Line Of Duty returning for a seventh series, BBC announces

Line Of Duty will return to the BBC for a seventh series, it has been announced.

Written by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions, it will also see the return of Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, who reprise their roles.

The sixth season of the police drama, which aired from March to May in 2021, was a ratings success, with its dramatic finale revealing the identity of the mysterious corrupt officer H.

The show’s creator, writer and executive producer, 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.

“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 new six-part series will start filming in Belfast in spring next year, and further casting is also to be announced in due course.

The seventh series sees AC-12, the fictional anti-corruption department, disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards, the BBC said.

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.”

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, said: “It goes without saying I’m so excited Line Of Duty is back! Can’t wait to work with Jed, Martin and Adrian again. Belfast, we’ll see you soon!”

Northern Irish actor Dunbar, 67, said: “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. Delighted with the news and looking forward to those mercurial twists and turns.”

A new character, Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, whose casting has not yet been announced and who is described as “a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime”, is “accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator”.

“But is Gough’s case a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows?”, the synopsis adds.

Lindsay Salt, director of drama at the BBC, said: “Line Of Duty is beloved by audiences and critics alike and its amazing ratings are a true testament to the success of Jed’s writing, the work from the brilliant team at World Productions and the entire cast and crew.

“I’m so pleased that after four long years Line Of Duty will be back filming soon and can’t wait for BBC viewers to be back on the edge of their seats.”

Simon Heath, World Productions’ chief executive and creative director, said: “There have been a number of significant reunions in recent years, but few more keenly anticipated than the return of AC-12. It’s a privilege to be back with Jed’s terrific new chapter of the Line Of Duty story.”

Line Of Duty pulled in 15.8 million viewers for its concluding episode on BBC One on May 2 2021, in which the elusive “H” was finally unmasked.

This is the highest rating for a drama series so far this century, beating the previous record of 15.2 million set by an episode of Heartbeat on ITV in February 2000.

Mercurio’s other shows include the political thriller Bodyguard and medical drama Bodies, and in 2022 he collected an OBE at Windsor Castle, where he was honoured for services to TV drama.