Martin Compston auditioned for role of Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders

Martin Compston and Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. Picture: 1. Vianney Le Caer/Shutterstock 2. BBC/Peaky BlindersThe Line of Duty star has revealed he went for the same role as Cillian Murphy, but knew he didn't stand a chance against the Irish actor.Martin Compston has recalled how he auditioned for Peaky Blinders, but admitted he wasn't any good at a Brummie accent.The BBC series - which starred Cillian Murphy and came to a dramatic conclusion earlier this year, but it could have looked and sounded very different with Compston in the lead role.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Restless Natives podcast, which he co-hosts with Gordon Smart, he revealed: "I genuinely couldn’t just put on a Brummie accent now, I’m not good at accents. I actually went up for Peaky Blinders.He went on: "I went for Tommy Shelby, thought I nailed the f***ng thing and Jed Mercurio who writes Line of Duty, he’s a Brummie so he recorded my lines for me and it was one of those moments where I was like, ‘I’ve got a shout’ and then my agents goes 'Cillian Murphy’s going for it.' So you just know you don’t ever follow up again ever."