Craig Parkinson: the story so far for the Lancashire actor of Line of Duty and Misfits fame

Early life

Craig was born in Blackpool to Derek Parkinson and his wife on March 11 1976 and attended Lytham St. Annes High School.

As a teenager he studied ay Blackpool and The Fylde College and worked in a newsagent’s where he served legendary comedian Les Dawson frequently, telling the Great British Life Magazine: “He was lovely. He used to come in and buy his cigars every Saturday and Sunday morning.”

When Craig was young he also collected movie soundtracks, loved the band Oasis and, from the age of 15, frequented the Blackpool indie venue Jenk's Bar, according to an interview he did with the Classic Pop Magazine.

Craig then moved to London aged 17 to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, during which time he worked at a Pizza Hut and a West End cinema.

Regarding the latter job, he told Great British Life Magazine: “I met Princess Diana once. She came to see When A Man Loves a Woman with Meg Ryan – sneaked in with a friend and I told her she could sit in the back. She was wearing a tracksuit but I recognised her straightaway. I’ve never seen anything like her in my life. She had a glow.”

Career beginnings

Craig’s acting career started on the stage in 1998 and his first TV role was in 2001 when he appeared in an episode of the BBC crime drama Dalziel and Pascoe.

Since then, he has gone on to star in a plethora of television shows, early examples including The Bill (2002), Holby City (2003) and Endeavour (2013).

Stand out roles early on include playing the Kray twins in the BBC crime show Whitechapel, (2010) and a probation officer in the E4 show Misfits (2010-2011).

Craig then gained wider recognition for his role as corrupt copper DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan in the BBC’s Line of Duty, a character he played between 2012 and 2021 in all six series.

Aside from various small parts in TV shows, he also starred in both series of the Channel 4 show Indian Summers between 2015-2016, and in 2019 he featured in five episodes Sky One medical drama Temple.

In 2017 Craig also started his ‘Two Shot Podcast’ in which he interviews famous actors and other creative types. Tt won best culture podcast at the 2018 British Podcast Awards.

Turning to films, Craig’s best known work has been his parts on the satirical film Four Lions (2010) and the Charlie Brooker hit Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018).

Recent work

Between 2020 and 2021, Craig starred in Sandylands, a Gold sitcom also starring comedian David Walliams and Inbetweeners star Simon Bird. He also appeared in an episode of Doctor Who in 2021 and Vera in 2022.

Since 2021, Craig has played DS Norman Potting on the crime show Grace, also starring fellow Lancashire actor John Simm, and last year he played DCI Peter Burton in Mrs. Sidhu Investigates.

Then in January, he published his last ever episode of the ‘Two Shot Podcast’ in which he interviewed Line of Duty colleague Vicky McLure - his first guest to ever appear on the show.

Personal life

Craig was married to actress Susan Lynch (Beautiful Creatures, 16 Years of Alcohol, Happy Valley) between 2007-2019. They have a son together who was born in 2011.

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What’s next

Craig returns as DS Norman Potting in series five of Grace, set to air this year, and series six, which is currently planned for 2025.

He also has a role in the new Disney+ historical adventure show Renegade Nell which premieres on March 29.