3 weeks ago
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When Martin Compston was growing up in Greenock, Scotland, the bright lights of Las Vegas seemed a million miles away. Watching the film Ocean’s Eleven, he imagined himself standing in front of the famous Bellagio fountains just like in the closing shot of the movie, and vowed one day he’d do the same. Today, thanks to meeting his wife Tianna, a native Las Vegan, it’s now the city he calls home.
‘When I first met Tianna I’d never met anyone from Vegas,’ recalls the Line of Duty star, 42. ‘It was a weird thing to hear. I thought, “What do you mean you come from Las Vegas?” It’s like somebody saying, “I’m from Piccadilly Circus.” Nobody lives there!’
From the outside it may appear to be just a super-sized tourist hotspot, but Las Vegas is also home to 2.4 million people and growing fast. But, as he spends most of the year in the UK and only short periods in Vegas, Martin realised he really didn’t know his adopted city at all. At Tianna’s suggestion, he decided it was time to find out more – and it’s all chronicled in his new three-part Channel 4 documentary Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas.
‘We’re very lucky to have a home here and a home in Scotland, but with most of my work being in the UK I’m at our Scottish place more often than not,’ explains Martin. ‘So, with work and an active social life there, by the time I get to Las Vegas I just want to hang out in the back garden with my kid – much to the frustration of my wife!’
Martin embarks on a journey of discovery, visiting places that up until now were not on his radar. He stops off at the Palms Casino Resort, famous for its high-roller hotel suites, one of which contains a full-size basketball court, and another a ten-pin bowling alley. Each sleeps ten guests and costs up to $25,000 (£18,500) per night. ‘There are some stories in those walls,’ laughs Martin.
Among his other adventures are joining a Cirque du Soleil show, starting those beloved Bellagio fountains, and horse-trekking in the Mojave Desert.
Martin Compston explores Las Vegas, his adopted city, in his new three-part Channel 4 documentary Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas
Martin is returning along with Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure next year for the final series of hit BBC police drama Line of Duty
Martin was also thrilled to explore the thriving bohemian quarter he’d hitherto been too wary to visit. ‘I would really recommend the arts district, called the 18b,’ he says. ‘It’s the first thing I do now when I have guests, I take them there. The area between downtown and the main strip was always a sort of no-go area, but it’s my favourite place in Vegas by far. With most big cities you’ve got to keep your wits about you anyway. That was one of the reasons I got out of LA, it just seemed to be getting more and more out of hand.’
The couple moved to be near Tianna’s parents shortly after the birth of their son, who’s now six. Martin says they live ‘a very normal life’ despite it being but a stone’s throw from the famous strip, with its themed hotel resorts, gigantic shopping malls, casinos and world-class restaurants. Fellow Scot Gordon Ramsay, who has several eateries in the city, is a good pal.
Do they make good use of the strip? ‘If somebody’s in town or if we go on a date night, we’ll head to the Red Rock Casino,’ says Martin, who likes the food there and its cocktail lounge with jazz singers. ‘Vegas is never dull – there’s always something going on. Even if I’m not going out, not that far away someone could be having the best night of their life.’
The last chapter of Line of Duty will be the best ever
Martin is returning along with Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure next year for what he says will be the very last series of the hit BBC police drama – and he promises that it won't disappoint.
'This is going to be the best one ever,' he says. 'The scripts are so good, and we've got the best guest lead we've ever had in Robert Carlyle, who was my hero growing up.
'It's going to be an amazing victory lap, and it was by far the toughest shoot we've ever done, physically and mentally. But I hope we've given everybody the sort of finale the show deserves. It's the end of the story for sure, and I'm just really proud to have been apart of it.'
With the casinos the major draw, it could also be the worst night of someone’s life. The city makes around $15.5billion (£11billion) a year from gambling. So how come Martin’s not stony broke? ‘I do love a bit of blackjack, but I’ve got a system. If you’re at the table it’s free drinks as long as you’re gambling. So I have a budget for the evening, which is what I’d have spent on a night out. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.’
Of course, the city is also noted for its quickie weddings, and Martin visits the famous Little White Chapel, where Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez married in 2022. It’s no longer open 24 hours, but couples can still get hitched at the drop of a hat. Thousands of Brits take the plunge there every year, and Martin meets two of them, Katie and Chris, and livestreams their ceremony.
‘That was beautiful,’ he reflects. ‘I had a cynical view of those types of weddings before. I thought they were a bit tacky, but then you learn that for some people it’s their dream.’ With Tianna being local, did they not fancy an Elvis-themed do themselves? ‘No, but we have talked about a vow renewal for our ten years,’ reveals Martin, who married Tianna in Greenock in 2016. ‘I’d be up for that.’
Martin feels far more comfortable in his adopted city these days. ‘I feel like a local now. But Greenock’s always going to be home,’ he says.
And if any Scots are in town, he can still find a link to his home country. Recently, he met up with Rod Stewart. ‘He’s a big Celtic man and a Line of Duty fan, so he sorted us out with tickets to his show. We had a few drinks afterwards and at 3am he told me I should probably go home. He outdrank me!’
Martin Compston: Living Las Vegas starts on Wednesday at 10pm on Channel 4.
English (US) ·