diff --git a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/editor.py b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/editor.py
index 5065fbe518bc6aeb0e6641c39d820b14815a1271..35802bcec6c4ed728544dc19a8c5859e11d4dace 100644
--- a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/editor.py
+++ b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/editor.py
@@ -17,12 +17,9 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, unicode_literals)
 
 # 3rd party imports
-from qtpy.QtCore import QObject
-from qtpy.QtWidgets import QStatusBar, QTabWidget, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
 # local imports
 from mantidqt.utils.qt import import_qtlib
-from .execution import PythonCodeExecution
 
 # Import single-file editor from C++ wrapping
 CodeEditor = import_qtlib('_widgetscore', 'mantidqt.widgets', 'ScriptEditor')
diff --git a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/interpreter.py b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/interpreter.py
index ea847acedb588327c53a24d8f34e959d4b9b5344..3a1e65f99b861c932578a15c53004d3ae2d600fc 100644
--- a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/interpreter.py
+++ b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/codeeditor/interpreter.py
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ from __future__ import (absolute_import, unicode_literals)
 
 # 3rd party imports
 from qtpy.QtCore import QObject
+from qtpy.QtGui import QColor, QFont, QFontMetrics
 from qtpy.QtWidgets import QStatusBar, QVBoxLayout, QWidget
 
 # local imports
@@ -25,9 +26,11 @@ from mantidqt.widgets.codeeditor.editor import CodeEditor
 from mantidqt.widgets.codeeditor.execution import PythonCodeExecution
 
 IDLE_STATUS_MSG = "Status: Idle"
-
 RUNNING_STATUS_MSG = "Status: Running"
 
+# Editor colors
+CURRENTLINE_BKGD = QColor(247, 236, 248)
+
 
 class PythonFileInterpreter(QWidget):
 
@@ -38,7 +41,7 @@ class PythonFileInterpreter(QWidget):
         super(PythonFileInterpreter, self).__init__(parent)
 
         # layout
-        self.editor = CodeEditor("Python", self)
+        self.editor = CodeEditor("AlternateCSPythonLexer", self)
         self.status = QStatusBar(self)
         layout = QVBoxLayout()
         layout.addWidget(self.editor)
@@ -46,6 +49,8 @@ class PythonFileInterpreter(QWidget):
         self.setLayout(layout)
         layout.setContentsMargins(0, 0, 0, 0)
 
+        self._setup_editor()
+
         # presenter
         self._presenter = PythonFileInterpreterPresenter(self, PythonCodeExecution())
 
@@ -58,6 +63,22 @@ class PythonFileInterpreter(QWidget):
     def set_status_message(self, msg):
         self.status.showMessage(msg)
 
+    def _setup_editor(self):
+        editor = self.editor
+        # use fixed with font
+        font = QFont("Courier New")
+        font.setPointSize(10)
+        editor.setFont(font)
+
+        # show current editing line but in a softer color
+        editor.setCaretLineBackgroundColor(CURRENTLINE_BKGD)
+        editor.setCaretLineVisible(True)
+
+        # set a margin large enough for sensible file sizes < 1000 lines
+        # and the progress marker
+        font_metrics = QFontMetrics(font)
+        editor.setMarginWidth(1, font_metrics.averageCharWidth()*3 + 12)
+
 
 class PythonFileInterpreterPresenter(QObject):
     """Presenter part of MVP to control actions on the editor"""
diff --git a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/src/_widgetscore.sip b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/src/_widgetscore.sip
index 3f426f9f8d2ba7db3e9982e7e9355f03a17c80bb..75136926fb4c9e144ca73c5be2adffdc66810138 100644
--- a/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/src/_widgetscore.sip
+++ b/qt/python/mantidqt/widgets/src/_widgetscore.sip
@@ -68,7 +68,11 @@ public:
   bool isReadOnly() const;
   QString text() const;
 
+  void setCaretLineBackgroundColor (const QColor & col);
+  void setCaretLineVisible(bool enable);
   void setFileName(const QString &filename);
+  void setFont(const QFont &f);
+  void setMarginWidth(int margin, int width);
   void setReadOnly(bool ro);
   void setText(const QString &text);