After months of speculation, the BBC has confirmed a premiere date for Line of Duty series six.

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The thriller from Jed Mercurio began filming in early 2020, but was hit by a major delay as the UK went into lockdown and coronavirus tightened its grip on the world.

Fortunately, the cast and crew were able to return to work in September and the shoot was all wrapped up before the end of the year.

Now, it has been announced that the sixth series of Line of Duty will begin on BBC One on Sunday 21st March, beginning a high stakes new assignment for the officers of Anti-Corruption Unit 12.

Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire, Giri/Haji) will be the latest guest star, following in the footsteps of such acclaimed talents as Lennie James, Keeley Hawes, Thandie Newton and Stephen Graham.

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The Trainspotting actor will portray DCI Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder whose unconventional conduct gets the attention of AC-12.

Of course, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar will be returning as Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings, the irreplaceable trio at the centre of the controversial squad who have come up against some tough targets over the past five series.

Shalom Brune-Franklin (Our Girl, Cursed) is joining the cast as DC Chloe Bishop for this instalment, a new addition to the AC-12 squad who will help them get to grips with their latest case.

Line of Duty's sixth outing will be the longest yet, packing a grand total of seven episodes, which will be welcome news to the British general public hungry for entertainment during lockdown.

Jed Mercurio's twisty thriller about police corruption has grown into one of the UK's biggest shows, with the previous series drawing in mammoth viewership of more than 13 million people.

And now, this new series could just about be the biggest one yet. No wonder they announced the airdate in the middle of a Six Nations match...

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Line of Duty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or check out what else is on with our TV guide.

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