Cliff Notes – BBC finally confirms Line of Duty season 7 and the plot already has us gripped
- The BBC has officially announced the return of Line of Duty for a seventh season, featuring original cast members Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar.
- Filming for the six-part series is scheduled to commence in Belfast in Spring 2026, with the release date yet to be determined.
- The new season will see AC-12, now rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards, tackling a sensitive case involving Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, accused of being a sexual predator.
BBC finally confirms Line of Duty season 7 and the plot already has us gripped
Mother of god. They’re back! (Picture: World Productions/Steffan Hill)
Key Points
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The BBC have officially confirmed Line of Duty season 7 with the original cast returning – including Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar.
Filming on the six-part series is set to begin in Belfast in Spring 2026
AC-12 will face new challenges as it investigates a high-profile case
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Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the wee donkey, the BBC have finally confirmed Line of Duty season 7!
Yes, after the divisive season 6 ending (Ian was H? Really?) Jed Mercurio and AC-12 are back to nick bent coppers and suck down even more diesel.
Now, we’re willing to admit that we’ve been here before, and we know you didn’t float up the Lagan in a bubble.
In the four years Line of Duty has been off the air, there have been plenty of reports that the beloved BBC show is returning.
This time, though, the source isn’t Mercurio’s barber’s cousin or an unnamed source whose uncle works at the BBC and saw Adrian Dunbar queuing in the cafeteria for chips.
No. The BBC has officially confirmed Line of Duty is back for a new six-part series with Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian all set to reprise their roles.
Ted’s officers conduct themselves to the letter of the law, sir. The letter!(Picture: World Productions/ BBC / Bernard)
Line of Duty season seven is set to start filming in Belfast in Spring 2026, and the release date is currently unknown.
The show follows Superintendent Ted Hastings (Dunbar) and the officers of the Anti-Corruption Unit 12 as they investigate crooked cops and a figure known as H.
Thankfully, our heroes managed to bring these rotten rozzers to justice at the end of season six.
Sadly, while Buckells was jailed, AC-12 faced an uncertain future with Ted Hastings forced to retire and several high-ranking dirty cops getting away scot-free.
Jed Mercurio has a big job ahead of him (Picture: Shutterstock)
Season seven, then, will pick up after those events, with AC-12 having been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards.
However, when Steve Arnott (Compston) and Kate Fleming (McClure) are assigned their most sensitive case so far, they turn to their old superintendent, Ted, for help.
But which bilious bobbie are they investigating this time? Well, it’s Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, a senior officer accused of being a sexual predator.
But is Gough’s case all that it seems, or is there something bigger at play?
The best Ted Hastings quotes of all time
Let’s be honest, half the fun of watching Line of Duty is hearing what Ted has to say, so here are some of our favourite quotes we couldn’t crowbar into this article…
‘Look we’ve been round the houses, Steve, round the houses and down the bloody drains.’
‘Steve’s been an AC for almost a year now and every day has felt like a lifetime.’
‘Things get a wee bit fuzzy for me here, Sergeant. Maybe you could be a ray of sunshine and burn off the fog?’
‘For years, the security in this department has been watertight… then you come along, suddenly we’re leaking like a colander.’
‘I was beginning to feel a wee bit like the ginger stepchild.’
‘Superintendent Hastings, like the battle.’
‘Your team was pausing the game, but you went and gave away a penalty.’
‘Everyone involved in Line of Duty feels enormous gratitude to the show’s fans,’ Mercurio said in a statement announcing Line of Duty’s return.
‘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.
‘Corruption in this country is supposed to have come to an end while Line of Duty was off air, so I’ve been forced to use my imagination.’
Catching criminals is tough enough, but catching coppers – God give me strength (Picture: Aiden Monaghan/World Productions/BBC)
‘Line of Duty is beloved by audiences and critics alike, and its 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,’ added Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.
‘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.’
Honestly, Line of Duty’s return felt inevitable. The show was a huge hit for the BBC. The series has a dazzling 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the first four seasons each getting 100%.
It wasn’t just the critics who loved the show either; millions tuned in each week, with an eyewatering 13.1 million tuning in for the final episode.
Can Line of Duty season seven live up to its predecessors? We’ve got a feeling it can fella.
Line of Duty seasons 1-6 are available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.
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