HE'S wowed audiences as Line of Duty's Steve Arnott, appeared opposite Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan in Mary, Queen of Scots, and become one of the most well-kent faces on British television. 

Now, Martin Compston has finally revealed his dream role would be to play Scots born Irish republican leader James Connolly.

After visiting the prison where James was executed, the Greenock-born star has told of his fascination with the Easter Rising leader's story. 

Glasgow Times: James Connolly James Connolly

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Connolly was born in Edinburgh in 1868 and was one of the key players during the events of 1916 when members of the Irish Volunteers and the Citizen's Army occupied buildings in Dublin and proclaimed an Irish Republic.

Speaking on RTE show Ask Me Anything, Compston, 37, said: "It was somewhere I had always wanted to go, that period of history fascinates me.

"I may be a bit young for it at the moment but to play James Connolly would be a dream role for me.

"I think people forget or people don’t know he was Scottish.

Glasgow Times: Compston recently appeared in the hit show Vigil Compston recently appeared in the hit show Vigil

"Just going there and being in that environment, the history just seeps out of the walls."

James who was born in the Cowgate district of Edinburgh known as "Little Ireland", got involved with the Independent Labour Party formed by Keir Hardie in 1893 and relocated to Dublin where he founded the Irish Socialist Republican Party.

He became legendary trade unionist James Larkin's right hand man and later created socialist militia, the Irish Citizen Army.