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.
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.
Martin McCann’s films and TV shows
Actor Martin McCann has been on our screen since 1998, when he played a young joyrider in the short film The Rules of Golf. He soon went on to appear in one episode of Pulling, before joining the sketch show Dry Your Eyes. He played various characters in series 1 and 2, which aired between 2006 and 2007.
In 2010, Martin played Cpl. R.V. Burgin in the brilliant Emmy-winning war series, The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Two years later, he portrayed Conor McCann in the TV mini-series Titanic: Blood and Steel.
Other notable roles include Randolph Corbett in The Bastard Executioner, Alvarez in the Jamie Dornan thriller The Fall, and Jack Madden in a 2017 episode of Vera.
In 2017, Martin starred as Renquist in The Frankenstein Chronicles, alongside Sean Bean, and Anna Maxwell Martin. In fact, Martin starred opposite Frank Blake, who joined the cast of Blue Lights series 2 as Shane Bradley.
A year later, Martin played Frank Blessing in Death and Nightingales, before playing Cormac in Temple. Marcella fans may well recognise Martin as Bobby Barrett in the last series of the ITV Anna Friel thriller.
More recently, he played Keon in On the Edge, Wee Pat McClure in Say Nothing, and ‘villain’ John Shagan in Netflix’s Hostage.
Martin McCann plays Eamonn Laverty in Blue Lights
Actor Martin McCann is currently playing Eamonn Laverty in Trespasses on Channel 4. It’s a faithful adaptation of the bestselling book of the same name by Louise Kennedy.
The heartbreaking story follows young Catholic teacher Cushla, who falls in love with an older, married man – who just happens to be a Protestant AND married. It’s a tale of “forbidden love” against the backdrop of the Troubles in Belfast in 1975.
Frankly, it’s excellent, with a moving story, beautiful soundtrack, and cast to die for. Martin’s Eamonn runs a pub which serves both sides of the war, and his younger sister Cushla serves behind the bar – which is where she meets Michael.
What films has Blue Lights actor Martin been in?
Martin has been in a multitude of films, including Jack Lowden thriller Calibre, Last Sentinel, Wolf, Here Before, The Informer, and The Fight.
He is perhaps best known for his leading role in the 2015 movie The Survivalist. The film followed a survivalist in a time of starvation, who lived off a small plot of land hidden deep in forest. However, when two women seeking food and shelter discovered his farm, he found his existence threatened. It deservedly received a BAFTA nomination for
Other film roles include his role as Bono in comedy Killing Bono, and Occi Byrne in Swansong, for which he won the award for best lead actor in a feature film at the 8th Irish Film & Television Awards.
Is Martin McCann married?
Martin McCann has kept his love life largely out of the spotlight. But he was previously linked to actress and electro-pop musician Nadia Milliken, who’s also from Belfast.
The pair never publicly discussed their relationship, but they certainly looked close when they attended the 2016 IFTA Film & Drama Awards together at Dublin’s Mansion House. They were photographed with their arms around each other, appearing smitten.
Nadia later posted snaps of the two on her Facebook page – with one fan commenting that they made a “great looking couple”.
A talented performer in her own right, Nadia has balanced her singing career with acting roles. This includes Raven in the short film The Summoning and Violet Coughlan in the 2023 movie The Irish Mob.
In April 2025, Nadia welcomed a child, though it’s not known whether she and Martin are still together. The Blue Lights star is famously private about his personal life, but more recently he’s been linked to Megan Osborne – the pair attended the IFTA Awards together in Dublin in April 2024.
How old is Blue Lights actor Martin, and where is he from?
Martin McCann was born on 20 July 1983 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Making him 42 years old at the time of writing.
A hugely respected name in both film and television, Martin earned a spot on The Irish Times’ 2020 list of Ireland’s greatest film actors, coming in at number 48. A testament to his impressive career and talent.
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Martin McCann plays Eamonn in Trespasses on Channel 4.
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