14 September 2023 , 19:09
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Fans of Line of Duty rejoice - early signs are in place that a brand new season of the hit BBC cop show could be on the way after a two year absence.
The police procedural series, created by Jed Mercurio, last appeared on screens in May 2021 with Adrian Dunbar's Superintendent Ted Hastings and his team uncovering the identity of the ‘Fourth Man’ and derailing corruption from within the force. While the season seemed to wrap up most of the major storylines, some loose ends remained, giving fans hope that a seventh season could some day materialise.
Now it seems prayers for new episodes could soon be answered as one of the members of the cast has claimed a WhatsApp group about the show has been updated to hint a new season could happen at a future point.
Actor Martin Compston has played DI Steve Arnott since the first season aired back in 2012. And the 39-year-old star says that the cast are in a WhatsApp group along with 56-year-old writer Jed. And he has suggested Jed updated the title of the group to indicate a seventh season could be in store - but adds that no one has actually asked the show boss about it.
Line of Duty star Martin Compston has shared surprise details of a possible seventh season (BBC)Speaking on the Restless Natives podcast alongside co-host and former The Sun reporter Gordon Smart, Martin said: "This happened a long time ago, because there absolutely is no immediate plans. Jed's on strike, we're all filming different stuff.
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"It's just, we had a WhatsApp group called Line of Duty 6 and then just a while ago Jed changed the name of it to Line of Duty 7. But what I love about it is we've never spoke of it since."
The boys were joined by Jed for an episode of their virtual talkshow, and the subject of future seasons was broached. Gordon probed: "Look it would be remise of me not to ask this question. I know how busy you guys are with your schedule and you've got all sorts of trouble with the writers strike.
"But there has to be a point in the future Jed where you have to get the gang back together and reunite the troops for one more spin of the dice?" In response Jed said: "We would love to but at the moment there is no news."
Martin and Jed also conceded that they wouldn’t make new episodes “for the sake of it” and a future season would only be issued “if there is a story to tell”. Line of Duty has been a huge hit for the BBC with the last episode of season six pulling in over 16 million viewers. As well as having a core cast that includes Martin and Adrian, guest stars that have featured over the years include Hollywood actresses Kelly Macdonald and Thandiwe Newton.