Line of Duty star offers cryptic response to question of season 7 return after key role last season

It's been an exciting week for Line of Duty fans – with news breaking yesterday (Thursday 19 February) that Robert Carlyle was set to play an "extraordinary character" as a guest lead in the beloved police drama's hotly-anticipated seventh season.

The Scottish actor will be joining our AC-12 favourites Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar in the cast for the new run, which will arrive on our screens more than five years on from the previous finale – which some fans felt slightly let down by at the time.

But what of the rest of the cast – will we see any other familiar faces? Well, when Radio Times caught up with DCI Chloe Bishop star Shalom Brune-Franklin at the Newport Beach Film Festival UK ​and Ireland Honours event in London, we asked her about the show's return, and she didn't seem too surprised to be quizzed on the subject.

"I knew as soon as I saw Radio Times, I was gonna be getting a Line of Duty question!" she laughed, miming the act of zipping her mouth shut. "I think I'm gonna start getting the shakes if you ask me about Line of Duty."

Pressed for more information, including her thoughts on Carlyle's casting, she insisted: "I don’t know… I know nothing. I'm gonna plead the fifth, even though we're not in America. I'm gonna plead the fifth anyway."

Hmm, AC-12 taught her well! Watch our interview

Later, she admitted that Jed Mercurio's show coming back was "awesome" and that there was "definitely an appetite for it", while she also fondly reminisced about her time on the previous season.

"I had the best time," she said. "I loved it. I was a huge fan of the show before signing on, so it was the most surreal experience I've ever had on a job because it really did feel like I was stepping into the TV.

"I kind of had to stop the fan-girling when I got to set, 'cause I was like, this is a bit unprofessional to still be freaking out in the glass box. Get over it. But also we filmed during COVID as well, so it was just a very special time, but different, odd time."

Brune-Franklin starred as DCI Bishop in Line of Duty's sixth season, a new recruit to AC-12 who ended up playing a pivotal role in the events of the season. We'd certainly be happy to see her back!

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

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