Scottish accent makes my characters 'charming' says Line of Duty star Martin Compston

Line of Duty star Martin Compston has said he thinks using his native Scottish accent on other roles helps make characters appear more charming

The actor, originally from Greenock, is best known for playing the role of Detective Inspector Steve Arnott, who is English, in BBC drama Line Of Duty.

He regularly disguises his strong accent for the characters he plays on TV, but his latest role, in ITV drama Our House, allows him to use his own accent.

The 37-year-old, who plays Bram Lawson, told ITV’s Lorraine: “When you start a project like that, it’s just easier to use your own voice.”

Martin Compston uses an English accent as DS Steve Arnott in 'Line of Duty'.

Martin Compston to make BBC travel show exploring 'what makes modern Scotland tick'

Our House follows Fi Lawson as she discovers that all of her belongings have been removed from her house and new occupants have moved in.

The situation worsens when Fi is unable to contact her estranged husband, Bram, and their children.

Compston described the show as “a classic ITV thriller – you know Suburbia, a bit creepy”.

He also said he thinks the Scottish accent helps make characters appear more charming.

“For Bram, on paper he does some terrible, terrible things so we kind of needed to make him charming and I think the Scottish accent kind of helps with that a wee bit,” he said.

Speaking about his heritage, Compston said how happy he is to be a part of forthcoming Amazon series The Rig.

The show, which is due for release later this year, was filmed entirely in Scotland.

He said: “It was great to work on something in Scotland with such ambition, so I’m excited for it.”

Compston revealed that he got his Canadian co-star, Emily Hampshire, hooked on Irn-Bru – a Scottish carbonated soft drink – during the filming of the show, adding: “So I got her one to sip and she was hooked!” he said.

READ MORE: Martin Compston, Jack Lowden, Alan Cumming, Lulu and Armando Iannucci to head down red carpet in Glasgow

Compston is also involved in making a new BBC documentary in Scotland, for which he said he is “tentatively learning Gaelic”.

He told Lorraine: “We were talking about where does Gaelic sit in modern Scotland and then we took it to the BBC and it really evolved from there.

“Just going around, meeting as many people as I can, seeing places, but really trying to find out what it is in modern Scotland.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.