A FAMILIAR Fermanagh face made an appearance on the latest episode of Line of Duty last night (April 11) – and this time we're not talking about series star, Adrian Dunbar.
In a cameo role as the solicitor of Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells (played by Nigel Boyle, who also has Fermanagh connections), Desi Quinn made his appearance on the popular BBC crime drama.
Speaking to The Impartial Reporter about his experience as an extra, Desi said: "It's a great show. It's all done in Belfast, and the scene that I'm in – which is about 10 minutes long – Adrian Dunbar's in it, [and] Nigel's in it, so there's six people around the table and three are from Fermanagh!
"The other lovely thing is the likes of Jed Mercurio [Line of Duty creator] and the producers, they hold Adrian in such high esteem," he added.
Talking about acting for the scene, Desi explained that he had to look "serious and grim".
"You play your own role in its own way [but] they'll tell you what to expect as well. It's all good."
When asked what it was like to see himself on the silver screen on Sunday night, Desi laughed: "It's fine, I just would've needed an awful lot more make-up and a lot more Polyfilla!
"But it's not about me – it's about the bigger picture."
Prior to appearing on the show, Desi says he was a fan of Line of Duty.
"I very much enjoy it; I think it has a great storyline. The amount of people that have contacted me from all over the British Isles, it just shows you who watches it."
Desi was selected for the role through Extras NI, a Northern Ireland-based company providing extras for work in the entertainment industry.
"I joined Extras NI years ago and there's other wee things that have come up over the years.
“You might get called once a year; it's not for money or anything like that, it's not about that, because most of it's in Belfast, so you're either staying or you're travelling.
“It's more that I have a curious mind and I like to see how things are done [which is why I like being an extra].
"It's very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes," he said, adding that although he enjoys being an extra, "it's not everybody's cup of tea".
"It's a long day. That 10-minute scene basically was a whole-day affair, taking it from four different angles."
Encouraging others to apply to be an extra for shows filmed in Northern Ireland, Desi said: "There's so much of this going on. It might only be once in a blue moon that you get called, but it's all happening in our wee part of the world.
"It's on your own doorstep, and at the end of the day I grew up watching films that were made all around the world, and in Northern Ireland we have a vibrant industry.
"Why wouldn't you get involved and see what's going on?" he told this newspaper.