Line of Duty fans can celebrate as whispers of a seventh series set to commence shooting next year have emerged. The beloved BBC police thriller has kept audiences on edge since its debut in 2012, with Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston delivering riveting performances.
Spanning six successful seasons, the show's 36 episodes followed Dunbar's character, Ted Hastings, as he delved into the murky depths of corruption within the police force. For nearly a decade, fans were hooked on Hastings' relentless pursuit to uncover the identity of the mysterious "H".
The climactic reveal named Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells, depicted by Nigel Boyle, as the notorious figurehead at the conclusion of the sixth season. Despite mixed reactions from the audience to that resolution, there's fresh excitement with talks of the cast regrouping for another gripping series.
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Reports suggest that Adrian, Vicky, and Martin are set to reunite for the filming of six additional episodes. Spearheaded by creator Jed Mercurio, the production is slated to get underway in January 2026.
According to The Sun: "This is the news Line of Duty fans have been waiting for since the sixth season left them deflated when it aired back in 2021. The BBC almost immediately requested more episodes to continue the story, but the success of the show meant Vicky, Martin and Adrian were instantly snapped up for other projects.", reports the Mirror.
After several discussions with Jed Mercurio and the production team, sources say there's now space in their calendars to go ahead with the show next year. The Mirror is seeking a statement from the BBC.
Line of Duty has been renowned for its stellar lineup of guest stars, including Thandiwe Newton from Mission: Impossible, Kelly Macdonald of Harry Potter fame, and Stephen Graham, known for his role in Adolescence. Speculation around a seventh season has been brewing for some time.
Anticipation ramped up last month when Vicky and Martin were spotted at the 2025 BRIT Awards, fuelling rumours that a new season of the hit police drama was in the works. Christina Chong, who portrays DI Nicola Rogerson, inadvertently revealed plans in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying: "So I have been asked about a season, is it seven? Yeah. Potentially Nicola Rogerson will be back for season 7."
In August the previous year, lead actor Adrian Dunbar, the face behind Superintendent Ted Hastings, expressed his eagerness to return to the role in an interview with Good Housekeeping. He enthusiastically told the magazine: "We all want another series. We filmed our last series in lockdown, which meant we didn't get to do anything other than work, so we're really keen to get together for one last hurrah."
According to a source who spoke to The Sun last year, the Line of Duty cast, including Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, and Adrian Dunbar, had convened for confidential discussions with the show's creator, Jed Mercurio. The insider revealed: "Jed is close to Vicky, Martin and Adrian and they often meet for dinner – this time it was different. A topic of conversation was how they could align their schedules in 2025 to ensure Line Of Duty 7 happens. The ambition is filming could start next year and on screens by early 2026."
In a recent conversation with Lorraine Kelly, Martin expressed his hopes for new episodes of the show. He stated: "I hope so at some point. One of the great things about the success of that show is that it's given us all a big career outside of it."
Martin also mentioned a recent meeting with Jed, saying: "I was with Jed the other week, he was out in Vegas because he's doing his show in LA so he came up for a visit. Vicky is doing Trigger Point, I'm doing Red Eye," adding that the cast members are currently busy with other projects. He acknowledged the anticipation surrounding new episodes, saying: "So we're all quite busy. I'm sure we'll get to it at some point. It'll be a sad day when people stop asking but we're also very aware of getting people's hopes up and then people get annoyed when it keeps coming up."
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