Filming for the new series will begin in spring next year
Line Of Duty is returning for a seventh series(Image: PA)
A seventh series of the hit BBC show Line Of Duty has been confirmed, and the new season is set to bring a brand-new character to screens.
Starring Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, the BBC has announced Line Of Duty will begin filming in Belfast in spring next year for the show’s seventh series.
The last season of the hit six-series police drama, which aired from March to May 2021, was a ratings success with 15.8 million viewers tuning in for the concluding episode, which revealed the identity of the mysterious corrupt officer H.
Revealing the news of the new series, the BBC said the show’s seventh series will see AC-12, the fictional anti-corruption department, disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards.
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A synopsis adds: “Anti-corruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate Steve Arnott (Compston), Kate Fleming (McClure) and Ted Hastings (Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far.”
A new character, Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, whose casting has not yet been announced, has also been revealed for the upcoming series. So far the the new arrival has been described as a “charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime”, with it being revealed that he is “accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator”.
The synopsis adds: “But is Gough’s case a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows?”
With an upcoming series now confirmed for Line Of Duty, the show’s stars have also shared their delight at the opportunity to return to the project.
Line Of Duty, starring Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, will return for a seventh series (Image: PA)
Scottish actor Compston, 41, said: “Line Of Duty has been a job of a lifetime. Not only in terms of the show’s success but the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with I now call some of my closest friends.
“I can’t wait to pull the waistcoat on again and get the team back together.”
Trigger Point actress McClure, 42, echoed similar sentiments on returning to the show, as she said: “It goes without saying I’m so excited Line Of Duty is back.”
She added: “Can’t wait to work with Jed, Martin and Adrian again. Belfast, we’ll see you soon.”
Northern Irish actor Dunbar, 67, also suggested it was a “joy” to be joining back up with the Line Of Duty cast for the show’s seventh series, before adding that he was “looking forward to those mercurial twists and turns”.
On the fan response to Line Of Duty, the show’s creator, writer and executive producer, Jed Mercurio, said: “Everyone involved in Line Of Duty feels enormous gratitude to the show’s fans.
“We’re privileged to have had so many of you follow the ups and downs of AC-12 over six previous seasons and we couldn’t be more delighted to be returning for a seventh.
He added: “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.”