The Nest has Martin Compston unleashed in riveting new thriller

One of the benefits of The Nest is that it offers a different type of challenge for Martin Compston than his role on Line of Duty. The damage that Dan Docherty takes is emotional and psychological, as opposed to Steve being abducted, maimed, and at one point thrown over a stairwell and left for dead. On this show, Compston gets to remain physically in one piece, which is a welcome break from the wringer.

“[Line of Duty creator] Jed [Mercurio]’s a great friend. But I do think he takes up a vast delight in torturing Steve,” Compston laughed. “But that’s one of the reasons he is so good at his job, because he always tells me. I always go, why is it me again? I mean, Vicky [McClure] gets to hang off the side of a lorry with a machine gun, and I get in a wheelchair.

“But he explained to me, because that was one of the big things in series 4—Steve’s had a very love-hate relationship with the audience, just because he is so arrogant and he’s a know-it-all. The scene when I go over the stairs, and you don’t know whether he’s dead or not, I was really worried. I was saying to Jed that maybe the audience will want him to die. Maybe it’ll be a good thing. And he said, this will be the moment the relationship completely changes and everybody’s rooting [for him].

“From then, Steve became the hero. And that’s the genius of Jed, because audiences love to see the hero overcome adversity. If everything was plain sailing for them, then you’re not invested. And with the amount of problems that Steve had, everybody just wanted him to make it to the other end.

“On social media, everybody’s really rooting for him to be promoted [to Detective Inspector]. And it’s kind of weird as an actor; you kind of start to want the promotion, even though it’s not real. It doesn’t matter who you are in the show. But I’m kind of rooting for Steve to to go up the next level.”

Fans will have to wait until Line of Duty series 6 to see if Steve finally gets his promotion. He’s certainly earned it with everything he’s been through while holding steadfast to his principles no matter what—which is the one thing he shares in common with Dan Docherty in The Nest. Dan knows exactly who he is and what he wants, and he’s not letting go.

Martin Compston’s performance isn’t letting the viewer walk away either, and as The Nest premieres in the U.S., he’s just thrilled that more people are going to get to see it.

“With The Nest, what I found really refreshing when I got it was, it was a thriller without explosions or guns. It’s a real page-turner. It keeps you on your toes. You don’t know who you’re rooting for right up to the end. You don’t know who you want to win. It’s a different kind of thriller. And it shows off Scotland looking magnificent as ever, which I’m really proud of. I just hope people enjoy it.”

The first two episodes of The Nest premiere today, with a new episode arriving each Monday afterward, exclusively on Acorn TV. Watch now with a 7-day free trial.