Martin McCann has become a firm fan favourite thanks to his role as copper Stevie Neil in Blue Lights series 3 – and viewers can’t get enough of his cake-baking skills or his heartwarming romance with colleague Grace.
Fans have totally embraced the sweet relationship between Stevie and Grace Ellis, his partner both on and off duty. And the good news is they’ll be back together for series 4 of the hit BBC drama.
In the third series, Grace was two years into the job as the team found themselves drawn into a dark world lurking beneath the surface of middle-class life. Still, that didn’t stop Grace and Stevie from sneaking in a few light-hearted moments – including some hilarious chat about what’s in his lunchbox…
Here’s everything you need to know about Blue Lights star Martin McCann – from his on-screen relationship with Grace to his real-life love life and other TV roles.
Martin with his Blue Lights co-stars (Credit: BBC/Two Cities Television/Matthias Clamer)
Who plays Stevie Neil in Blue Lights?
Actor Martin McCann portrays Stevie Neil in Blue Lights series 1 to 3 on BBC One.
He first played the role in series 1, which aired on BBC One in March 2023. The six-parter was a huge hit, and followed three new recruits to Belfast’s police force.
ED! nominated the series for Stand-Out Drama of 2o23, but it was pipped to the post by another brilliant crime drama! Happy Valley won Stand-Out Drama of 2023 by 60% of the votes.
In series 1, policeman Stevie was paired with probationer Grace, who had made a huge career change from social worker to police officer.
Series 2 saw Grace a year into the job. The team were then faced with a drug-fuelled crime wave that led them into a loyalist estate. In series 3, Grace, Annie and Tommy were two years into their jobs as response officers.
The synopsis said: “Their work will take them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, the world of the accountants and lawyers who facilitate organised crime. The old political and criminal order has gone and a new global gang rule Belfast, bringing danger closer to home for our officers than ever before.”
Did Stevie and Grace get together in Blue Lights?
In series 2 “a violent clash put Stevie and Grace’s working relationship at risk”. But things ended on a much more romantic note for the pair…
Viewers will know that Stevie and Grace were getting closer in the first series, with Stevie nearly revealing his romantic feelings for her at the end of the series.
Grace learnt that “mystery man” Stevie was a widower whose wife of 10 years had died from cancer. Since Sarah’s death, Stevie had lived alone with his beloved dog, spending his time cooking gourmet dishes (hence the impressive lunchbox) and visiting his parents and siblings.
Talking about Stevie and Grace’s will-they-won’t-they relationship, actress Siân Brooke told Radio Times: “If I had a pound for every time someone said, ‘Are Stevie and Grace going to get together?’, I would be a millionaire!”
Of course, at the end of Blue Lights series 2, they DID appear to get together. In series 3, the characters were well and truly a couple, even living together and planning a future together.
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