Martin Compston has made a name for himself playing waistcoat-wearing workaholic cop Steve Arnott in Line of Duty.
It’s a role that’s catapulted the 41-year-old to stardom and cemented his place in the canon of great Scottish actors.
Yet the former footballer-turned-thespian is keen to show that he can play more than just well-dressed but world-weary cops – he’s a funny guy.
So when he read the script for the upcoming series The Revenge Club– a dark comedy about a group of divorcees plotting revenge on their exes – he was excited to try something new.
‘The scripts are phenomenal, and it’s something that was a little bit outside my comfort zone, ‘ he told Metro when asked what attracted him to the show.
‘I love that you can’t quite pin it down, you know? There’s a bit of comedy, it’s a drama, it packs an emotional punch, and then it’s a kind of murder mystery; it jumps around.’
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This isn’t the first time that Martin’s tried to shake off the shadow of Steve’s grumpy persona and try something new.
Back in 2018, he worked with Neil Forsyth on a show called Urban Legends, where he played Ultravox’s Midge Ure.
‘I genuinely had a blast doing that,’ he explained. ‘That stayed with me for a long time; I’d always wanted another crack at that.
‘I know I can’t complain. A certain type of part comes my way, and people seem to like me to play that kind of dark, emotional, kind of straight guy on, and I love that.
‘But when something like The Revenge Club comes along, you’re just chuffed that they think of you for it, and then you see it as an opportunity, because people haven’t really seen me do this.’
Of course, stepping outside of your comfort zone can be exhilarating; it can also be scary, as Steve admits – especially when you’re working with a cast as talented as the stars of The Revenge Club.
The show enlisted big comedy names like Sharon Rooney and Meera Syal alongside heavy-hitting dramatic actors like Aimee-Ffion Edwards and Douglas Henshall.
‘It’s a bit terrifying when you see Meera Syal and Sharon Rooney are cast, because they just have funny bones, and they are just immense at what they do.
‘They can have you on the deck laughing with just a squint of the eye.’
Thankfully, Martin says the set felt so safe and welcoming thanks to the cast and crew that after a couple of days, he’d found his comedy rhythm, although he admits he did have a bit of a secret weapon.
‘The angry Scotsman is always funny,’ he laughed, admitting to me that he realised if he was going to make his character – the down-on-his-luck roofer Callum – funny, he had to play to his strengths.
‘I can’t do what Sharon and Mina do,’ he confessed. ‘But I always felt the comedy I could play was the straight guy.
‘So it’s about committing emotionally to the daft moments, but playing them like they’re real. That can be funny.’
The best example of this, according to Martin, is when Callum and the rest of The Revenge Club share secrets about their exes that drove them up the wall.
As you’d expect, the group are sharing tragic stories about betrayal, infidelity and heartbreak. But what does Callum have? Well, his wife calls John Lewis, ‘Johnny LuLu’.
‘The hatred he has in that moment, that’s a funny line,’ Martin explains, ‘But it’s funnier because you think he’s going to say something else. Something really profound.’
So, after working on a show all about getting your own back on those who wronged you, how does Martin feel about revenge?
Well, he can sympathise with the fantasy; he thinks people know where the line is.
‘I think the reason it resonates with people is that we’ve all had a revenge fantasy in our heads,’ he said.
‘Whether it’s been a bully at school, somebody’s making your work life hell, or scratched your car. But in general, folk are nice, and you don’t act them out, and that’s a civilised society, despite us all having that little bit of darkness in us.’
In Martin’s mind, however, what makes The Revenge Club so great is that it allows us to explore that darkness and cross that line in a fun and safe way.
‘Things get out of hand by the end of [the series], and there’s a point where it goes from wanting justice to revenge.’
Indeed, that complexity appealed to Martin, who openly admits The Revenge Club might be our heroes, but they’ve got ‘questionable morals’.
‘We’re not instantly just the good guys,’ he states. ‘I think that’s what’s so good with the writing is [the characters] feel guilt and shame about what they’re doing as well, they second-guess themselves.’
The Revenge Club will be released on Paramount Plus on December 12, 2025.
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