Line of Duty star Martin Compston has addressed the rumours that a seventh season is under way, sharing that new episodes are “a way off”.
The BBC police procedural had an acclaimed run of six seasons between 2012 and 2021, though rumours of a follow-up instalment have been rife in recent months.
In an interview with The Sun, Compston, who plays Steve Arnott, was optimistic about the series returning in the future, though he did concede that it may take a while, given the schedules of his co-stars.
“We’re always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot,” said the actor. “Everybody’s got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off.
“You know, the day people stop asking about the show will be a sad day, so I’m delighted that people are still excited about it. We’d all love to work together again at some point. We still all meet up.
BBC/World Productions/Steffan Hill//BBC
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“I met with Jed [Mercurio, the show’s creator], Adrian [Dunbar] and Vicky [McClure] in London before Christmas – we went out for dinner, to hear what everyone’s up to,” added the star, who played Steve in all six seasons.
“It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling as an actor when you feel like the whole country is in the palm of your hand with what’s coming next, and there’s only a couple of you in that secret of who’s surviving and what’s going on.”
“We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons. It won’t just be: ‘Get another one done.’ It’ll be because Jed thinks there’s a story to tell,” he concluded.
World Productions/Steffan Hill//BBC
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Compston had previously spoken about the rumoured return of the show, sharing that he had full “trust” in Mercurio to tell a worthwhile story, explaining: “If he decided it wasn’t right for it to come back, then so be it.
“If he decided to kill any of us off, we’d be gutted. We’d only do it for what’s best for the show, and if that was his decision, then that would be it. What’s great about it at the moment is we’re not planning on doing it, but it’s nice knowing it’s ‘out there’. That’s a lovely feeling.”
Line of Duty streams on BBC iPlayer.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.