Line Of Duty fans have been keen to know if the BBC show will ever return

Line Of Duty's Adrian Dunbar teases return of BBC drama but one detail could stop it all

11 Nov 2024, 21:48 by Laura Carreno · Irish Mirror

Adrian Dunbar has seemingly confirmed a return for Line of Duty, three years after the hit BBC drama's explosive finale.

Fans of the Jed Mercurio show were left at a loss when actor Martin Compston was the first to reveal that they were "no immediate plans" to bring the series back.

In May, actress Vicky McClure, who also found fame on Line Of Duty, awkwardly dodged questions about a potential comeback for the series as she was grilled on ITV 's This Morning.

But in more recent months, rumours of a return for the programme blossomed as Martin, Vicky and their co-star Adrian Dunbar reportedly met with show creator Jed to discuss a deal and filming dates for the series' seventh season. Now Adrian, 66, has hinted that the show could return to the BBC and all that remains missing is a script.

When questioned on Times Radio this Monday, November 11, about a comeback for Line Of Duty, Adrian said: "I hope so. Looks like it. All the signals and everything is kind of, you know, (positive) but as somebody said, until the script hits the desk you can't be 100% sure. So we're all hoping that someone somewhere will make an announcement and say, yes, it's happening. And we can all take it from there. I can tell you one thing...the day they announce it, it's going to burn up the internet."

He then referred to his character in the show, Superintendent Ted Hastings, by adding: "To end up creating what is an iconic character on British television and also within an iconic TV show would have been a huge ambition of mine. And so to do it is a very humbling and very satisfying experience. So that's how I'd describe it. It's been, it's something that kind of when you think about it keeps you warm. It's very, very nice."

Adrian Dunbar admitted that one detail was holding him and his co-stars from embarking on a seventh season of Line Of Duty(Image: BBC/World Productions/Steffan Hill)

This wouldn't be the first time that Adrian ignites hopes among Line Of Duty fans. During a July, 2024, appearance on Good Morning Britain, presenter Susanna Reid probed him about the show, telling him that the series needed to return to screens. This prompted Adrian to reply: "I think so, Vicky [McClure] thinks so, Martin [Compston] thinks so. Everybody thinks so. It'll be down to the BBC and Doctor Jed Mercurio I think, when and whether we do it."

He'd then shared that they were "all up for it" and "keeping their fingers crossed", as he concluded: Hopefully somebody will make a decision at some point and everybody will go 'Oh they're off again!'"

Speaking to The Daily Mirror in April, Martin Compston was more pessimistic: "I'm sorry. They're some of my closest friends, we all love Jed [Mercurio], and we'd all love to work together at some point, but there are no immediate plans." He then repeated: "It's just getting us all together and stuff. We'd like to but, yeah, these things are a bit complicated. But there are no immediate plans."

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