- Martin Compston is tipped as a potential James Bond but hasn’t been approached officially for the role just yet
- He stars in season two of ITV’s Red Eye – the first season was set on a dramatic flight and more episodes are coming
- Compston enjoys performing action scenes and believes he would love playing a spy like James Bond
A star from Line of Duty who’s been tipped by bookmakers to play the next James Bond has already had a 007 moment in his new series.
Martin Compston, 41, who played DI Steve Arnott for nine years in the BBC police thriller series and will reprise his role for series 7 next year, has been tipped to take over from Daniel Craig as the secret agent.
Odds of 50/1 were placed on the Scottish TV star’s chances as recently as 2021, when No Time to Die – Craig’s last film as Bond – had only just been released in cinemas.
And it appears, if Compston is the man to be given his license to kill, he’s already had the requisite practice, having joined the cast of ITV’s thriller series Red Eye.
Red Eye, starring Richard Armitage and Jing Lusi, premiered in 2024 and followed an all-night flight between London and Beijing as a man is extradited to China on suspicion of manslaughter.
The show was renewed for a second season after being watched 29.3million times on ITVX, with fans given a first look at the series in May.
Now, Compston has lifted the lid on filming the drama, speaking to The Sun about what it’s been like to join one of ITV’s biggest series of the last few years.
‘I live for [action scenes], getting a bump on the head, getting up and getting on with it. There’s something between action and cut – you can completely switch off and believe it in that moment.
‘People probably would look at me in real life and go, “He’s not ex-SAS”, you know? [But] you can be James Bond, you can be the ultimate spy.’
No official release date has been confirmed for season two, but viewers have been promised plenty of high-octane action involving Compston very soon.
An ITV overview says of the series: ‘Jing Lusi reprises her role as DS Hana Li alongside new guest star, Martin Compston, who together, must set aside past differences to solve a new high-stakes conspiracy.’
Speaking about joining the show, Martin said: ‘I’m delighted to be joining the Red Eye team. Hoping to build on the massive success of the first series and give viewers another thrilling ride.’
Despite being linked with the James Bond role, Compston told Metro in 2024 that he hadn’t been approached officially yet by the franchise’s producers.
‘No, I’ve never been asked to play James. The closest that I’ve had to it was that I was in a play with Daniel Craig. That is my closest brush with 007.’
However, Compston did suggest a hotly anticipated name who could step into Bond’s shoes should his phone remain silent on that front.
‘I think that Aaron Taylor-Johnson will make a terrific Bond,’ he said, with the actor having been the firm frontrunner for a while.
‘He’s a great actor. I’d love to be a James Bond film, but I think I’m more likely to be a baddie than 007.’
Watch Red Eye on ITVX.
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