BBC hit crime drama Line of Duty has been confirmed to return for a seventh series. A new six-part season following police anti-corruption investigations was today announced by the BBC.
“We couldn’t be more delighted to be returning for a seventh [series],” said creator Jed Mercurio. “Corruption in this country is supposed to have come to an end while Line of Duty was off air so I’ve been forced to use my imagination.”
The return of the three lead characters has also been confirmed. The series will star Vicky McClure and Martin Compston as detective pair Kate Fleming and Steve Arnott. They are joined once more by Adrian Dunbar as Ted Hastings, the uncompromisingly moral officer whose hatred of “bent coppers” is matched only by his passion for esoteric exclamations of rage involving the phrase “wee donkey”.
In a change to the format of the previous series, the plot revolves around the previous police anti-corruption unit, AC-12, having been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. The team will investigate a detective inspector who’s accused of being a sexual predator in an environment the BBC describe as one where “anticorruption work has never been more difficult”.
“As we count down the AC-12 days of Christmas what a joy it is to know that the Three Amigos will be back filming together next year,” said Dunbar.
“Line of Duty has been a job of a lifetime,” said Compston. “I can’t wait to pull the waistcoat on again and get the team back together.”
The actor playing the suspect hasn’t yet been revealed. However, the show has a habit of introducing one big-name guest star a season, with previous participants including Keeley Hawes, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Graham and Thandiwe Newton.
Public pronouncements from the cast about their desire to film an AC-12 reunion means that there have long been rumours about its return. Some outlets even reported in 2022 that a three-part miniseries was imminent. The BBC’s latest announcement is a surprise, however, given that as recently as October, McClure was pouring cold water on the prospect of a return for the show in a Radio Times interview, saying she didn’t “have any updates, I’m afraid”.
“I don’t want to give anyone any false hope,” said McClure. “We’ve all been very clear that we’d absolutely love to do another series.”
“Adrian [Dunbar], Martin [Compston] and I have been talking about doing a travel show together, though. If any of us ever has any spare time, we’ll do it. Line of Duty gave us two brilliant things – our careers and our friendship.”
Line of Duty has been off screens since its sixth season ended in May 2021. The finale was a ratings success, with a record 12.8 million viewers tuning in – which the BBC said was the most watched episode of any drama, excluding soaps, since modern records began in 2002.
It was largely viewed as a disappointment, however, marking a season that failed to hit the heights of previous outings. The Guardian’s TV critic Lucy Mangan said of it: “At the risk of sounding like a mere embittered fan shouting at Johnny-come-latelies … man, you should have seen it back in the days when it was good.”