While Martin Compston is no stranger to blockbuster TV dramas, having appeared in all three seasons of the BBC’s smash hit Line of Duty, he promises The Rig will be his “largest” yet.
The Scottish actor, 38, plays communications officer Fulmer Hamilton in the Amazon Prime series, which also stars Emily Hampshire, 41, from Schitt’s Creek, and Iain Glen, 61, from Game of Thrones.
The six-part series follows a squad of oil workers commanded by Magnus MacMillan (Glen) who are stationed in the treacherous waters of the North Sea off the Scottish coast.
However, just as they are about to be retrieved and returned to the mainland, a mysterious and all-encompassing fog comes in, and the rig is hit by a major tremor, cutting off all communications.
As shifting alliances are formed and broken, the team is effectively stranded and scrambles to figure out what is driving this mysterious force, which looks to have bionic capabilities.
Martin discussed his role in the series, helmed by Bodyguard and LOD’s John Strickland, with Metro.co.uk, and previewed what fans may expect.
Asked what drew him to the project, Martin responded: ‘I’ve worked with John [Strickland] a few times and he’s got about a class about him.
‘He always has a great set because John is very calm and very funny and you trust him.
‘When I spoke to him about it, it was the scale of the thing that I found exciting. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever worked on in terms of the ambition of it.’
The environment looms large throughout the series, putting into question how mankind has utilised – and mistreated – it through the years.
Asked whether The Rig was expressing a message or moral about the natural environment, Martin replied: ‘Being Scottish, oil rigs are a big part of our culture; my dad worked on an oil rig.
‘It’s something to be proud of, in terms of money – it’s kept the British economy going the last couple of decades, it’s literally powered hospitals and it still has a part to play.
‘But it’s changing, it’s evolving and we need to evolve with it. Climate change is here, it’s not an open debate.
He continued: ‘So the main thing for us, when you do something like this, is that, first and foremost it has to be entertaining. You can’t just keep banging people over the head with it.
‘People can lose interest and get bored. So I hope they just watch it and enjoy it and hopefully take something else away with it.’
The Rig is available to stream on Prime Video.