Mark Bonnar says he “can’t wait” for Line of Duty fans to see what’s in store as he prepares to reprise his role as Mike Dryden in the highly anticipated seventh series of the BBC hit crime drama.
The former Deputy Chief Constable was last seen being arrested after a corruption cover-up in series two, and Scottish actor Bonnar, 57, said he was “totally blown over” to be asked back after more than a decade.
“Yes, Mike Dryden is back in Line of Duty, which is incredibly exciting,” he told The Standard. “I can’t say too much obviously about storylines, but the scripts that Jed [Mercurio] has written are just fantastic. I was absolutely thrilled to be asked to go back. It’s one of the biggest shows in the country and it’s a real honour to work on that show. It’s very special indeed. So yeah, I’m thrilled to be back in the fold at AC-12.”
Reflecting on getting the call, he said: “When my agent got in touch and said that Line of Duty had called, that Jed was thinking about writing me into the next series, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ And then it kind of snowballed from there really. I had a chat with Jed, loved what he was saying about how he saw this series and Dryden’s role in it.”
“To be honest, he could have put me in the very end of the show, taken off a balaclava, and I would have been happy,” he joked.
Bonnar will join the already confirmed Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Robert Carlyle in the upcoming series.
His character is not the only one making a comeback either. Owen Teale, Perry Fitzpatrick and Christina Chong will reprise their roles as Chief Constable Philip Osborne, DS Chris Lomax and DI Nicky Rogerson respectively.
He hinted at how the new series will tie into past storylines, revealing he has been catching up on earlier episodes ahead of filming.
“I haven’t watched all the previous Line of Duties, so I’m trying to give myself a potted history… because there’s quite a few, obviously, references to previous series in the new series, so I just want to make sure that I’m not missing anything in my knowledge.”
Filming has begun this week and, while it is not due to air until next year, Bonnar has a number of other projects lined up, including a Sky adaptation of comedian Frankie Boyle’s novel Meantime, in which he stars alongside James McAvoy.
He is also set to appear in Channel 4 drama The Siege, which dramatises the 1980 Iranian embassy crisis in London, alongside David Morrissey and Danny Dyer. Plus, he has lent his distinctive Scottish brogue to the audio book of Scott Rowley’s acclaimed Stay Alive: The Life & Death of Stuart Adamson.
Despite the busy schedule, the actor said he prioritises spending time with his family, including actress wife Lucy Gaskell and their two children, Martha and Samuel.
“They grow up so fast, and it’s such a pleasure and a privilege to have them,” he said proudly.
He added that he also enjoys drumming, joking that his kit at the bottom of the garden at their Hertfordshire home occasionally “annoys the neighbours”..
Away from his acting roles, Bonnar has teamed up with the LEGO Group for a new campaign, reuniting him with his Celebrity Traitors co-star Joe Marler.
The pair go head-to-head once again, taking part in a series of playful challenges using interactive LEGO Star Wars SMART Play sets powered by technology that responds to movement with light and sound.
“Working with Joe and getting to play with LEGO sets — how could you say no to that?” he said, adding: “We got on like a house on fire.”
The self-confessed lifelong Star Wars fan was also able to take some of the sets home, which he insists are for his children — a move that is sure to earn him plenty of brownie points.
It’s not his first brush with the sci-fi franchise either.
Bonnar recalled working with Princess Leia actress Carrie Fisher on Channel 4 sitcom Catastrophe, which featured one of her final TV roles before her death in 2016.
Describing her as “wonderful”, he admitted she was one of the few co-stars he asked for a photo with.
“She was really lovely. She was great fun,” he said.
Joe Marler and Mark Bonnar go head-to-head in a series of fast-paced challenges with LEGO Star Wars SMART Play sets.
