Line of Duty season 7 due to return in 2026 after "frustrating" H twist, reveals Adrian Dunbar
“Jed is writing."
We can count our lucky stars because it seems as though Line of Duty is officially returning for more.
After years of speculation, rumours and what ifs, Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has stated that the BBC drama is ready to return for filming next year. The BBC is yet to confirm anything but Dunbar himself is remaining hopeful.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “We’re really excited about getting our hands on a Line of Duty script, to see what happens to us. Jed is writing. We’ve talked to the BBC.
“It is down to the BBC to make an announcement, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that next year we’ll be working on a new series. No doubt Jed will think of some interesting twists and turns.”
Dunbar, who starred as Superintendent Ted Hastings in all seasons of the BBC drama, did acknowledge that the talked-about finale “robbed us of a huge denouement”.
At the time, the finale amassed a whopping total of 12 million viewers but even so, many fans of the show found that it was a tad underwhelming.
Dunbar revealed: “When you find out it is this idiot, Buckells, it is so frustrating. There is a scene where the three of us are told who it is, and we look at each other and go, ‘What?’ We asked Jed to write that scene because we realised how our audience would feel.
“But Jed’s point was that police corruption can hang on one cop deciding to ignore one piece of information that comes across his desk.”
It was only a few months ago that it had been reported that the schedules of Dunbar, Martin Compston and Vicky McClure had been lined up to film new episodes, with filming reportedly set to kick off in January 2026.
At the time, the BBC declined to comment on the news when approached by RadioTimes.com.
Read more:
- ITV's Joan confirmed not to return for a second season due to cast scheduling issues
- Doctor Who and Bridgerton favourite confirmed to lead new outing of BAFTA-winning Channel 4 drama
Since then, Compston has said that due to the actors' busy schedules, if anything were to happen with a new season, it would be "a way off".
In an interview with The Sun, Compston said: “We're always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot. Everybody's got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off."
He added: "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."
The series revolved around the fictional police corruption unit known as AC-12, headed up by Dunbar's Hastings and Compston's DI Steve Arnott and McClure's DI Kate Fleming.
Of course, since their turn at the helm of Line of Duty, each have gone on to star in various productions, with Compston set to star in Paramount Plus thriller The Revenge Club and McClure having recently wrapped filming for the third season of ITV's Trigger Point.
Previous seasons of Line of Duty are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
