Adrian Dunbar says Line of Duty ‘to return next year' after after frustration of final episode

Irish Independent

3 days ago

Dunbar appeared in Jed Mercurio's crime procedural as Superintendent Ted HastingsTed Hastings from 2012 to 2021, and is hopeful the BBC will soon make an announcement about the show returning.
'We're really excited about getting our hands on a Line of Duty script, to see what happens to us,' he told The Times. '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.'
The series, which saw the fictional AC-12 unit tasked with rooting out police corruption, drew to an apparent end after finally revealing the identity of 'H' – the name given to a crooked officer working within the upper echelons of the force.
But viewers widely panned the finale, which was watched by a staggering 12.8 million, as 'disappointing'.
Dunbar, who starred in the show alongside Martin Compston and Vicky McClure, predicted the backlash as the episode 'robbed us of a huge denouement'.
He said: '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.'
When the finale aired, former BBC Chief Content Officer Charlotte Moore said: 'I'm looking forward to having a conversation with the team about where we go next and what the future of the series might be.'
Moore added: 'Addictive event television, Line of Duty has kept the nation guessing for the last seven weeks, so it's no surprise that last night's jaw-dropping finale set a ratings record.'
She hailed Mercurio as 'a master of his craft', continuing: 'I would like to congratulate him and the entire cast and crew for delivering such an incredible drama series.'
According to The Sun, Mercurio has written most of the storyline for the new episodes, which could air by autumn 2026.
A source said: 'This is the news Line of Duty fans have been waiting for since the sixth season left them deflated when it aired back in 2021.
'The BBC almost immediately requested more episodes to continue the story, but the success of the show meant Vicky, Martin and Adrian were instantly snapped up for other projects.
'But after several meetings with Jed [Mercurio, creator and writer] and the production team, they've finally managed to clear space in their calendars next year to commit to making the show.'