Line of Duty star Craig Parkinson: ‘I was shocked to find out the truth about Dot Cottan’
The second series of Jed Mercurio's hit crime drama is repeating on BBC One on Saturday nights.
Craig Parkinson might have left Line of Duty more than five years ago – but with the second season of the hit crime drama currently repeating on BBC One, his character Matthew 'Dot' Cottan is in the spotlight all over again.
Parkinson played DI Cottan in the first three seasons of the show, with the character being drafted into AC-12 in season two despite the fact he was secretly working to undermine the operation.
And speaking to RadioTimes.com about the current repeats, Parkinson revealed that he had been very shocked when he first found out that Dot was a corrupt copper.
"I didn’t know, because the way Jed delivers the scripts you'd get the first three, and then you'd get the last three towards the end of finishing the first three episodes of filming," he explained.
"I didn’t know until I started reading the last three episodes – so it was quite the shock, but it was certainly very welcome!"
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He added that playing the character in season two was a different proposition to the first series of the show, due to certain revelations that had been made at the end of the original run and the new situation Dot found himself in.
"Thinking back, yeah I mean it’s just another layer that Jed’s written to Dot’s character," he said. "Ted says he’s perfect because he’s poacher turned gamekeeper, so he comes in with a different head on his shoulders and at first obviously he’s not welcomed with open arms by Kate or Steve, but slowly he tries to win them round.
"But it’s interesting for the audience because in a way they’re a few steps ahead – when actually as anybody knows with the story, the tables can turn at any time."
Line of Duty series 2 is currently repeating on Saturday nights on BBC One, and series 6 will air in the Spring. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.
