Line of Duty season 7 finally confirmed by the BBC

After months of speculation, it's now been officially announced that Line of Duty will return for season 7 – with all the main cast reprising their leading roles.

While the rumour mill has certainly been churning as of late with reports of filming and casting, the BBC has now announced that Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar are all reprising their roles for a seventh instalment of the beloved BBC crime drama.

As of now, a release date has not been confirmed but we do know that filming will kick off in Belfast in spring 2026, with further casting set to be announced in due course.

The official synopsis for the new episodes reads: "In series 7, AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. Anticorruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far.

"Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, 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?"

On the announcement of the series return, 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.

"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.”

Series co-lead Compston added: “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.”

Similarly, McClure said in a statement: “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!”

Dunbar also added: “As we count down the AC12 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.”

Just last month, McClure had played down rumours of a return to AC-12, telling Radio Times magazine that she didn't "have any updates, I’m afraid", regarding the future of Line of Duty.

"I don’t want to give anyone any false hope," she explained. "We’ve all been very clear that we’d absolutely love to do another series."

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It was strongly suggested that Line of Duty would be making a return after Dunbar previously claimed that the BBC drama was ready to return for filming next year.

He told The Times: “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.”

Just a few months prior, it had been reported that the schedules of Dunbar, Compston and McClure had been lined up to film new episodes, with filming reportedly set to kick off in January 2026.

Speaking about season 7 now that it's been confirmed, Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama adds: “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.”

Watch Line of Duty stars Gregory Piper and Nigel Boyle discuss a potential Line of Duty season 7 at the Radio Times Covers Party back in 2022 below:

Line of Duty seasons 1-6 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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