April 9

Who is Lee Thompson and how does he fit into Blue Lights?

Lee Thompson has lived away from Belfast and seen a lot of the world during his time in the army. After serving in Afghanistan he sees a different kind of war on the streets of Belfast. He very quickly identifies a new enemy – drugs – a threat to the well-being of his community and he goes after that with everything he’s got. Lee cares deeply about his people and has real pride in being a Protestant from East Belfast. A man who has fought for his country and is fiercely proud of the traditions he grew up with.

What are his ambitions for the Mount Eden estate?

Despite the pride he has in his roots, there’s a loss of self-belief among the people of Mount Eden and when they talk about being from Northern Ireland these things really matter to their identity and ultimately their self-esteem. Lee’s ambition is to restore that sense of pride because once they have that back they won’t let it be taken away. He talks about ‘going back to how it used to be’.

Describe his relationship with Rab?

Rab is Lee’s uncle. Lee’s father died when he was young due to the stresses of trying to keep a local business going with paramilitary groups taking weekly protection payments. Rab represents a father figure for Lee, however Rab is also a man burdened by his past. He’s now a community man through and through and Rab represents an ideal and is a role model for Lee.

Describe Lee’s relationship with his sister and nephew?

Mags is fiercely protective of her son as is Lee of his nephew. Despite living in a post-conflict world it doesn’t feel like it’s post-conflict on the Mount Eden estate. Having lost their parents at a young age, Mags and Lee are undoubtedly close but as the series progresses we see her questioning some of Lee’s choices.

What was it like to join an established cast?

What I love about working in Northern Ireland is that everyone knows everyone which means that as soon as you walk on a set you have a shorthand and it feels like an ensemble. Everyone was so welcoming and gave me room to navigate and collaborate on the character and that boils down to trusting the actor and giving them space to create.

What research did you do?

I knew a lot already but I did research the role because I was playing someone from a background I’m not from. That’s a world of tradition that I had to examine to ensure I had no preconceptions or assumptions about that community. A fellow actor took me on tours of Belfast so that I could look at it with fresh eyes. What I wanted to discover most of all was what Lee was most proud of as a unionist man and as soon as I started to explore that it pushed me in the right direction.