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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Entertainment
Simon Wilson & Rachel Gorman

The real story behind that Nottingham Forest mug on Line of Duty

There was already plenty of excitement when the fifth series of epic BBC cop drama Line of Duty finally kicked off last night (March 31) but not all fans were reacting to twists and turns in the plot.

Social media went into a minor meltdown when Reds fans spotted a Nottingham Forest mug in one scene.

And it was all down to an 11-year-old from Toton.

Kai Reid is the nephew of Nottingham actress Vicky McClure and he plays the son of her character DI Kate Fleming.

Forest fan Kai Reid with his brother Dexter (Jenny Reid)

While his aunty is well known for following Notts County, Kai is a big Forest fan, like mum Jenny, dad Carl and 18-month old younger brother Dexter.

When a scene called for his character, Josh, to be seen with a football mug, producers were going to use a Chelsea or Man City one but Kai told them he was a Forest fan - so they bought one.

"He’s been to loads of games with his dad," says McClure's fiance Jonny Owen, a director at Nottingham Forest. The couple also live in Toton.

"His favourite player is Ben Osborn, his favourite goal was Ben’s when Forest beat Derby 2-1 at Pride Park in 2015. But his favourite game was was beating Arsenal in the FA Cup 4-2 last season."

Kai has been playing the role of Josh since McClure put him forward for the role.

She says: "When it was written originally I had a daughter, and I said to Jed (Mercurio, writer) it would be great if I could have a son instead because I could use my nephew. It will always be his role now and he really enjoys it. He did really well this year, he did some improvising, I’m very proud of him."

The McClure 'clan' are a mix of Forest and County fans, with the Bafta-winner's dad, Mick following the Reds, while mum is a Pies fan, like Vicky's grandfather.

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How Forest fans reacted

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