Martin Shaw reveals feud with 'arrogant co-star' who 'behaved so badly on set'

Martin Shaw has opened up on a secret feud he had with his 'arrogant co-star' who 'behaved so badly on set'. The actor, 80,found national fame when he and Lewis Collins, who died in 2013 at the age of 67 following a battle with cancer, took on the roles of Doyle and Bodie respectively in the hit series The Professionals during the late 1970s.

But even though their alter-egos were made out to be friends and crime-fighting agents, Martin has revealed that things couldn't have been more different when the cameras stopped rolling. Speaking of their tumultuous relationship, he told The Telegraph : "It was truly, truly horrible and there was a sense of blessed relief when it was over."

The feud did not last forever, though as Martin revealed everything was 'healed' between them a decade after the programme wrapped in 1983. However he admitted that the friction between them came before they found mainstream success together, and he struggled with just how 'arrogant' his fellow actor had been. It comes after one huge TV star looks completely unrecognisable as she reveals latest facelift.

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He added: "But the trouble all started when I was a villain in The New Avengers in 1977 and he was my sidekick. Lewis behaved so badly on that set. He had a small part but he was so arrogant. It was beyond that. It was bizarre!"

Martin was even hesitant to take on the role in The Professionals thanks to his experience of working with Lewis in the past, and was not shy about telling him how he felt when they both arrived on set together.

The formerInspector George Gently star added: "I’d already said to the casting director, ‘I can’t work with Lewis because we don’t get on’, but they cast him anyway. I went up to him on the first day of shooting and said: ‘You know I didn’t want you to do this but let’s get on with it and have fun.’ And he told me to f*** off and he never forgave me for the next four years."

The Professionals ran from 1977 until 1983 over the course of five series, and Martin later went on to star in the title role of Judge John Deed in the early 2000s but in more recent years has appeared in dramas such as Strike and The Long Call. He has also had an illustrious career in theatre, and is currently starring as Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons in London.

Meanwhile, his former co-star Lewis joined the military for a period of time and then unsuccessfully auditioned to replace Roger Moore in the James Bond franchise. In the 1990s, he appeared in a TV adaptation of the Barbara Cartland novel A Ghost in Monte Carlo, and the Tarzan series before making his final appearance in an episode of The Bill in 2002.

Despite the tricky relationship they had, Martin was one of the first to pay tribute to Lewis when he passed away more than a decade ago.

At the time, he said: "I was very sad to hear today that Lewis has died. We spent a very tough four years together in making The Professionals, and shared in the production of what has become an icon of British television..

"He will be remembered as part of the childhood of so many people, and mourned by his fans. I send my love and condolences to his family, and the great many who will miss him."

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