‘Line Of Duty’ Renewed For Season 7 At BBC; Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar Reprising Roles
The worst kept secret in British TV is out… AC-12 are back.
Jed Mercurio’s smash BBC thriller Line of Duty is officially returning for a seventh season following a five-year hiatus, with stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprising roles. Cameras will roll in Belfast on the World Productions-produced show next year and more cast will be announced soon.
Season 7 starts with the iconic AC-12 division being disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. Anticorruption work has never been more difficult. In the challenging climate, Steve Arnott (Compston), Kate Fleming (McClure) and Ted Hastings (Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far. Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns of organized 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?
“Everyone involved in Line of Duty feels enormous gratitude to the show’s fans,” said Mercurio. “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.”
Almost since the conclusion of Season 6, rumors of Line of Duty’s return have abound, with Dunbar all but confirming the news in an interview earlier this year.
The finale of Line of Duty Season 6 remains the most-watched British drama episode since records began. That finale brought the seasons-long question of “Who is H?” to a conclusion, as H was revealed to be the oaf-ish DS Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle). While some were disappointed with the twist, Line of Duty EP Simon Heath told us back in 2022: “For fans of the show, [the ending] made perfect sense.”
The next guessing game will be which big stars the BBC can attract. The likes of Stephen Graham, Lennie James and Keeley Hawes have featured in previous seasons of Line of Duty.
Line of Duty started out in 2012 as a small cop show on BBC Two but quickly gained a mega following and was shifted to BBC One in 2016. The show can be watched on a number of American streaming platforms including BritBox, Hulu and Acorn TV. It has previously been on Netflix.
BBC drama boss Lindsay Salt said Line of Duty’s “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,” she added.
During its hiatus, Mercurio has written shows including Trigger Point, DI Ray and Netflix’s upcoming Trinity. World recently made the BBC and Netflix’s The Bombing of Pan Am 103.
Line of Duty Season 7 will be directed by Jennie Darnell and producer is Ken Horn. EPs are Mercurio and Heath for World Productions, and Nick Lambon for the BBC. Line of Duty is made with support from Northern Ireland Screen. ITV Studios owns World and is handling international sales.
