The Rig cast talk mini-Line of Duty reunion on set and working with 'King of Scotland' Martin Compston - exclusive

Hit Play above to watch the cast of The Rig talk Line of Duty mini reunion on set, Martin Compston’s Scottish fanbase and surprise Schitt’s Creek fangirl

It was a mini-Line of Duty reunion on the set of new TV thriller The Rig, as not one but four cast members from the cult police procedural feature in the new Prime Video series.

Martin Compston (Line of Duty’s Detective Inspector Steve Arnott) is joined by actors Rochenda Sandall (OCG member Lisa McQueen), Mark Bonnar (Deputy Chief Constable Michael Dryden), and Owen Teale (Chief Constable Philip Osborne) in The Rig.

Read more: The Rig cast reveal how supernatural thriller was made

Speaking exclusively to BT TV, Compston - who plays Communications Officer Fulmer Hamilton in supernatural thriller The Rig - says it was a surreal experience, because Line of Duty season 6 was on air at the time of filming.

He told us: “What was weird about that is that while we were filming, it was the sort of conclusion of Line of Duty. That sort of wild storyline was happening, and the fact that I was with Owen and Mark at the same time, it was… because it went a bit wild, that last series. 

“It was nice to have that team around you, so they could understand what you were going through.”

Sandall - who plays The Rig’s on-board medic, Cat Braithwaite - agreed. “They are all old friends. It’s lovely. We all kind of know of each other within the 11 cast. It was incredible. It was such a supportive environment, it was just amazing.”

The Rig’s Emily Hampshire (who many fans will recognise from her role as motel owner Stevie Budd in Schitt’s Creek), couldn’t believe the extent of Martin Compston’s popularity in his native Scotland.

Hampshire, who previously called Compston the “Scottish Justin Bieber” due to the levels of his fame there, told us: “The first time that we went out for dinner, we walked along the street, and it was like in Beauty and the Beast, when everyone’s like 'Bonjour! Bonjour!' but it’s like fans [of Martin’s]. I was shocked. I get it now!”

One fan who was rather impressed with Hampshire working with Compston was her Schitt’s Creek co-star, Annie Murphy - who happens to be something of a Line of Duty super-fan. 

She told us: “I’ve never seen Line of Duty, however, my Schitt’s Creek co-star Annie Murphy, who plays Alexis on the show, when she saw I was working with Martin [Compston], she sent me all these texts being like ‘Oh my God you’re working with Martin Compston from Line of Duty, I can’t believe it!’ and I was like ‘You’ve seen Line of Duty?!’ 

Of Compston's "Scottish Justin Bieber" nickname, Rochenda Sandall responded: “I’d actually call him the King of Scotland! He’s a national treasure. When we first got there, it was front page news, the papers were saying ‘Compston for Bond’. He’s got a huge amount of fans up there, you can’t go anywhere."

Iain Glen - famous for roles in Game of Thrones and Resident Evil - said of the cast's popularity: “I think, because of Line of Duty and Game of Thrones, when we went out for a little cast meal, it did get a bit mad.

“It’s a popularity thing in terms of the actors being in things that have been globally very popular.”

Hampshire added: “It was funny. We all pretended to have watched each others’ shows. From the very beginning, Iain [Glen] came on, and he was like ‘I’m such a fan of you!’ and then halfway through, there was lots of things that were being said that suggested he didn’t know anything about Schitt’s Creek. 

“I couldn’t remember the dragons. He was like ‘What’s your favourite episode of Schitt’s Creek, and I’ll tell you mine?’ and I was like ‘I’ve never seen Game of Thrones!’"

The Rig is streaming now on Prime Video.