend time as a couple?

We try to get out of the house – we like to go for dinner and see a show. If ever you’re in Vegas [Compston lives there with his wife, American actor Tianna Chanel Flynn, and their four-year-old son] see Absinthe, which is phenomenal – it’s like an adult Cirque du Soleil. And The Years, which has just transferred to London’s West End, is the best show I’ve seen in a long time.

Anything you've liked on TV recently?

I was intrigued by The Penguin. I’m not a superhero guy but I’ve followed Colin Farrell through In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, so I gave it a try. It wasn’t at all what I expected! I loved Colin’s mannerisms – his walk, the blinking of his eye. He’s an evil b*****d, but he has you rooting for him!

You’ve spent a lot of time back in Scotland recently filming The Rig and your new Amazon Prime Video thriller Fear. Is it good to be home?

Wild Mercury, which produces both shows, has pretty much kept me in work over the past couple of years. They’ve made a huge investment in Scotland and I’m chuffed to be part of it. Fear was filmed in the West End of Glasgow, which is a beautiful area. The house where we filmed overlooks Kelvingrove Park and I got quite giddy, because a lot of Celtic players live around there and I’d see them walking their dogs.

The house is a character in itself. Would you like to live there?

Running up those stairs, at times they felt endless… There’s all these secret rooms to explore over five levels. But at night, it’d be a lonely place if you had to get up to go to the bathroom. It’s cold and dark and would be hell to heat!

Fear taps into a current trend for dramas that depict parental nightmares. As a father, did that resonate with you?

As you get older, you become a bit less selfish and try to do what’s best for your family. I think everyone can relate to wanting to give your kids a better life – and the fear of them being taken away. My character Martyn and his wife, Rebecca, are accused of the most horrible things you could level at a parent. These days, it seems that if somebody calls you something, it sticks without any evidence or recourse.

Anjli Mohindra plays your wife and Daniel Portman is also in Fear — all three of you were in Vigil. Did it feel like a reunion?

Well, I died before the credits in that one! But I saw Dan across the room at one point and Anjli’s character tried to resuscitate me. We’ve all become pretty tight since this and try to meet up when we’re in London.

You also still keep in regular touch with the Line of Duty gang, don't you?

Jed [Mercurio] is coming to see me in Vegas – he’s determined to get a round of golf, which is not my forte. I’ll probably go slash a few balls and get some dinner. And I speak to Vicky [McClure] and Adrian [Dunbar] pretty much every day – we’re all in a WhatsApp group.

Do you get tired of being asked about when it might be coming back?

No, it’ll be a sad day when people stop asking! I’m really proud of it and I’m happy it’s made such an impact.

So… any update?

I’m aware of not getting people’s hopes up. At the moment, there’s nothing to share. When there’s something to tell, you’ll hear it first from us. We’ll be delighted to share it!

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Fear premieres on Prime Video on Tuesday 4th March - you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

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