Line of Duty newcomer James Nesbitt has revealed he lied about being snubbed from the BBC drama in a bid to keep his role a secret.
The Northern Irish actor, 56, who joined the series as dodgy detective Marcus Thurwell on Sunday night's episode, shocked fans of the hit series after he previously made it known he was not considered to be a part of the cast.
However, he has admitted his anger was a cunning plan as it allowed his entrance to be better than ever, keeping it under wraps until he made his big appearance.
Bloodlands star James, who was promoting the BBC show at the time, said in the past: "Even though Line of Duty had been shot here for years I was never considered for it, which has always slightly galled me."
However he has told how he made it up with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio so that no one could raise suspicions he was in the series, when he was asked to join by Jed in February.
He told The Sun : "It was easier to keep it secret by plotting the scheme between the two of us rather than involving a proper casting process.
"I did warn him there were two conditions: One, he'd have to wear shorts which might get very nippy on a cold day in Belfast and, two, he'd have to lie about it.
"The shoot at Belfast Marina went really smoothly, because the sun came out for about five minutes."
James added how he told passers-by he was "modelling for a catalogue" and it enabled them to "keep his involvement totally top secret".
James became part of the Line of Duty crew as DCI Thurwell, a senior investigating officer who was briefly mentioned in series three.
The actor revealed he "immediately said yes" when he was approached by Jed about the role, as he's "been a fan of the director's work for years".
*Line of Duty airs Sundays at 9pm on BBC One
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