Line of Duty's Vicky McClure reveals she's auditioned for 'every series' of Peaky Blinders

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She also told how she tried out for a part in 2015 historical drama film Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep – but to no avail.

Speaking to Red magazine, McClure explained, “When Suffragette came up I thought it could be a game-changer for me, but it wasn’t to be.

“I’ve auditioned for every series of Peaky Blinders and never got it. Although work is regular, it doesn’t always go my way.”

McClure also dismissed any thoughts of heading Stateside to chase a Hollywood career.

“I’m not going to do a pilot season in America,” she said. “I’ve stood in too many queues.”

But it seems Peaky Blinders' loss is Jed Mercurio’s gain, with McClure at the forefront of the fifth series of Line of Duty as DC Kate Fleming – set to return to our screens later this year.

While details on the latest episodes are sparse, the fourth series saw Line of Duty’s network of “bent coppers” reveal itself to be even larger and more complex than AC-12 could have imagined.

McClure’s This is England co-star Stephen Graham is playing one of this series’ villains, John Corbett, who is part of the mysterious balaclava gang.

Speaking about the new series, McClure explained, “‘Oh. My. God. The audience is going to be shocked.

"I would love nothing more than to work with Adie [Adrian Dunbar], Martin [Compston] and Jed [Mercurio] for my entirety, but everything has a shelf life, which won’t be determined by me.

“I always wonder, “Is this the season I die?”’

Line of Duty is set to return to BBC1 later this year

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