Taj Atwal left 'Line of Duty' to star in 'The Syndicate'.
Taj Atwal
The 33-year-old actress has appeared in the police drama as PC Tatleen Sohota since series five, but she was notably missing from the show's series six opener on Sunday (21.03.21).
Now, Taj has revealed she was offered a bigger role in the upcoming BBC drama and had to choose between the two TV shows.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she said: "I couldn't make the dates work alongside 'The Syndicate'. I had to choose and it was not an easy decision."
Taj joined 'Line of Duty' as AC-12's newest recruit and became a crucial figure in uncovering the truth about John Corbett's ties to the Organised Crime Group.
But Taj explained she made the difficult decision to walk away from the show as she wanted a chance to "play a completely different character" and the opportunity to work with 'The Syndicate' creator Kay Mellor.
She added: "It was not easy but Kay is very hard to turn down because she is just so lovely, and I've worked with her so much previously, and Roxy was a just completely different character for me to play and just challenge myself, really."
'The Syndicate' is set to return for its fourth series this spring and will star the likes of Neil Morrissey, Emily Head, Katherine Rose Morley, Kieran Urquhart, and Libby Hobbs, who is making her UK debut on the programme.
Each series of ‘The Syndicate’ follows a different group of people as they win the lottery, and for series four, Kay will be transporting viewers to both Yorkshire and Monaco to tell the story of a group of kennel workers who bank the jackpot.
The series will follow Keeley (Katherine), Jake (Kieran), Roxy (Taj), Gemma (Liberty) and Colette (Emily), who find their jobs at Woodvale Kennels are on the line when the owners announce they are selling the business to a large corporate chain.
When gambling addict Keeley decides to play the weekly lottery and finds she’s won big, audiences will see the kennel workers spend every last penny they own to see justice done.