Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has given the clearest indication yet that season 7 of the hit BBC crime drama is on the way.

Dunbar, who stars in the show as Superintendent Ted Hastings, said it "looks like" Line of Duty will return. He told Times Radio: "All the signals and everything is [positive] but until the script hits the desk, you can't be 100 percent sure.

"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."

The last season, following the latest AC-12 investigation by Ted Hastings, DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), went out three years ago and there's been speculation ever since about a further series. But following Dunbar's encouraging words and recent reports of a summit between the stars and creator Jed Mercurio it seems extremely likely we haven't seen the last of AC-12.

Mercurio recently commented in a BBC4 documentary that any new story must cover new ground for its three leads. Speaking to Compston on Jed Mercurio and Martin Compston Remember… Line of Duty, he said: "We have to find a story, that makes sense, that is territory we haven't covered before. That takes not just a new character into those areas but takes you (Compston) and Vicky and Adi into territory the characters haven't been before.

"If we can find all those pieces of the recipe, then it would be great to talk to the BBC and see if they'll let us do some more."

Until we finally get Line of Duty season 7 you can catch up on all the previous series on BBC iPlayer in the UK, while it’s available on BritBox in the US.

Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has revealed how the show could return for a seventh series if he can find the right plot for its three lead characters.

The last season of the hit BBC One drama, following the latest AC-12 investigation by Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) went out three years ago and there's been speculation ever since about a further series.

Now, Mercurio has set his parameters for penning a new case, with the cast clearly keen to make more given the right script. Speaking to star Martin Compston in a new BBC Four documentary, he said: "We have to find a story, that makes sense, that is territory we haven't covered before. That takes not just a new character into those areas but takes you (Compston) and Vicky and Adi into territory the characters haven't been before.

"If we can find all those pieces of the recipe, then it would be great to talk to the BBC and see if they'll let us do some more."

There appears little doubt the BBC would order a new series of Line of Duty if Mercurio penned a new script. The final episode of Line of Duty season 6 attracted an average audience of nearly 13 million viewers.

However, not all fans were happy with how the show ended with some disappointed by the reveal as to who was H, the corrupt officer who was masterminding events in the previous series.

Mercurio addressed how it was difficult to neatly wrap up a drama, especially one that deals with police corruption as giving it a happy ending he believes would be unrealistic.

"In a drama, particularly one that is trying to have social commentary, there is a thought which is in the real world problems don't get solved in a neat bow. If you're doing something about corruption, the fact is we know that in the real world, corruption just carries on."

While then as Mercurio puts it "there's no official news" on the show's future, it does appear likely that Line of Duty season 7 will eventually happen.

Jed Mercurio and Martin Compston Remember… Line of Duty is available now to watch on BBC iPlayer. All six seasons of Line of Duty are also available to watch now on the streaming service. Check out our best BBC dramas guide for more shows to enjoy.

Line of Duty favourite Martin Compston has revealed that he would like EastEnders legend Danny Dyer to join the cast as a new villain.

Martin became a household name playing the much-loved DI Steve Arnott, a police officer working in the anti-corruption unit AC-12 who helped expose corrupt coppers in the force.

The actor will next be seen on our screens in Soccer Aid, competing against former EastEnders star Danny Dyer, who played Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter.

Now, Martin has teased that Danny would make a great addition to the show as a "bent copper."

He told The Mirror: "[Danny] would be a great shout [as a 'bent copper' on the show]. Danny is something else, honestly, he is one of our treasures. He is a wonderful actor — it would be good to see [him] in there."

In 2021, Line of Duty was officially named the UK’s most-watched drama series of the 21st century, after 15.24 million viewers tuned into the highly anticipated season six finale.

Since then, fans have been patiently waiting to find out if Line of Duty season 7 will be in the works.

Unfortunately, Martin won't be reprising his role as Steve anytime soon as he revealed in the same interview that there are "no immediate plans" for more episodes.

He said: "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.

"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."

Martin's Line of Duty co-star Adrian Dunbar, who played Ted Hastings, previously suggested that the hit BBC drama could return to our screens as a movie and cast his doubts on a full series.

He apparently told The Sun: “I’m not sure what shape it’ll take... someone was talking about a film or maybe, you know, two 90 minutes or three episodes.

“I’m not sure you’d get a full series. But I think there’s still an audience out there. It depends on what they come up with.”

Seasons 1 - 6 of Line of Duty are available on demand via BBC iPlayer. 

This post contains spoilers for Payback episode 5.

Cal Morris is furious when he discovers Jared Noble spent all his money on posh art and antiques and comes close to killing his widow, Lexie (Morven Christie), before deciding she's more useful alive than dead. Will he live to regret that decision? 

Here's our recap of what happened in Payback episode 5...

We pick up immediately where we left off, with Aaron Morris demanding to know who Lexie was talking to after storming into her hotel room. She tells him she was just talking to herself, but it’s clear he’s not convinced. Luckily he’s not smart enough to find the bugs that are planted in both of their rooms. 

Meanwhile DI Royce is furious to hear that DCI Guthrie has been secretly meeting with Lexie while she was carrying out a murder investigation in which Lexie was the prime suspect. 

Guthrie says he ended their meeting as soon as Lexie’s criminal record became apparent, which is true, although he did it unwillingly. Royce also suspects he told her not to disclose information about Cal Morris, which is definitely true. As far as Lexie’s safety is concerned, Royce agrees with DC Khan and thinks they should get her the hell out of there, but Guthrie says she stays put. 

'Billy has a nail gun..' 

At the bank in Vilnius the next morning, Lexie manages to answer the security questions, which is fortunate because we doubt there’s a password reset button for this account...

However the smile on Aaron Morris’ face is soon wiped away by news that Jared recently spent nearly £28m at a set of upmarket auction houses that sells fine arts, antiques and other such stuff. Why would Aaron have done this? Is it part of some complex financial scheme or does he just have an art addiction? Either way, Cal Morris isn’t pleased to hear the news and tells his son and Lexie to come home immediately. 

At Police Scotland HQ, DC Khan reminds DCI Guthrie that Lexie’s children have now been missing for nearly two days and he agrees to bring her in when she eventually makes it home. What a hero. 

DC Khan is utterly unimpressed, but he’s even more disconcerted when he finds Aaron isn't taking her home, but to a run down old farmhouse in the back of beyond. When they get there Lexie's convinced she’s about to be killed and Cal Morris is clearly counting on her being terrified when he begins questioning her about the expensive things Jared spent his money on, believing they were gifts for Lexie. 

Terrified for her life, Lexie finally reveals the truth about Jared’s other woman, for whom he bought expensive gifts. She then tells him her husband planned to flee to Miami with her, which she knows isn’t true, but to be fair his henchman has a nail gun. Aaron sticks up for her, but why? Possibly because he wants her to help him with that shipping container, or maybe he knows more about the missing money than he's letting on..

'You don't say no to Cal Morris..'

Morris gets his informants within the police force to confirm Lexie’s story holds up and thankfully for her it does, yet the crime lord also threatens to kill his own son if he lies to him. Aaron — aware that he’s already told a series of porkies over the missing shipping container — looks a bit worried. It’s certainly clear that Morris’ trust in his son is wavering somewhat. 

After convincing Morris that her husband had a mistress, it’s now up to Lexie to try and get in touch with the auction houses and recover the items Jared spaffed so much cash on. But more importantly, a monumentally relieved Lexie is reunited with her children. 

She doesn’t get to spend much time with them though, as she’s soon taken back to the police station (again) where DI Royce begins questioning her off the record. Lexie then reveals how DCI Guthrie dropped her right in it. Ha! 

Royce doesn’t seem surprised by this, but then she says they have someone in custody whom they think may have murdered her husband and that a third party probably paid them to carry out the hit. As such, it’s strongly implied Royce no longer suspects Lexie. We knew she was a good egg. 

Guthrie then tries to take over the interrogation, before DI Royce says they both believe Lexie should be in witness protection. We certainly have more faith in Royce getting this done than Guthrie, although he's correct when he points out that buying the island through another company was her idea — even if he was the one who forced her hand by abandoning her. 

He then offers her immunity from prosecution again and she unloads on him, pointing out that immunity is of little use to her if her kids have been killed! Kind of makes sense.

However DCI Guthrie has let Lexie believe that her place in witness protection depends on her cooperating with his investigation. DC Khan points out this isn’t strictly true and emails Lexie anonymously, warning her to get a guarantee in writing before she gives Guthrie anything. She immediately texts Guthrie, issuing her ultimatum. 

'Is it missing or is it lost?' 

Cal Morris’ wife Connie tells him she’s perfectly happy where she is and doesn’t want to move to the Isle of Eris. He placates her, but we can’t help wondering why the gangster does want to live in such a remote location? Surely it will be difficult to run a crime empire from the Outer Hebrides? 

Meanwhile Aaron is doing his nut over this missing container, which now seems to be ‘presumed lost’. What is in that shipping container that’s so important? Drugs? Guns? Edible shin pads? We need answers. We don’t rate Aaron’s chances of finding out where it is, but we do have faith in Lexie’s ability to track down Jared’s purchases from the auction house and she sets off down there to find out more. 

Aaron joins her and after realising that she’s much better at getting things done than him, he asks her to help with his precious shipping container, which is apparently missing, in case you hadn't heard. Lexie then takes the details and alters a few of the numbers knowing it will make the information useless. 

Later on when she meets DCI Guthrie, Lexie says she wants her guarantee of her children’s safety before giving him anything else, before sharing the altered shipping container information. Serves Guthrie right tbqh. 

'A meaningful conversation..' 

Malkie has had a tip off from Billy the Henchman that Jared’s killer, Michael Moray, might be hiding out in a house in Bingham. Morris says he needs to have a “meaningful conversation” with him. Gulp. 

However when Billy gets there he finds Moray dead on the floor of the flat after being stabbed in the stomach. Morris tells Billy to alert the police as he wants to know what their forensics dept have to say about the murder, which is a bit of a risky move. 

Meanwhile, Connor Ridley, the other suspect in Jared’s murder has gone missing. Morris thinks it could be someone tying up loose ends. But who? The police are wondering the same thing when they hear about Moray’s death.

'Ten to one it's still just sitting there..' 

Through his people skills within the police force (take note Guthrie) DI Khan has managed to find out that Jared siphoned all of Previte Holdings’ money off to the auction houses and also knows the name of the private dealer Lexie suspected he used. To paraphrase Coleen Rooney... it’s Gregor Beaumont. 

Khan tries to tell DCI Guthrie this crucial information, but he’s far too busy chasing a fictional shipping container around the world. He also admits that he’ll happily create a fake assurance of Lexie’s place in witness protection if he has to, in a bid to keep the information coming. Morris might be a crime lord, but let’s face it Guthrie’s the real villain of the piece. 

Later on, at Mr Beaumont’s office, Lexie tries to find out what Jared bought at auction, but Beaumont refuses to disclose any information at all. We’re pretty sure he’s hiding something, although we think Billy might have a bit more luck getting information out of him. 

However, it’s not all bad news for Lexie, because she hears back from the shipping company who readily admit their tracking system crashed and there’s a strong possibility the container in question is still sitting on the dock. Imagine! Although anyone who’s dealt with Hermes won’t be surprised by such a development. 

Down at the dock, Lexie manages to persuade the security guard to let her go and find the container herself (unlikely) and how she’s rewarded when she gets there. It’s a tonne of jackets! But not just any jackets, as they’re all stuffed full of cash. Is this the missing £28m? Was Aaron Morris working with Jared? Is Malkie in on the deal? So many questions! 

Armed with this information, Lexie returns home and finds Cal Morris playing with his children and demanding to know where she's been, pulsing with menace as he does so...

This post contains spoilers for Payback episode 3.

Lexie Noble makes a decision to help the police in their pursuit of Cal Morris, yet her plan goes up in smoke when her mother arrives on the scene and drops an enormous bombshell from her past. After playing both sides, has she finally been forced to pick a lane and has she chosen the correct one? 

Here's our recap of what happened in Payback episode 3...

After doorstepping her in a dark car park, DCI Adam Guthrie shows Lexie an image of her taking Cal Morris’ cash, but she’s in no mood to answer his questions. However when he spells out everything he knows about her late husband’s connection to the crime lord and that they suspect he was guilty of money-laundering, she seems very unsettled. 

DCI Guthrie then starts hinting that Lexie might be guilty of the same crime and brings up DI Jean Royce, who’s convinced she had her own husband killed. 

It’s certainly not a pretty picture for Lexie, but DCI Guthrie promises to help her with all of it, if she helps him with his bid to prosecute Morris. But what will Lexie do? 

'I think that woman is lying to us...'

Meanwhile DI Jean Royce is determined to find out who killed Jared Noble, but attempts to find his mysterious mistress ‘Sarah Blaine’ are coming up short. We wonder why that is..

Yet DI Royce still thinks Lexie is guilty and decides to go against her orders from DCI Guthrie and bring her in again for questioning, in a conversation that’s overheard by DI Khan. 

With her solicitor Rufus by her side (we think there’s something dodgy about this guy) they begin to grill her and are very interested by Lexie’s indifference to the news Jared was having an affair. For a second it seems like DI Royce might have caught Lexie out when she suggests she already knows who she is, but Lexie rallies and says her husband would never have cheated on her.  

DI Royce then starts to ask about her relationship with Cal Morris, to the irritation of the watching DCI Guthrie. After the interview, Lexie discusses Jared’s death with Rufus and his wife, who then confess that one of their pals saw Jared with a woman in Edinburgh a couple of months ago. Could Jared have actually been having an affair? 

Later on, DCI Guthrie tells DI Royce more about Lexie’s connection to Morris and gets the police chief to warn her off any further digging where his new informant is concerned. But DI Royce doesn’t seem like someone who’ll let such things go. 

'Jared told me it was a new piece of software...'

Elsewhere, Morris is furious when the owner of the island he’s desperate to buy says he’s no longer bound by the agreement he struck to sell the land, because the funds weren’t transferred. 

It seems the delay has given the Island Community Group time to put together their own offer. Not bad for a group of “geriatric crofters” as Morris so eloquently puts it. Malkie seems confident the lawyers can talk the landowner round though. DI Khan and DCI Guthrie will certainly hope they can, because if Morris doesn’t make this purchase then they’ll have nothing on him. 

In the next room, Lexie is still trying to trace the lost £28m when Morris shows her the fake account portal Jared set up to help hide his theft. It’s a very swish piece of work and Lexie thinks it’s beyond anything her late husband could have managed alone. 

Aaron wants to show it to one of his friends who can help decrypt it, yet Morris is reluctant to let his son’s “druggie hacker pals” into his accounts. We can’t say we blame him. He thinks it’s more likely that Jared got another agency he works with might have done it and orders Lexie to dig out their details. However when Aaron gives her phone back she sees she has a message from DCI Guthrie asking for a meeting that evening. 

Once inside her accounting firm, Lexie asks questions about the agency that designed their websites, yet seems far more interested in any lunches Jared had in the Grass Market in the months before he died. 

'If I do this I'm taking a massive risk...' 

DI Khan is keen to accompany DCI Guthrie when he meets Lexie, but he’s having none of it and instead tells him to see if he can find a way of pulling apart the rival bid for the island. DI Khan doesn’t like his boss much and neither do we. (Derek Riddell always seems to play these desperately untrustworthy characters..) 

At the meeting DCI Guthrie pressures Lexie for info that could help link Morris to the island purchase and wants copies of paperwork from inside the crime lord’s office. He says if she cooperates with the police he “guarantees” she'll be in a stronger situation and even offers a shorter sentence on those prospective money-laundering charges — or even immunity. 

Lexie pushes for more and demands witness protection, which DCI Guthrie agrees upon. We don’t think he has the power to sanction such stuff off the cuff, but nevertheless, Lexie agrees and makes a deal. Now she’s stuck between a cock and a hard case. 

Luckily for her, when she’s dropped off back at the office by Aaron no one’s about so she helps herself to the records in Morris’ office and starts snapping away. When she’s interrupted by the crime boss, she quickly changes the subject by revealing she has some info that might help him buy the island. It’s a technicality that makes the committee ineligible for a grant, but Morris is impressed. Surely her sneaking around hasn’t gone unnoticed though!

'I’m sorry, you’re on your own...'

At the police station, someone breaks the news to DI Jean Royce that Lexie has a police record for having her boyfriend beating up her dad when she was 15. This changes the picture for Royce! 

Before you can say “PLOT TWIST” her mum Sandra is speaking to the police and she paints a picture of a young girl who fell in with the wrong boy and started drinking, smoking and “god knows what else”. She says her husband tried to stop her from seeing him anymore and Lexie had her father beaten up — but is there more to the story? 

Later on that evening, Lexie’s mum doorsteps her after tricking a police officer into revealing where she lives, but she’s in no mood to entertain her estranged mother. To be honest, we think it’s a bit rich of her mum to go to the police station and drop her daughter right in the s**t and then expect a big welcome afterwards. 

At least we get to hear Lexie’s side of this story and she claims the attack on her father wasn’t her fault and is still angry that her parents allowed her to be put in a secure unit. She then tells her mum to leave. Bye Sandra! 

Back at Police HQ, DCI Guthrie is told that due to this explosive new evidence, he needs to pull the plug on his little operation, not least because any info he gains from Lexie will likely be inadmissible in court. 

This now means that DCI Guthrie can’t offer Lexie witness protection and that she’s “on her own”. This is obviously bad news for Lexie as she’s convinced the crime boss to push ahead with his purchase of the island, an act that will likely see him prosecuted by the police. She’s rightly worried that he’ll put two and two together and turn his significant wrath against her. 

It seems Morris has some people inside the force himself *MERCURIO BENT COPPER KLAXON* and he soon knows about her little misdemeanour, which puts her up a few notches in his book. 

But Lexie has no time to think about that and she’s soon off to see Aaron Morris’ tech guy Gaz, who offers some critical appraisals of the portal’s presentation but can’t track the IP address because it’s been disguised through proxy servers. Those pesky proxy servers.

'Get yourself on a ferry Malkie boy...'

After being left high and dry by DCI Guthrie, Lexie realises her only hope of avoiding Morris’ wrath is to help him avoid being convicted and so she suggests he invest in the community purchase of the Isle of Eris.

This would disguise ownership and shield him from DCI Guthrie’s investigation, meaning she’s finally chosen a side in this tug of war between the police and Morris. Having said that, Guthrie didn’t give her much of a choice... 

The financing would purportedly come from a Dutch Investment Firm - who would almost certainly know ‘their’ from ‘there’ - but it’s up to Malkie to sell the proposal to the island committee.

Back at Police Scotland HQ, DCI Guthrie breaks the news of how he’s shafted Lexie to DI Khan, who’s pretty uncomfortable about the whole thing, not least because he believes Lexie innocent of the crime for which she was convicted. 

As the 9.30 deadline comes and goes, the news comes through about the Community Group's purchase of the island following the withdrawal of Morris' offer. It doesn’t take DCI Guthrie long to work out what happened and threatens revenge, which is a bit rich considering how he screwed her over... 

Payback executive producer Jed Mercurio, the creator of Line of Duty and Bodyguard, has revealed a link between his previous shows and the ITV thriller.

Payback is a big new crime drama starring Morven Christie as Lexie Noble, a woman whose idyllic lifestyle is turned upside down when her husband is murdered, setting off a chain of events that sees her entangled in a massive police operation to bring down a drug lord.

And Jed has revealed that one of the show’s directors, Jennie Darnell, also worked on Line of Duty and Bodyguard.

"I think the show is really well-directed and it was a real pleasure to be working once again with Jennie Darnell, who I first worked with on Bodyguard. She was a second unit director on that show and then she started directing some main unit on Line of Duty. So I was really delighted that she was able to direct the first few episodes of Payback."

Jed is known for bringing high-octane thrillers to our screen and he believes that Payback, written by Debbie O'Malley, offers the same ingredients of action and suspense.

"I think Payback is one of those edge-of-your-seat thrillers where you're going to want to watch all the episodes once you get into the story and you understand Lexie Noble's dilemma and the extreme dangers that she's facing. I think the audience will really tune into that and relate to her as a character. 

"Then it's having that question of what they would do in that same situation in a story that goes in so many unexpected directions. It will really hook an audience and make them want to be watching the next episode as soon as possible."

Luckily for fans wanting to watch all the episodes at once, ITV is dropping the series as a box set on ITVX when the first episode airs on Wednesday 4 October at 9 pm (see our TV Guide for full listings).

The Tower II: Death Message episode 2 sees police rivals DS Sarah Collins (Gemma Whelan) and PC Lizzie Adama (Tahirah Sharif) thrown into the same murder investigation.

However, they must put their tensions aside and work together if they are to find a lost child and a murderer on the loose.

With major breakthroughs to a dangerous brush with death, here are the key moments from The Tower II: Death Message episode 2...

• The Tower II: Death Message episode 1 recap
• The Tower II: Death Message episode 3 recap
• The Tower II: Death Message episode 4 recap
• How to watch The Tower online anywhere in the world
• The Tower II: Death Message cast — who's who in the crime drama

Tension in the workplace

Sarah and Lizzie are forced to put their mutual distrust aside as they find themselves working together on the Georgina Teel (Rosa Coduri) murder scene. Sarah reveals that the killer Matt Brannon (Charley Palmer Rothwell) is at large and has kidnapped his daughter Skye. 

Lizzie offers her help on the case, telling Sarah that Matt may have turned to his friend Marley who he was using to keep Georgina quiet about the abuse.

Meanwhile, DI Kieran Shaw (Emmett J Scanlan) is concerned when he hears that Lizzie has been sent to the crime scene. As he prepares to rush off for the emergency, his wife Mary (Laurie Delaney), who knows all about his affair with Lizzie, stops him in his tracks and interrogates him. 

He promises that their dalliance is over, but Mary gives him an ominous threat, warning him that she will "damage him in ways you can't even imagine" if his affair with Lizzie isn't over.

Sarah and Lizzie investigate the gruesome crime scene, where Sarah goes over the devastating details of Georgina's tragic demise at the hands of her abusive boyfriend Matt.

It soon transpires that Georgina was planning to leave as she had packed a suitcase for her and Skye. But tensions soon boil over for the pair as they share some harsh words about failing to save Georgina.

Damaging information

Outside the crime scene, Sarah's boss DCI Jim Fedden (Stuart McQuarrie) furiously blasts her for picking up the murder case as harmful information has come to light with detrimental impact on the Metropolitan Police regarding the Tania Mills case.

It turns out that going public with information about the new suspect Ray Walker (Brian McCardie) has backfired as Tania's father attacked Ray and now Sarah must stave off a PR embarrassment for the police.

Mr Mills is arrested for beating up Ray and Sarah is faced with a tirade from Ray's lawyer, who demands an admission of guilt and compensation for the Met's negligence.

A death message turns deadly

Sarah orders Lizzie to deliver the death message to Georgina’s mum, Cathy Teel (Tamzin Outhwaite) as she handles the Tania Mills case.

Lizzie goes with her partner, PC Arif Johar (Michael Karim) and the pair look into Cathy's background  — she was a former Heroin addict who has been clean for six years and has a history of shop lifting and one case of fraud.

Lizzie breaks the devastating news to Cathy and her boyfriend Neil Slattery (Darren Swift), who sobs as she comes to the conclusion that Matt killed her, seemingly knowing all about Matt's abuse.

While she and Arif are with Cathy, Matt turns up, armed with a knife, making threats and banging on the door.

Lizzie bravely pursues Brannon on foot while back at the station Kieran helplessly waits for word on her safety.

Lizzie has a brush with death as she narrowly escapes a fatal encounter with Matt as he tries to stab her, before back-up arrive and Matt manages to evade capture.

Passions reignite

Back at the station, Sarah faces more angry words by fellow colleagues as Kieran bashes her for putting Lizzie's life at risk and slams her for not conducting a proper risk assessment as she was unaware that Cathy had an injunction against Matt.

Kieran threatens to get a misconduct finding on Sarah as she hits back that she did do a risk assessment, but there was no mention of an injunction. 

It's not long before their furious exchange over Lizzie's police inexperience turns into an explosive showdown in the car park.

At Homicide Command, Sarah's focus soon falls on Ray as the evidence begins to stack up against him. Their suspicions are further supported when DC Elaine Lucas (Ella Smith) reveals that there are three fingerprints belonging to Tania on the inside of one of Ray's cameras they seized from his flat.

Determined to re-arrest Ray, Sarah is kept away from the action once again when Jim asks her to assist in putting the door in at Marley's place. Marley is then arrested for assisting an offender.

Realising that he could have lost Lizzie, an emotional Kieran can't hide his feelings for his forbidden lover and the pair reignite their passionate affair.

Meanwhile on the job, Sarah is once again tasked to do another arrest — and this time it's Ray.

Operation Perseus

Sarah meets with Tania's mother, Claire (Niamh Cusack) once again who blames herself for letting her daughter become friends with predators.

Claire reveals that Tania gave up the violin six weeks before her disappearance and she failed to see that her daughter was suffering.

At home, Sarah receives a call from her dad asking to attend her sister Suzie's memorial. Clearly still devastated at the loss of her sister, Sarah turns down the offer and focuses on Tania's case.

Elsewhere, Matt is happily playing with his daughter Skye and dog Candy in a park at night. Terrified that the police could find them at any moment, their fun comes to a swift end when he makes Skye get in the boot of his car along with Candy.

"I don't like it," a terrified Skye tells him.

Back at Farlow, Kieran and the team are hellbent on finding Matt and Skye and tells Lizzie and Arif to accompany Cathy in IDing Georgina's body.

Later, Kieran is approached by old colleague DCS Tim Bailie (Karl Davies). He is setting up a task force called Operation Perseus to take down major drug dealer Shakiel Oliver. He wants Kieran to lead it but only if he can persuade DS Steve Bradshaw (Jimmy Akingbola) to join his team.

Major breakthroughs

Sarah interrogates Ray and points out the discrepancies in his case as she shows him a victim statement from the offence Ray was convicted for.

The evidence continues to stack up against Ray as Sarah catches him out in another lie that he did in fact meet Tania when she attended photography classes at the Lee College of Further Education, where he worked as a technician. Despite the damning evidence, Ray adamantly denies killing Tania. 

Sarah breaks the news to Jim about what Ray wrote in his statement and confessed that he did actually know Tania and she went over to his flat the morning she disappeared. 

She was wearing a skirt and jacket, so she had already been to Robert McCarthy's and changed her clothes. Ray added that Tania seemed to be in a "funny mood" and that she had been to his flat before because he taught her about cameras and film and sometimes posed for him.

Ray took a picture of her looking through a phone book, she tore out a page and then left, never seeing her again.

With Jim on the verge of charging Ray for Tania's murder, Sarah thinks there’s still more to the story and he could be telling the truth.

Sarah, Elaine, Lizzie and Arif all support a traumatised Cathy as she identifies her daughter's body.

While Sarah and the homicide team try to locate Brannon’s hideout, Lizzie develops a bond with Cathy as she opens up about her struggles. 

As Cathy tells Lizzie about how she knew Matt from when she was an addict and how he worked for the dangerous Young family, she realises that Cathy’s stories about her troubled past could shed light on Brannon’s current whereabouts and passes this information to Sarah.

There's another breakthrough in the Tania Mills case when young DC Lee Coutts (Bobby Lockwood) tells Sarah there's been a hit on the green Jaguar which belonged to a man who was seen arguing with Tania on the day she disappeared.

Sarah is thrown when he reveals that the car belongs to Adrian Stephenson (Tristan Sturrock), Tania's violin teacher and she goes to Tania's school to find out more information about him.

Things take an even more sinister turn when Sarah discovers that Adrian organised for the students to dig up the local park and plant a memorial garden for Princess Diana.

Meanwhile, Matt sends his own warning to the police and puts out a viral YouTube video blaming them for Georgina’s death and warning them that "this isn’t over."

The Tower II: Death Message airs on ITV1 and ITVX on Monday, August 28 to Thursday, August, 31 at 9pm.

ITV has announced Breathtaking, a COVID-19 drama starring Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) that's been co-written by Rachel Clarke, Prasanna Puwanarajah and Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio!

Breathtaking is based on the bestselling memoir of the same name by Rachel Clarke and has been described as "a searing, thought-provoking and poignant account of an NHS doctor in the eye of the storm during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic". 

The Golden Globe-winning actress stars in the lead role of Dr. Abbey Henderson, a frontline hospital consultant who works in a fictional big-city hospital. Abbey Henderson is a mother of two children and is known for her calm approach to crises, and is a first-hand witness to the virus as it begins to take hold and overwhelm the NHS and its workers.

Filming on the three-part series took place in Northern Ireland earlier in the year. When filming ended in May, Joanne Froggatt said: "I feel truly honoured to be playing Dr. Abbey Henderson in Breathtaking, based on Dr. Rachel Clarke's beautifully written, poignant and shocking book of the same name.

"When I first read the incredible scripts they moved me to tears on many occasions. I felt so passionately that I had to be a part of telling this story, the real story, of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals during the pandemic.

"Our NHS staff are nothing less than absolute heroes in my eyes, and I hope telling this story goes a little way towards us understanding their truth, their lived experience and honouring their unbelievable commitment and sacrifice on behalf of us all", she added.

A synopsis for Breathtaking reads: "Against a backdrop of news footage from the early months of 2020, the drama will follow Abbey in her daily work whilst weaving together the stories of her fellow doctors, nurses, patients, and the paramedics whose ambulances were queued outside hospitals as the NHS tried to cope with a tsunami of devastating cases. All of human life is present, and in parts, it’s an uplifting account of resilience and fortitude."

The Breathtaking release date has not been confirmed at this time, but the series will air on ITVX and ITV1 when it arrives. In the meantime, check out our picks for the best ITV dramas you should be streaming right now.

One Chicago fans were stunned when Adam Ruzek (Patrick John Flueger) was shot at the end of the Chicago P.D. season 10 finale. It’s going to be a long wait until we find out what happens in Chicago P.D. season 11, but for now fans are thrilled to see Flueger out and about — and alive — during his recent vacation in London.  

Ahead of the season 10 finale, photos of Ruzek revealed that something big was going to happen between Samantha (Caitlin Mehner) and Ruzek, who had been undercover to discover her father’s devious plan for an attack that would kill lots of people. The photos revealed that Ruzek and Samantha were at the police station, suggesting he finally clued her in about his true identity. . 

As it happens, we had no idea what was about to happen. In the finale, Samantha tries to leave town after her father’s plan moves up in the timeline and Ruzek is forced to arrest her to keep her from running. Naturally, this meant he had to reveal his identity to her. 

Samantha isn’t willing to share information about Richard with the police because she’s afraid for her son Callum’s life, so Ruzek promises to protect them. Satisfied with the deal, she offers the police information about her father’s plans, his associates and his known locations. 

When Ruzek attempts to get Samantha and Callum out of town, Callum calls his grandfather and tells them what’s going on. Callum pulls a gun on Ruzek, thinking he’s protecting his family, and pulls the trigger. Ruzek gets shot in the chest and the finale ends with his fate hanging in the balance. 

Of course, we all know that Flueger is an actor and Ruzek is the character he plays, but there’s something reassuring about seeing him out and about after those terrifying moments in the season finale. 

Comments on his Instagram post ranged from joy that Flueger was in London with his girlfriend, Reem Amara, to relief that he’s okay after the finale, to fans hoping for clues about Ruzek’s fate.

“Appears he came outta surgery just fine…good…c u nxt season!”

“Love you!! On pins and needles for nxt season”

“Oh thank God u are ok!!! Haha I haven’t seen you since u got shot! Safe trip!”

“Bruh are u alive or what?”

We’ll have to wait until Chicago P.D. returns to learn Ruzek’s fate. Until then, we’re glad Flueger is having fun!

Better kicked off on BBC on Monday night, and it wasn't long before fans started comparing the drama to another beloved series: Line of Duty.

The new five-part thriller Better follows a corrupt policewoman named DI Lou Slack (Leila Farzad), who is a renowned and respected detective with a dark secret. Nearly 20 years ago, Lou got involved with the ruthless crime boss Col McHugh (Andrew Buchan), and the two have had a mutual agreement ever since.

In the first episode, it's clear to see how close Lou and Col are, as she even attends his birthday party at his lavish home, alongside his family and some associates. It's not your normal party of course, as Lou has to hand her phone to one of Col's people first, to be sure she's not recording anything.

While Lou drinks wine and socializes at Col's, unfortunately, tragedy strikes and her son Owen (Zak Ford-Williams) has taken seriously ill. However, Lou only finds out about this when she gets her phone back at the end of the visit, having seen numerous missed calls from her husband Ceri (Samuel Edward-Cook).

This family tragedy sees a slight shift in Lou, and it's clear she's reevaluating things, as her long-term partnership with Col could be interfering with her life. But now she's in as deep as this, will it be possible for her to escape?

The first episode seems to have gripped most viewers, but there's a clear comparison to be made, with everyone cracking the same "bent copper" joke in the direction of Lou, a now iconic phrase spoken by Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) in Line of Duty. 

But will Better keep fans as gripped as Line of Duty did? We'll have to wait and see, but so far it's definitely off to an interesting start. We've now learned about Lou and her family, and how her arrangement with Col has helped both sides.

However, if Lou breaks away from this she could be in serious danger, and we've already seen one of Col's men go down after a post office robbery after Lou and other armed officers were sent to his home. Keeping up this double life can't be easy, as Lou is lying to her colleagues and trying to act as if she's an honest officer.

Better continues on Monday, February 20 at 9 pm on BBC One. Episodes are also available on BBC iPlayer.

Line of Duty could be set to make a comeback as early as next year, and the main stars of AC-12 are reportedly already on board! 

According to a report from The Sun, Line of Duty—thought by many to be one of the best BBC dramas in recent memory—is returning for a three-part special in the near future to deliver an 'explosive climax' to the series. 

Best of all? The main stars from AC-12 should be present and accounted for, as Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston have all made it clear in recent months that they'd be keen to come back for more action.

Speaking to The Sun, an insider claimed: "There was a very strong feeling, particularly among fans, that there was unfinished business with Line of Duty. Viewers weren't satisfied with the ending of series six and were crying out for a more  sensational conclusion — now Jed [Mercurio, series creator] can deliver that."

Line of Duty season 6 originally concluded in 2021 with the revelation that H, the mystery corrupt police officer, was actually former Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells, in a controversial ending that was watched by over 15 million viewers.

The insider continued: "The question is whether the person we were led to believe was H really is the villain that AC-12 has been hunting or if it was another nemesis. There's also a theory another, darker puppet master is at work. 

"The fact that they're looking at taking the unusual step of making three episodes rather than the usual six or seven is a reflection of just how special this is for the show."

Although nothing's been confirmed by the BBC at the time of writing, this news does come a little over a month after Adrian Dunbar revealed the exciting news that he, McClure and Compston were all keen to reprise their roles in the series if and when Jed Mercurio decided it was time for Line of Duty to make a comeback.   

The first six seasons of Line of Duty are available to stream on BBC iPlayer and on BritBox in the US. And for more info on all the latest shows to enjoy, check out our TV guide.

New episodes of Line of Duty haven't been confirmed yet, but Adrian Dunbar has revealed there's "every possibility" the BBC crime drama could return to our screens.

Appearing on Lorraine, the Ted Hastings actor spoke to host Lorraine Kelly about the future of Line of Duty, and that he, Martin Compston (Steve Arnott), and Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming) are all keen to reprise their iconic roles.

Naturally, Lorraine was keen to know about Line of Duty season 7 and asked: "Do we think perhaps if we can get you all in the same room, you might do another one?"

To which Adrian Dunbar replied: “Yes, there is every possibility. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that we'll hear something at some point. We all want to get back together again. We'd love to go back to Belfast again.

"The last time we did it it was in lockdown, so we were all in bubbles. We couldn't get out… everything was shut. So we'd like to get back to Belfast for a bit of fun."

Discussing Adrian’s love of singing, Lorraine asked, "Could we do a musical version of Line of Duty? It would have to be operatic, wouldn’t it? I would love to see him singing, ‘We are sucking diesel’..."

Adrian laughed, "I’d like to see Martin Compston [singing]... I think that’s got legs, Lorraine."

Earlier this year, Adrian Dunbar also teased a Line of Duty movie and said: "I’m not sure what shape it’ll take . . . someone was talking about a film or maybe, you know, two 90 minutes or three episodes."

Right now though, there's been no official word on the future of the BBC show but it's been a huge success as it picked up National Television Awards for Most Popular Returning Drama and the Special Recognition award, so fans are definitely keen to see more.

Elsewhere, Line of Duty could've looked a lot different it was revealed that Martin Compston almost didn't audition for the hit series. Craig Parkinson, who played Matthew "Dot" Cottan shared the news on Instagram where he said that Martin "needed a nudge" to go for the part.

Lorraine airs on weekdays at 9 am on ITV1 and ITV Hub. Line of Duty seasons 1 - 6 are available on demand via BBC iPlayer.

Dick Wolf and the crown jewel of his empire, the Law & Order franchise, made history on Thursday night, premiering the first ever three-series Law & Order crossover event. For three hours, viewers stayed glued to their screens as the detectives and lawyers from the OG series, SVU and Organized Crime put their heads together to battle against a Russian diplomat of sorts and his partner as they terrorized the city of New York with explosives and an underage prostitution ring. 

There were a few moments during the special event that definitely caused fans to be on pins and needles, as they watched certain police officers come face to face with danger. For example, when new kid on the block Detective Shaw (Mehcad Brooks) wanted to deactivate the bomb found in the parking garage with under four minutes to do so, viewers thought he would foolishly meet his demise if he tried. However, even as he developed the good sense to run, he and Detective Cosgrove (Jeffrey Donovan) were hit by the debris from the explosion. Both wound up surviving with minimal injuries. 

When incidents like those passed and the criminals were tucked away in lockup, it seemed like the risk factor for all the detectives had subsided. But then came the surprise of the night.

SVU’s Detective Rollins (Kelli Giddish) was sent to supervise the pickup of the 15-year-old witness in the case. Before the two made it safely to the car, they were ambushed by several men dressed in black and a gunfight ensued. Rollins, the witness and the other officers on the scene ducked behind a car for cover. Unfortunately, the more shots that were fired the more frightened the victim became and the teenage girl made the impromptu decision to run. As Rollins went after her, the detective was shot several times in the abdomen.  

Did Amanda Rollins die in the Law & Order crossover event?

The short answer is we don’t know. 

Apparently, she lost a lot of blood but did manage to survive surgery. Her doctors were hoping for the best according to Captain Benson (Mariska Hargitay). The last image viewers see of Rollins, is her lying unconscious in a hospital bed. 

Now what makes Rollins’ condition particularly interesting is the fact that her portrayer, Kelli Giddish, confirmed to People not too long ago that this is her last season on SVU. Given the plans on how her character would depart from the show and when that would happen were never announced, could the beloved onscreen police officer be meeting her end this early into season 24?

The audience will have to keep watching Law & Order: SVU to see what happens. 

In the meantime, check out what fans are saying online about the night's OMG moment. 

New episodes of Law & Order: SVU air live on NBC at 9 pm ET/PT and become available to stream the next day on Peacock. 

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling is a new BBC2 project close to the heart of the famous Line Of Duty star. The bright lights of Las Vegas might be where he currently calls home, but Martin Compston will always be a proud Scot at heart. 

In Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling he teams up with his friend, TV presenter Phil MacHugh, to tour the country and see how it's being shaped by its people and its landscape. The pair journey from the bustling cities to the wild highlands to meet the locals and visitors that share their special love for Scotland.

"After 10 years of doing Line of Duty, it surprises me that people still don’t know I’m Scottish," Martin says. "But I don't mind! I’ve traveled all over the country for work and leisure – but this is the first time I’ll be meeting real modern Scots on camera, sharing their thoughts and passions,” says Martin. “We’re excited to get stuck in, and to experience the best that Scotland has to offer in the 21st century.

"I hope I've done a good job," adds Martin, who divides his time between Scotland and Las Vegas, where he lives. "I love Vegas but Greenock will always be home."

So here's everything you need to know about Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling on BBC2...

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling release date 

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling is a six-part series that will air on BBC2 and BBCiPlayer from Friday September 9 at 9.30pm (10pm on BBC Scotland) as part of the BBC's autumn 2022 season. We'll update here if there's a worldwide air date.

Is there a trailer for Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling?

Yes BBC Scotland has now released a trailer for Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling which shows quite a lot of what Martin and Phil get up to on their trip around Scotland. Take a look below

Martin’s Compston’s Scottish Fling — episode guide, people Martin meets and locations

For Martin’s Compston’s Scottish Fling, Martin and Phil take a deep dive into contemporary Scotland, veering off the beaten track and taking part in some of the most exciting experiences their homeland has to offer. They'll meet the locals who help to shape the nation as well as the ‘odd famous friend’. The pair will be well and truly pushed out of their comfort zones and will experience Scotland at its most extreme. Martin has revealed to fans that he was learning some Scottish Gaelic (which Phil speaks fluently) as part of his documentary tour, speaking to locals about their thoughts on Scotland.

Martin has given a taste of where he visits through posts on Twitter, so take a look at his Tweets below including his trip to Tapadh Lea on the Western Isles. Also, here's our episode guide for Martin’s Compston’s Scottish Fling which we'll update as the series progresses.

Episode 1: Friday September 9
The pair’s travels begin in Martin’s hometown of Greenock, on Scotland’s West Coast where they catch up with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney. Later across the six-part series, Martin and Phil take in The Highlands, the East Coast including Aberdeen, and Phil’s turf, The Western Isles. It’s then on to Glasgow and Edinburgh, before heading back to Greenock via the Borders and Galloway Forest, although Martin got a little tired of the driving…
"Phil’s energy and positivity are his best qualities but his worst is he can't drive - I do all the driving," says Martin. "We went to several lovely restaurants where I could only drink tea. If we get a second series, it will be in my contract that Phil has to drive!"

Episode 2: Friday September 16
Martin is given a taste of island life when pal Phil takes him on a journey back to his family’s homeland of the Western Isles of Scotland. From an unexpected Hebridean pipe-playing welcome at the airport in Stornoway courtesy of Phil, they embark on their island odyssey. To give Martin a wee flavour of Gaelic life, they first head for a brunch-time rendezvous, with a man who’s been taking Hebridean culture to the world, the Hebridean Baker, Coinneach MacLeod. At the tiny village of Cromore the boys join Coinneach, his partner Peter and little Scottie dog Seoras to cook up a local recipe in the ruins of an old croft. After their ‘extreme’ cooking the next stop is back in the capital Stornoway, with a suitable snatch of Peat & Diesel’s most recognised lyrics.
In Stornoway, the boys have an appointment at the barbers to meet Syrian refugee Ousama and his eldest son Abdullah to see how the family have been settling into Western Isles' life. They then leave Lewis behind for the dramatic landscape of the isle of Harris where they meet local artist and photographer Danielle MacLeod, who’s passion for folklore inspires Martin and Phil to model for a very memorable photo shoot. The boys then take the ferry to Uist and an emotional homecoming for Phil at his late grannie's house in Gartnamore, where as a boy he used to spend his summers. Finally, it’s Martin’s debut for Eriskay Football club in their first game of the season, on their home pitch which sits against a backdrop of the Atlantic ocean on this island which is home to around 150 people… But not before him and Phil lend a hand to clean the FIFA awarded pitch of its livestock detritus. And as the whistle blows for the end of the game and episode, Martin and Phil have a unique campfire moment looking out over the Western Isles.

Episode 3: Friday September 23
Martin and Phil MacHugh travel to Scotland’s East Coast, from St Andrews in the south to Aberdeen in the north, to challenge expectations and reveal the surprising side of some well-known places. Starting in the home of golf, St Andrews, the boys take to the sands. No not a bunker, but rather the beach made famous by the movie Chariots of Fire to indulge in a spot of land yachting with brothers Jamie and Guy McKenzie. Having swept the sand from their hair, it’s off to high tech Dundee and West Coaster Martin has a surprising admission: “I love Dundee…and I love Dundonians.”
To get to grips with the cyber city's position as a world gaming developer, they meet 4J co-founder Chris van der Kuyl who’s company makes the console edition of the biggest game in the world, MINECRAFT, to see what it would be like to literally be part of a game. It’s then off to Abertay University who were the first to offer a degree in computer games to get a tour from lecturer Jung In and discover what other possibilities there are in the virtual landscape.
From high tech to lo-fi, the boys take a break from the future and indulge in a local tradition that dates back to the Vikings. They get hands on to help 5th generation smoker prepare the local delicacy, the Arbroath smokie on the atmospheric Auchmithie beach.
Next stop is Aberdeen, where the boys discover the East Coast’s burgeoning hip hop scene…and (Compston cringe-alert) it’s MC P-Mac in the house! They’re given a musical insight by Aberdonian rapper Ransom FA and meet Dundonian songstress India Rose in the park for an impromptu performance. Before finally taking to the mic to record some unforgettable words for local artist Chef in his recording studio.

Episodes 4 to 6
We'll be updating when we can, do do check back!

A brief history of Martin Compston

Martin is best known for his role as DS Steve Arnott in the series Line of Duty, in which he seeks out justice as part of the police anti-corruption squad AC-12. Last year he also starred in the hit series Vigil and most recently was on our screens in Our House on ITV. He has also starred in Traces, The Nest, Mary Queen of Scots and Death in Paradise. Back in 2003-2005 Martin played Ewan Brodie in Monarch of the Glen. Martin was a teenager when he starred in the Ken Loach movie Sweet Sixteen.
Later in 2022 Martin will be starring in Prime Video thriller The Rig set on a Scottish oil rig and BBC1 drama Mayflies.

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Line of Duty star Craig Parkinson, who played Matthew "Dot" Cottan in the hit BBC drama, has revealed that his co-star Martin Compston could have potentially not appeared in Line of Duty as he "needed a nudge" to audition for the role of Steve Arnott.

Martin's appearance as the much-loved DI Steve Arnott has since made him a household name, but it seems it could have been a different story according to Craig's Instagram post.

Sharing a picture of his Line of Duty co-stars Adrian Dunbar (Ted Hastings), Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming), Lennie James (Tony Gates) and Martin Compston, he revealed that he had to give his friend Martin "a nudge" to audition for the role they were both in the running for.

The caption read: "10 years ago… a lot has happened since… I was sent a script and asked to audition for the role of Steve in a series called Line Of Duty. I called my friend Martin. Turns out he’d been sent it too. 

"For a man of great taste, he needed a nudge. I told him he had to meet on this as I’d just read the greatest first two episodes of a new series I had ever read. 

"Myself and Martin had our auditions within minutes of each other and met prior to run our lines with each other. It was the very next day I received a call saying that the role of Steve was being offered to another actor. I asked who it was. They told me ‘Martin Compston’. 

"I was in the bath at the time, I remember that. I also remember that I was genuinely made up for my mate. They then asked how I felt about playing a role called ‘Mathew ‘dot’ Cotton. Little did I know."

The actor then went on to say how life-changing the show had been for the cast and thanked everyone for watching.

There has been no official confirmation as to when Line of Duty season 7 will be in the works. However, Adrian Dunbar has previously hinted about a movie version of the smash-hit show.

Line of Duty seasons 1-6 are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Adrian Dunbar has become a much-loved household name since landing the role of Superintendent Ted Hastings, the chief of police anti-corruption unit AC-12 in BBC crime drama Line of Duty.

Ted has been a firm favourite with fans alongside Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) in the award-winning series. He recently revealed that a new script for Line of Duty is being written by the show's creator, and it looks like the series might make its return in 2026.

The actor started his hugely successful career back in 1980 when he appeared in the TV movie The Long March. Since then, he has appeared in films such as My Left Foot, The Crying Game, The General, Richard III and Widows' Peak. He has also starred in TV shows including Cracker, A Touch of Frost, Kidnapped, Ashes to Ashes, Death in Paradise, and Silent Witness. 

Since recently returning to the world of crime drama in the ITV series Ridley as the namesake hero, retired Detective Inspector Alex Ridley. Adrian is now back for Ridley season 2.

But what else is there to learn about the much-loved actor? Here are a few things you might not know.

1. He is the eldest of 7 children.

Adrian was born in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and raised as a Roman Catholic. He was the eldest of seven children with two brothers and four sisters, and when he was 10, Adrian moved with his siblings and parents to Portadown in County Armagh. 

Speaking of the move Adrian told MailOnline: "Portadown was the most marginalised of all the Nationalist communities in the North. Suddenly we were living in a town where, if you were Catholic, you literally couldn't walk down the street without getting some kind of conflict."

2. He met his wife after leaving drama school.

Unlike his Line of Duty alter ego Ted Hastings whose marriage has gone down the pan, Adrian and his wife Anna have been happily married since 1986 after meeting not long after Adrian left drama school. 

Anna is also an actor and is best known for appearing in shows like Minder and the 1978 film Sweeney 2. The pair have a daughter called Madeleine together and Adrian is also stepdad to Ted, Anna's son from her first marriage. 

3. He had a very unlikely job before becoming an actor. 

Before finding fame on screen, Adrian found himself working in the very unglamorous job of working in an abattoir. To distract himself from his day job with doomed pigs, the actor played bass guitar and sang back up vocals with an Elvis impersonator. 

After leaving school at 17 he then got involved in a local amateur dramatics group in his spare time. He told the MailOnline: "I felt totally at home on stage — it seemed so natural and I realised that my entire life was going to have to change if I was going to be happy. The pigs had to go!"

4. He made some very famous friends at drama school.

Adrian attended London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama and while he was there he became friends with Men Behaving Badly star Neil Morrissey, actor Liam Neeson, and Coronation Street's Charles Lawson. 

5. He was cut from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. 

Even famous actors end up on the cutting room floor, and that's exactly what happened to Adrian after his role as Princess Leia's adopted father was cut from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Despite not making it to the final edit, stills of Adrian from the film were used to promote the release. Adrian didn't make the final cut due to plot reasons.

6. He has released a folk jazz album. 

Despite making a career out of acting, Adrian's other huge love is music. He even had his own band called Adie Dunbar and the Jonahs, with Adrian as lead singer. The band have released an album called Two Brothers, and many one the songs on the album have been written by Adrian himself. The band have even been on tour, playing in venues in Nashville and Austin, Texas. 

7. He would love to star in a sitcom.

While Adrian loves playing serious roles like Ted Hastings, he has revealed that he would also love a chance to make people laugh. Adrian told Radio Times that his dream sitcom co-star would be Anna Maxwell Martin, who starred alongside him as Ted's grief interrogator in Line of Duty's Season 5: "She's very funny and I'd love to do a sitcom with her."

8. His friends mocked him for being called a sex symbol!

Adrian told The Times that his mates were less than complimentary when he got called a sex symbol by some. "I got a lot of slagging from my friends for being called a 'sex symbol'. I thought it was very funny," he says.

Adrian Dunbar's fact file

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....

How old is he?

Adrian Dunbar is 67 years old. He was born on August 1, 1958.

Is he married? 

Adrian Dunbar married his wife Anna Nygh in 1986.

Does he have children?

Adrian Dunbar and his wife Anna have a grown-up daughter called Madeleine together. Adrian is also stepdad to Ted, Anna's son from her first marriage. 

Where was he born?

Adrian Dunbar was born in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. 

How tall is he?

Adrian Dunbar is 1.8 metres tall.

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Line of Duty creator World Productions is working with Channel 4 to create a brand new six-part crime series that is set in Merseyside.

The series currently has a working title of The Gathering and will explore a violent attack on a teenager named Kelly during a rave. It is written by novelist and filmmaker Helen Walsh.

Kelly is described as a "straddler" between two very different groups of friends. She's an accomplished gymnast well on the way to Team GB status, but her life isn't quite as perfect as it might sound as she's feeling the pressure due to teammates and their incredibly competitive parents.

When she's not training, Kelly hangs out with a reckless group of friends who are very different from the discipline she's used to in the gymnastics world, and the series will follow Kelly and her relationships with these people.

Speaking about the project, Helen Walsh said: "I wanted to write a twisty, state-of-the-nation take on Philip Larkin's notorious 'they f**k you up' observation about parents and kids.

"In an era where the micro-managing of children's lives has become the new normal, The Gathering throws today's surveillance parenting into sharp focus and asks who is really to blame when our kids f**k up."

She added: "I'm thrilled to be working with the excellent team at Channel 4 and World Productions and look forward to seeing the kinetic worlds of free-running and tumbling gymnastics brought to our screens."

• Line of Duty could get movie version reveals Adrian Dunbar

Channel 4's Head of Drama Caroline Hollick added: "We are thrilled to be working with the brilliant Helen Walsh and World Productions on this exciting series; The Gathering, which forms part of our strategy to commission drama which also appeals to younger viewers.

"Through this absorbing story, with Helen's beautifully drawn, real and relatable characters, the series looks at how family, friendship and aspiration is influenced and shaped by the highs and lows of modern-day parenting."

She added: "Exploring relevant and urgent themes around what it means to be a teenager, as well as a parent today, The Gathering is cleverly wrapped up in a compelling whodunnit thriller, where the stakes are upped episode after episode."

We don't have a release date for The Gathering just yet, but we'll keep you updated once we have more information about the new crime drama.

Meanwhile, previous episodes of Line of Duty are on BBC iPlayer.

Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar, who played fan-favourite Ted Hastings, has suggested that the hit BBC drama could return to our screens as a movie and cast his doubts on a full series.

He apparently told The Sun: “I’m not sure what shape it’ll take . . . someone was talking about a film or maybe, you know, two 90 minutes or three episodes.

“I’m not sure you’d get a full series. But I think there’s still an audience out there. It depends what they come up with.”

The TV star also supposedly revealed that he has a “feeling” fans will hear more on the show’s future “before September is out.”

He added: "It certainly would be nice to get back to Belfast where we've always had good fun."

Line of Duty fans have been patiently waiting to find out if there will be a season 7 and rumours sparked for a new series after Martin Compston (Steve Arnott) posted a picture of him and co-star Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming) having dinner with the series creator Jed Mercurio and Adrian, where he captioned the picture: “Talking tattoo designs ❤️” 

Appearing on Good Morning Britain in June, the pair addressed the rumours of an upcoming season.

Talking to presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, the stars revealed that they were keen to return.

Martin said of their cast friendship that: "We did say if we ever got 12 million we’d get tattoos AC12 million, but we haven’t got it yet. If we ever do another series, I think it’ll be something we all do together then.” 

"So are you then? Doing another series?” Kate questioned.

"Nothing’s planned as yet, we just went out for a nice meal," Vicky replied.

"Teases, the lot of you!" Kate called out.

"No, I'm telling the truth. Nothing planned and set in stone. Like Martin said before, we always have a long break in between series so it’s not really too abnormal to what we normally do,” Vicky said.

Martin added: "We’ve done ten years now and the fact that people still want to see the show is amazing — and if there’s still a story to be told, I’m sure Jed will bring us back."

Last year, Line of Duty was officially named the UK’s most-watched drama series of the 21st century, after a whopping 15.24 million viewers tuned into the highly anticipated season six finale.

Seasons 1 - 6 of Line of Duty is available on demand via BBC iPlayer. 

Vicky McClure is best known for her role in Line of Duty as Kate Fleming and she's heading back into the firing line in the explosive new drama Trigger Point, which is debuting on Peacock after already being show in the UK.

The six-part drama follows Metropolitan Police Bomb Disposal Expert — or "expo" —Lana Washington and her partner Joel Nutkins (Adrian Lester) as they battle to stop a deadly terrorist campaign as it sweeps across London.

We caught up with Vicky, to find out more about a drama that saw her reunited with Line of Duty creator, Jed Mercurio, who was executive producer on the series... 

Please note this interview was given before the show aired in the UK.

Vicky McClure on when she first heard about Trigger Point?

"I got a text from Jed, who is obviously a good friend now after many years of working together. He also sent the script through the official channels and I was fascinated by it, because bomb disposal is an area that I don't know very much about and something I don't think we've seen an awful lot of on screen, apart from if people have seen The Hurt Locker, which is a great film.

"I’ll take any opportunity to work with Jed, not only because he's a friend, but also because he's incredible at what he does, and I love the fact that he’s supporting new writers like Daniel. So I didn't need any convincing to say yes — I knew it was going to be a really fun, interesting, and intriguing job. It's dynamic, it's action-packed, it's full of brilliant characters and it will put you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next explosive situation. I’m really excited for people to see it."

Did Lana immediately appeal to you as a character?

"Yeah, she's a great character and when it comes to bravery, you're talking about Lana. She’s carrying trauma and her life is pretty messed up, which is really appealing as an actor because you want to play real, layered characters. It feels like we're dealing with somebody going through a lot of life's tough times and it's nice to be able to find strength in flawed characters.

"As we go through the series, she becomes more lost as she tries to work out who is planting these bombs and why it's getting closer to home. The way in which the story unfolds is quite surreal. And then in the middle of that, she's got her own personal issues to deal with, and she’s scared because she’s losing her instinct. This show is fascinating because it takes place in a very short space of time, and it’s very fast-paced. She’s trying to keep people safe and she’s losing her head a little bit."

Did you get involved with many stunts?

"I was really keen to do the action scenes that come with the show, and I knew that playing an expo would be quite a challenge physically. I didn't actually expect it to be quite as challenging as it was, but I got through it and I did most of it myself. The few things that I didn't do are mainly scenes with erratic driving because of Covid restrictions, even though I always say, “Didn't you see me in Top Gear? I know what I'm doing!” It was very impressive what the guys could do with some of the explosions too."

Were the action scenes tough-going at times?

"Physically, it was a challenging job — when you see me running from a bomb I haven't just done it once, there have been many takes! People will tell you that I'm not a gym fanatic by any stretch of the imagination, so when I’m out of puff on screen that’s genuine. In some ways, it's nice to see that on telly, because what I did learn is as even though expos are heavily trained and Lana is fit, there's not a lot of activity every day — a lot of time is spent sitting around and waiting for that call.

"It was a bit of a funny process because we were meant to film in 2020 and the pandemic delayed us, so I did wonder if it would ever happen. We were there waiting in the wings, thinking, “I really hope Trigger Point happens!”. I genuinely had the best time making it. It was tricky and hard, but I like it when things don't come easy because it means you care about them. I feel a real sense of pride in what we achieved."

How useful was it to speak to real expos?

"We had a lot of support from people that are the real deal, real expos. There's some artistic license in there to create the drama, but I was always speaking to them, they were on set every day. I found it fascinating. There were things that felt like absolute madness, like taking my helmet off as I approach the bomb, but then they explained to me that it could impair your vision, or it could knock the device if it slipped, all these logical things, so you need to take it off to actually work properly around the device. I was learning a lot all the time and I just loved being able to access all their knowledge. We put it into the show as much as we could."

There aren’t many female expos are there?

"No, I remember speaking to the guys who said it’s a different ballgame in the army, but there's only a very small number of expos working with the Met, and none of them are women as far as I’m aware. But there would be a lot of female expos in the army.

"I’ve read scripts over the years where I’ve thought, “I really like this script... I'd really like his part though.” So I like that this is a story about a female expo, and it's completely possible because there are female expos in the army.

"We were talking about the big bomb suit that I wear in Trigger Point. It’s the real thing and it weighs more than I do, but we made a choice not to take the weight out of it — it's insane, but I wanted to feel it, and I’m making a TV show, I have the option to take it off when we're not shooting. But I remember our expo saying that his female colleague wore it for way longer than he did, and I had a bit of a wry smile on my face, thinking, “Well that's how we roll!” Women are strong and I was proud to be able to play a strong woman, physically and in many different ways."

How would you describe Lana’s relationship with Joel?

"They served together, they go way back and have a longstanding friendship. I remember us talking about whether anything romantic ever happened between them, but we came to the conclusion that it didn't, and that’s the beauty of it. When they were away from home in the army they only had each other, and they were like family, that’s how much they meant to each other.

"I can’t say I have any kind of understanding of that extreme pressure, I don't, but I think I understand what that relationship is like, just from working away as much as I do as an actor. I'm such a homebody and I hate that part of the job, that's always been the bit I struggle with the most. Me, Adrian Dunbar, and Martin Compston are good examples of colleagues becoming family on Line of Duty, and Nut and Lana are very much that to each other, they have that shorthand."

Were you mindful of some of the sensitive subject matter in Trigger Point?

"It’s that fine line — the series is made for entertainment, but some of it is really harrowing. We’re really aware that expos are real people and they’re not commonly spoken about. We hear about the other emergency departments when there are terror attacks, but when it comes to expos, I was very unaware of their work. They are so brave and the respect I have for the armed forces is incredible."

Trigger Point clearly has a special place in your heart?

"It was an incredible job and I'm really proud of it. It was a brilliant cast of people and the crew really did look after each other. It was a tough shoot and there were a lot of elements to get right, building a whole new world.

"I have never been on a job quite that big, which I suppose would shock people because you think Line of Duty is the same. But I can lean on Martin and Adrian a little bit on that series, where they'll have an interview scene without me and that means I’ve got four days off. Trigger Point was the first time I've felt like a crew member when I'm there every day all day. I was massively invested in the show and I gave it my everything."

You had a punishing schedule on this job, did you have down time at the weekends?

"It was amazing because I really felt like a crew member. I organized a big Greggs delivery at the end of the shoot for everyone, that's how much I loved them! I had such a special time with everyone. I was really nervous about Covid though, and I was determined not to shut the show down or disrupt filming. It’s impossible to avoid coronavirus as we all know, so basically, my weekends were spent indoors. I really missed that time in the industry when we’d go out for drinks after a big week — that's all gone now because you just can’t take that Covid risk."

Sherwood continued on BBC1 this week, and fans have started comparing it to Line of Duty after a mystery surrounding a spy cop emerged.

There's something going on in Sherwood, as we know an undercover officer has secretly been living within the community since 1984, having assimilated during the strikes and stayed, settling into their new identity. 

Last episode, we saw a shocking scene between train driver Andy Fisher (Adeel Akhtar) and new daughter-in-law Sarah Vincent (Joanne Froggatt), where the former lashed out and ended up killing her with a spade while his son was away on a business trip. 

Considering Andy is a shy, reclusive person who tends to lean on his son for support, the ending of episode two blindsided fans as it's not like him to resort to violence. He seems genuinely remorseful for his actions in episode 3, leading us to believe it was unintentional, but perhaps there's more to Sarah's murder than meets the eye.

Right now, it seems everyone in Sherwood is a suspect and fans are enjoying the Line of Duty style mystery about who the undercover cop is, trying to work out their identity before it's finally revealed.

Undercover police officers are known to have had intimate relationships and even had families with people they were spying on, often leading double lives for years, so anyone in the community could fit that profile.

Taking to Twitter, fans were referring to the BBC drama with some saying Sherwood had them "more hooked than Line of Duty" and some spotted that they shared the same cast members too.

Sherwood's spy cop storyline is based on real events, and to learn more about it you can check out our Fact vs Fiction guide to find out everything you need to know. 

Speaking about the drama, creator James Graham told What to Watch: "We're familiar with that as a tactic in other police dramas, like Line Of Duty, where we expect undercover officers to assume identities and go and fight organised crime or terrorist cells. What's completely shocking and is how that same thing was applied to completely non-violent, innocent, everyday people."

Sherwood continues on BBC1 on Tuesday, June 21 at 9 pm. Episodes are also available via BBC iPlayer. 

Line of Duty favourites Martin Compston, who plays Steve Arnott and Vicky McClure, who plays Kate Fleming, have discussed season 7 rumours for the critically-acclaimed crime drama.

Rumours sparked for a season 7 after Martin posted a picture of the pair having dinner with creator Jed Mercurio and their co-star Adrian Dunbar, where he captioned the picture: “Talking tattoo designs ❤️”

Appearing on Good Morning Britain this morning (Friday, June 10), the pair, who are due to take part in Sunday’s Soccer Aid, addressed the rumours of an upcoming season.

Talking to presenters Kate Garraway and Ben Shephard, the stars revealed that they were keen to return.

Martin said of their cast friendship that: "We did say if we ever got 12 million we’d get tattoos AC12 million, but we haven’t got it yet. If we ever do another series, I think it’ll be something we all do together then.” 

"So are you then? Doing another series?” Kate questioned.

"Nothing’s planned as yet, we just went out for a nice meal," Vicky replied.

"Teases, the lot of you!" Kate called out.

"No, I'm telling the truth. Nothing planned and set in stone. Like Martin said before, we always have a long break in between series so it’s not really too abnormal to what we normally do,” Vicky said.

Meanwhile, Martin added: "We’ve done ten years now and the fact that people still want to see the show is amazing — and if there’s still a story to be told, I’m sure Jed will bring us back."

Fans have been waiting for Line of Duty season 7 to return since season 6 wrapped last year, but there has been no confirmation on when or if a seventh season will air.

Last year, Line of Duty was officially named the UK’s most-watched drama series of the 21st century, after a whopping 15.24 million viewers tuned into the highly anticipated season six finale.

Seasons 1 - 6 of Line of Duty is available on demand via BBC iPlayer.

DI Ray is a new ITV crime drama that is due to hit our screens in early May. Described as "fresh, relevant and thought-provoking,” the series creator and Line of Duty actress Maya Sondhi has hinted at "Jed-influenced" plot twists involved in the upcoming show.

Jed Mercurio, famously known for creating the massively popular crime drama Line of Duty, is an executive producer for the four-part series DI Ray.

Maya, who also played Maneet Bindra in Line of Duty, told the Radio Times that the award-winning TV writer had been an outstanding influence on the show.

She revealed: "My strength is dialogue, but I’m not really too good with story, whereas he's so good at plotting things, and at twists.

"I could just write two people talking in a room for hours, but I've learned so much from Jed about how to hook in audiences and keep them watching.

"There are probably a few ‘Jed-influenced’ plot twists in there — not red herrings, or 'Jed herrings' as we call them, but hopefully a few surprises.”

DI Ray sees Bend It Like Beckham and The Blacklist star Parminder Nagra play the role of DI Rachita Ray, a Birmingham-based police officer who is originally from Leicester.

The synopsis reads: "Rachita achieves the promotion she’s been waiting for when she’s asked to join a homicide investigation. However, on her first day she’s told the murder to which she’s been assigned is a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide.’ Rachita’s heart sinks — she suspects she’s a ‘token appointment’, chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability.

"Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rachita sticks to the case, determined to both find the killer and call out the obvious biases her colleagues are bringing to the investigation. And it’s far from easy. The case isn’t a run-of-the-mill murder; it involves delving deep into the dangerous world of organized crime."

Speaking about the role, Parminder said: "I am so looking forward to getting back to the UK after such a challenging time globally to be part of this exciting new project. Written by Maya Sondhi and exec produced by the force that is Jed Mercurio, we are being helmed by an amazing team to bring something special to our storytelling landscape."

DI Ray airs Monday, May 2 at 9pm on ITV.

Martin Compston has revealed that Line of Duty season 7 could be heading our way. 

The actor, who will be back on our screens in ITV thriller Our House next week (starting Monday, March 7) has revealed that not only would he love to reprise his role as Steve Arnott, but that Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure would also be up for returning to AC12 as Ted Hastings and Kate Flemming. 

The BBC is yet to address the future of the show after Line of Duty season 6 aired last year, finally revealing who the mysterious 'H' is. But is that really the end of the story? Or has show creator Jed Mercurio got more anti-corruption drama up his sleeve? 

Martin told Radio Times that while nothing is imminent, another series certainly hasn't been ruled out: "I really, really appreciate how much people love it, but where we're at right now is no different to where we've ever been. We've always taken a big gap off between seasons, so I really couldn't tell you more."

The actor added: "When Jed sees a story, we'd all be game. I think we'd all be absolutely heartbroken if we thought that was the last time we all work together, so there's an appetite there.

"But in terms of where we're at, there's nothing different to where we usually are — it usually takes a year or so, and then Jed [Mercurio] will call and say, 'look, guys, here's the story I've got', and then we go to it. I couldn't tell you if that call was going to come, but you know, we'll figure it out."

In the last season of Line of Duty we saw Steve facing problems in his personal life as well as at work as he was forced to meet with occupational health about his ongoing dependency on over-the-counter drugs. He also got closer to John Corbett's wife, Stephanie, and became Detective Inspector after receiving a promotion from Ted.

• What to watch after Line of Duty

You can watch seasons 1-6 of Line of Duty on BBC iPlayer now. 

Line of Duty legend Vicky McClure has revealed she would 'love' to come back for a seventh season, which still hasn't officially been confirmed by creators, but fans are eagerly hoping that it will go ahead. 

Appearing on This Morning, Vicky, who plays DI Kate Fleming, explained: "I’d love to go again. It would be weird when the date does come that we may never go again. Not to work with Ade, Martin and Jed would be really weird. We’ve done it for 10 years. It’s insane, really."

Vicky also spoke about working with Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio again on Trigger Point, saying: "Jed who’s producing it… everything just turns to gold, but also he’s a good friend and I love working with people I’m close to. 

"He sent me a text to say would I look and even just by the way he described it… then we took it through the normal channels, sent it to my agent and Daniel is a new writer and I just love that. Jed’s supporting him through this scheme and having somebody like Jed on your side is amazing”.

Speaking to What to Watch, Jed Mercurio revealed that there's still regular contact between the Line of Duty team, saying: "There’s still plenty of contact with them, they’re never far away and there's always something going on in the WhatsApp group! Every now and then Vicky sends them a picture to make them jealous. They're really supportive of each other's careers anyway, and they give each other so much banter, love, and support."

In Trigger Point (which starts on Jan. 23 at 9 pm on ITV) Vicky plays front-line officer Lana Washington. She is known as an ‘Expo’, an experienced bomb disposal operative with the London Metropolitan Bomb Disposal Squad, so it's a role very different from AC-12's Kate Fleming.

This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV and ITV Hub.

Line of Duty season 7 could be the best yet and it's surely only a matter of time before it's officially announced.

With the latest series drawing to a close in 2021, fans are trying to work out what this means for the seventh series.

With Line of Duty season 6 leaving many questions unanswered it would be a huge shock if we didn't see more episodes. The BBC will be especially keen for a further series given the final episode of season 6 attracted over 13 million viewers.

Star Vicky McClure, who's also to be seen in the new drama Trigger Point, has suggested the cast is up for more episodes.

'Line of Duty' season 7 release date

Line of Duty Season 7 is likely to air in 2023, assuming the BBC orders another series. It’s far too earlier, though, to give an exact start date.

Cast

We expect Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) all to return. DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin) is also likely to be back. We also suspect that Anna Maxwell Martin will be back as the wonderfully villainous Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael. 

'Line of Duty' season 7 plot

Well, that’s tricky at this point. But we do know now that all of the main players are still alive after the series 6 finale.

It’s also likely to see another star follow in the footsteps of the likes of Lennie James, Keeley Hawes and Kelly Macdonald in playing the show’s chief suspect. 

We can’t imagine the whole who is H thing will have vanished either. And the OCG is unlikely also to have been defeated, so expect more drama there.

Daniel Mays, who played Sergeant Danny Waldron in Line of Duty Season 3, has suggested the whole H plot isn't over.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, Daniel Mays revealed that he doesn’t think AC-12 caught H after all! He admitted that he thinks DCI Marcus Thurwell could still be alive and that he could be the one pulling the strings in the OCG!

'Line of Duty' season 7 trailer

Sadly it's too early for a trailer!

• Best BBC Dramas

New ITV drama Ridley has started filming in Lancashire, with Line of Duty legend Adrian Dunbar taking on the title role of retired Detective Inspector Alex Ridley. 

The new series, which has now started filming, sees DI Ridley contacted by his former mentee, Acting DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh). She enlists her mentor as a police consultant on a complex and compelling murder case.

According to ITV, Ridley is inspired by real-life retired detectives re-joining police forces in a consultancy role given increasingly over-stretched resources, exploring thought-provoking crime stories in "an original and distinctive way".

Speaking about the series, Adrian Dunbar said: "Ridley has begun shooting and we really couldn’t be off to a better start. Despite the wintry weather, everything from cast and crew right down to the catering is excellent. Bronagh Waugh has stepped into her character’s shoes seamlessly and we have been joined by some great actors with more to come."

Ridley is written and created by Paul Matthew Thompson, one of the lead writers of ITV’s much-loved Vera, and co-created by Hollington Drive's Jonathan Fisher.

Expressing his excitement for the project, Jonathan Fisher added: "It’s a real thrill for filming to be underway with such a top-rate cast starring alongside Adrian Dunbar and led by a superb production team. We can’t wait to share this absorbing new detective series with our audience.”

While we don't have a confirmed release date just yet, the series is being filmed in Lancashire and there'll be four parts in total, each of which are two hours in length. So that's plenty of crime drama to sink your teeth into!

Adrian Dunbar is best known for his iconic role as Ted Hastings in BBC1's Line of Duty, but Ridley creator is keen to see this detective also becoming a much-loved household name. 

Paul Matthew Thompson has teased the character ahead of the series launch, saying: "With his maverick idiosyncrasies, a heart on sleeve empathy and a unique approach to solving crime we hope Ridley will soon join the canon of favorite TV detectives."

Ridley is heading to ITV soon. Watch this space! Check out our best ITV dramas guide for more shows to enjoy on the channel.

Beginning 2021 in extended lockdown with home entertainment never more important to us, the year will go down as a big 12 months for the UK television industry, with massive terrestrial audiences showing that the appetite for mainstream, weekly viewing is far from under the thumb of box-set streaming services like Netflix.

The top 10 programmes illustrate ongoing demand for quality dramas that require some focus and patience, while the perennial popularity of iconic entertainment programmes hasn’t dwindled in the slightest. The big winner of 2021 was the return of Jed Mercurio’s thrilling investigation of police corruption, Line of Duty, while the most notable declines were on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (peaking at 12.1m in 2020, down to a peak of 10.8m this year) and The Great British Bake Off, slipping from 10.4m viewers in 2020 to 9.3m this year.

Let’s look more closely at the UK TV’s top 10 programmes of 2021.

Line of Duty (BBC One, May) – 15.2m

The sixth series finally revealed the identity of ‘H’, the puppet-master at the heart of police corruption and while some were disappointed it was revealed to be DSU Buckells (Nigel Boyle), the crime drama delivered consistently tense narrative.

Oprah with Harry and Meghan (ITV, March) – 13.9m

Whether you are Team Meghan or Team Windsor, this interview was compelling, albeit lengthy viewing and showed the sheer pulling power the couple have, which persuaded Netflix to sign them up for a £100m production deal.

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One, December) – 12.2m

The nation found a new sweetheart in the shape of EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who could not only dance like a professional but had to overcome her deafness and count steps to keep in time to do it. Extraordinary.

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! (ITV, November) – 10.8M

Gwrych Castle was particularly uncomfortable in the 21st series of the entertainment classic, buffeted as it was by Storm Arwen, but the show had to go on and at the end of it the down-to-earth charm of Emmerdale’s Danny Miller won him King of the Castle over Frankie Bridge and Simon Gregson.

Vigil (BBC One, September) – 10.4M

Suranne Jones played a Glasgow-based detective with a complicated personal life in this hugely ambitious Trident submarine thriller that took espionage and global conspiracy to the bounds of credulity. Then went a bit further…

The Masked Singer (ITV, January) – 9.9m

Who could say no to a little mid-winter insanity in the shape of series two of this kooky Korean-born singing extravaganza?

The Pembrokeshire Murders (ITV, January) – 9.5m

Luke Evans played DSU Wilkins in this drama about two unsolved cases from the 1980s.

The Great British Bake Off (Channel 4, Septembe) – 9.3m

Giuseppe Dell'Anno became the 12th winner of Bake Off in a classically hard-fought series.

Call The Midwife (BBC1, April) – 8.7m

BBC One's period drama showed no signs of diminishing power when it returned for series 10 in April.

Death in Paradise (BBC1, January) – 8.5m

There is nothing quite like being transported to the fictional island of Saint Marie for a sun-kissed murder or two under the palm trees and we can't wait for its return in January.

(These figures were first reported by Deadline.)

Doctor Who season 13 is just days away now, and a whole new slew of guest stars have just been revealed!

When the official trailer dropped last week for Doctor Who: Flux, we got our first look at some of the stars set to make an appearance in the trailer, including Line of Duty favorite Craig Parkinson, The Inbetweeners Blake Harrison, Us star Thaddea Graham and Unforgotten's Sara Powell. We now know that the star-studded cast will feature even more amazing actors.

The new additions are: Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Sam Spruell (The North Water), Steve Oram (The End of the F***ing World) Nadia Albina (Innocent), Jonathan Watson (Two Doors Down), Paul Broughton (Clink) and Coronation Street stars Sue Jenkins and Craige Els.

When the first batch of stars was revealed, Matt Strevens, Executive Producer for Doctor Who said: "I can't wait for the audience to come on the Flux ride with us. It's our biggest adventure yet with so many brilliant new characters to fall in love with. We had a blast making it."

We don't currently know which characters any of these actors will be playing just yet, but they are joining a huge cast that also includes some of the show's most iconic creatures yet. 

The trailer showed that Sontarans, Cybermen, the Ood, the Weeping Angels are all set to make an appearance in the short, six-part series when it returns later this month.

It's not just old monsters who'll be returning, though. We've heard mention of some new creatures called "the Ravagers" multiple times leading up to the new series, the "Flux" clearly presents a fundamental threat to the universe, and we were also introduced to a new dog-like creature called Karvanista in the most recent trailer for Doctor Who.

Doctor Who season 13 returns this Halloween at 6:25 pm on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. You can catch up with previous seasons on BBC iPlayer and on HBO Max in the US.

• Who will replace Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who?
• What is the Doctor's real name?

If the end of Line of Duty left a big, action-packed, police corruption-sized hole in your life, we’ve got some things that might help fill it. Here's what to watch after Line of Duty.

Whether it’s dodgy cops, tense interrogations or edge-of-your-seat action sequences, there’s something here to keep you "sucking diesel"…

'Vigil'

A lot was made of this show’s pedigree when it launched, the six-part drama coming from World Productions, creators of Line of Duty which had topped the ratings only months before. Its plot follows DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) as she tackles a death onboard a nuclear submarine. Soon, her investigations – and those of her colleague on shore – see her butting heads with the both The Navy and MI5 as she begins to uncover a conspiracy. The series also features Martin Compston – aka Line of Duty’s Steve Arnott – and some crackling cliff-hanger endings that will make AC-12 fans feel that while they may be at sea, they’re still on very familiar territory.

Number of seasons: 1

Episodes: 6

Average episode length: 59 minutes

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

'Bodyguard'

Written by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio and featuring one of its stars, Keeley Hawes (who played Lindsay Denton in the cop drama), this one is a must of LOD fans. Keeley plays the UK’s Home Secretary Julia Montague, who is given special security after her latest policies bring threats to her life. Her new protection officer, David Budd, quickly clashes with his new boss. But while the mood between them quickly changes, the enemies are circling. Soon, terrible events leave David unsure exactly who he’s fighting. The show features some great action scenes and a mega-tense final episode. The drama also sent Richard Madden (David) to national heart-throb territory. Bodyguard season 2 is currently in the offing, but the date is yet to be confirmed.

Number of seasons: 1

Episodes: 6

Average episode length: 57 minutes.

Where to watch: Netflix

'Unforgotten'

While this is more your straightforward police drama (i.e. you’re not called on to be immediately suspicious of every copper you meet), if it’s great interrogation scenes you like, then this could be your show. DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker, Last Tango in Halifax) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar, The Kumars), investigate ‘cold cases’ – unsolved disappearances and murders which are often decades old. Tracking down those connected to the deceased and potential witnesses, they piece together what happened all those years ago. Softly spoken Cassie is a wolf in sheep’s clothing as she interviews, going in for the kill when witnesses least expect it as she tries to break them down. Meanwhile, we see the effect her job has on her family and personal life. If you catch up on this series now, there will be a whole new season to enjoy next year.

Number of seasons: 4

Episodes: 24

Average episode length: 60 minutes

Where to watch: ITV Hub, Netflix

'The Capture'

Conspiracy is the name of the game as Lance Corporal Shaun Emery (Callum Turner, War & Peace) is acquitted of a war crime in Afghanistan, only to then find himself accused of the kidnapping and murder of his barrister. While Shaun protests his innocence, the CCTV evidence seems conclusive. Detective Inspector Rachel Care (Holliday Grainger, The Bogias) is handling the case, and slowly begins to realise there is something amiss. And as the things become clear, she realises the truth behind the CCTV footage is part of something far bigger. The show proved to be a big hit, and was the most-requested new drama on iPlayer in 2019.

Number of series: 1

Episodes: 6

Average episode length: 50 minutes

Where to watch: Starzplay

'Bodies'

An earlier offering from Line of Duty creator Jed Mecurio, the writer called upon his former career as a hospital doctor for this BBC medical series from the early noughties. Max Beesley (Homeland, Jamestown) stars as junior doctor Rob Lake, who takes up a new role, but some uncovers a dark underbelly to the medical profession. When he realises the negligent behaviour of his boss Roger Hurley (The Office’s Patrick Baladi), he decides to turn whistleblower. But as other doctors pull together to cover for Roger, Rob runs into trouble when he himself becomes involved in the death of a patient. The dark drama was a big hit with critics and won several award nominations.

Number of seasons: 2 plus a one-off finale episode

Episodes: 17

Average episode length: 59 minutes

Where to watch: BBC iPlayer

'Dexter'

When it comes to crimes being committed from the inside of the police force, you can’t really beat Dexter. By day he is a forensic technician for the Miami police, analysing blood splatters at murder scenes. But by night he’s a serial killer who hunts down murderers who have not been punished by the legal system due to corruption or technicalities. As the series progresses, Dexter – played brilliantly by Michael C. Hall – sees his bloody secret in danger, and he has to make some bold moves within the force to cover his tracks. Meanwhile, he struggles with his relationship with his oblivious stepsister, and later his new role as a husband and dad. With eight seasons, there is plenty of bloody drama to enjoy, and a new run – the first in eight years – is due later this year.

Number of seasons: 8

Episodes: 96

Average episode length: 50 minutes

Where to watch: Amazon Prime

'Collateral'

Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) stars as DI Kip Glaspie, who investigates the murder of a pizza delivery boy in London in this tense thriller. When the person being delivered to is revealed to be the ex-wife of the Shadow Minister for Transport, Kip soon realises this might not be a random killing. Soon, we’re on familiar conspiracy territory as both MI5 and the military became involved in the case. And as Kip delves into the world of drug smuggling and dealing, she soon wonders who she can trust. The series with written by acclaimed playwright David Hare, in his first original drama for TV, and also features Billie Piper, who was nominated for a Bafta for her role. Plus, at only four episodes, it’s a satisfying ‘snack’ compared to many other series.

Number of seasons: 1

Episodes: 4

Average episode length: 59 minutes

Where to watch: Netflix

'Criminal: UK'

If those long, tense interrogation scenes from Line of Duty are your thing, then be careful what you wish for – there’s a whole series of them here. All the episodes in the police interrogation room or just outside, and feature a different suspect each instalment. Over the course of the episode’s interrogation, the full story slowly becomes clear. The drama stars Katherine Kelly (Innocent) and Lee Ingleby (The A Word) as regulars, and attracts a great range of guest stars including former Doctor Who actor David Tennant, Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) and Game of Throne’s Kit Harington.

Number of series: 2

Episodes: 7

Average episode length: 45 minutes.

Where to watch: Netflix

• What to watch after Downton Abbey
• What to watch if you liked Mare of Easttown

Work is already underway on Manhunt season 3, say the team who produce ITV's true crime drama. 

The show returned to our screens for a second series with Martin Clunes playing DCI Colin Sutton in Manhunt: The Night Stalker this week, and he could be stepping back into the real-life detective's shoes again in the years to come. 

The Doc Martin star won rave reviews for his starring role in 2019's first series, which followed the quest to catch serial killer Levi Bellfield, and the second season follows the hunt for Delroy Grant, a serial rapist who escaped justice for 17 years.

Both series were created by Ed Whitmore, who adapted Colin's actual case notes for the hit drama and the pair have said they are sifting back through the detective's career, in which he led 30 successful murder investigations, for cases that could form the basis of a third series.

"I wasn't sure if we should come back and do another one after we did the first one," said Colin. "But Ed and I are thinking about it and we're talking about maybe doing a third. I have to say it's a possibility!"

The former detective is now retired and living in Suffolk after successfully leading 30 murder investigations for three different police forces over the course of his career, but acted as a consultant on both series. 

"I think there might be," he said, when asked if there were more cases from his history that could make for good TV. 

The show's writer Ed Whitmore seemed far more confident on the possibility of more series and when asked if he was writing another script at a recent press junket, he replied. 

"100% yeah, absolutely," he explained. "As Colin says, we are talking about that right now and it's a possibility for sure."

Colin was involved in many high profile investigations during his career and recently teamed up with Sir Trevor McDonald to investigate whether Fred and Rose West could have murdered more people than the 12 women and girls they were convicted of killing.

"You should never close your mind to the human capacity to do evil things," says Colin. "There must be more victims, and there might be a lot more."

"If we look back at that area and that time, there was a spike of missing person reports in the Gloucester area, and a spike of attacks on young girls. I think there is information out there for us to find."

David Tennant has said he'd love to have a role in BBC crime drama Line of Duty, and that he'd especially love to play "a baddie". 

This news comes after the actor picked up a National Television Award for Drama Performance, for his role as serial killer Dennis Nilsen in ITV's Des. 

His award was presented to him by Good Omens co-star Michael Sheen, where David then joked: "I know how hard it was to hand that over".

Speaking to the press following his big win, he revealed that he'd love to take on a role in the hugely popular BBC series, which has seen the likes of Keeley Hawes, Thandiwe Newton and Kelly MacDonald all having guest roles.

Speaking to press, David revealed: "I’d quite like to be a baddie in a Line of Duty season. That’s a big gig, isn’t it? I’m available."

It was a big night for Line of Duty too as they won awards for Drama and Special Recognition, a reflection of just how popular the series has been for the British public. It has ran for six seasons so far, with a seventh yet to be confirmed.

Star Adrian Dunbar spoke at the National Television Awards and teased: "Who knows, we might be back."

David Tennant is known for his villainous roles such as Kilgrave in Jessica Jones and Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter, so he's no stranger to taking on baddies. Maybe he'll be joining Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston as their next bent copper?

In his acceptance speech, he thanked his wife Georgia for "putting up" with him during the filming of Des, and said: "We had just had a baby when we filmed this and the last thing Georgia needed was me sloping off to go to a very dark place and play a serial killer. So thank you for putting up with me Georgia, I love you."

Martin Compston has become a household name thanks to his role as Steve Arnott in BBC Crime drama Line of Duty. But while we know and love him for playing a corruption-fighting Detective Sergeant for AC-12, Martin has also starred in many other huge TV dramas like Monarch of the Glen, Victoria, The Aftermath, Traces, Vigil and The Nest to name but a few.

And he's now starring in Prime Video's big new thriller Fear. Martin Compston and Anjli Mohindra play parents facing terrible accusations in the tense psychological thriller.

But what else is there to learn about the actor? Here are a few things you might not know...

1. He used to be a professional footballer

As well as being a huge Celtic FC fan, Martin also used to play professional football as a teenager and was captain for Aberdeen's youth side. He was then offered a contract with his local football team, Greenock Morton. He told Fabric Magazine: "I loved the time I spent playing, but it was Scottish First Division and that was the highest I was probably going to get. I am still a relatively young actor, but I would be coming to the end of my career as a footballer. I was never going to get to play for Celtic — if I could've done that, then maybe it would've been different."

2. He perfected his London accent while walking the dog

It might come as a surprise to some Line of Duty fans that Martin was born and bread in Greenock, Scotland - meaning Martin has had to spend hours perfecting Steve Arnott's London accent. According to Fabric Magazine he honed Steve's accent through listening to podcasts while walking the dog. Martin told the magazine that it can be hard to keep it up: "It can be tough, there is so much jargon and you really have to be on top of dialogue because Jed [Mercurio, who writes the show] can change lines suddenly. But an accent can be like a good costume. As soon as I do that voice, I hear Steve."

3. He lives in Las Vegas

While he might be Scottish through and through, Martin now lives in Las Vegas, the hometown of his wife, American actress Tianna Chanel Flynn. But if course, this means he spends months at a time away from home while filming in the UK... however there is a silver lining, because filming in the UK allows him to spend time with family and friends back in Scotland.

4. He went for his first audition without having acted before

Following his career in football, Martin decided to try something completely different. He went for his first audition having never acted before, but still managed to land the role in Ken Loach's 2002 film Sweet Sixteen. He was such a huge hit in the role that he won a British Independent Film award for the Most Promising Newcomer. Speaking of that time, Martin told The National: "Looking back, the amount of trust Ken Loach put in me was unbelievable. There is no doubt that the man changed my life and I'll be forever grateful to him."

5. One of his favourite pastimes is people watching

Martin moved to London when he was 25 and shared a flat with Kyle Falconer from Scottish indie rock band The View. He has revealed that living in London then was one of the best times in his life, and his favourite thing to do in the summer was people watch in Soho.

6. He wooed his wife by singing Irish songs to her 

Martin met his wife Tianna in a bar she was working at in LA, but it wasn't just her stunning looks that caught his attention. She was also wearing a claddagh ring... "Well, have you seen Tianna?" Martin joked during an interview with The Scotsman. "She's mixed race with huge hair and I said 'what are you doing with that?' It turned out her dad is Irish, so from that I started singing her a couple of songs from the old country and and was hooked!" 

7. He lives next door to his 'Line of Duty' co-stars while filming 

Martin, along with his co-stars Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure, spends a lot of time away from home while filming Line of Duty in Belfast. But fear not, because they all live like one big happy family next door to one another. Martin told The Scotsman: "We all head between each other's flats at night to eat, we have a blast. Adrian cooks a lot of Irish stuff and Vicky's very good at Sunday roasts. I cooked once this year because Tianna has been teaching me, so it's not all eating out and Doritos every night!"

Martin Compston's fact file

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the actor....

How old is he?

Martin Compston is 40 years old. He was born on 8 May 1984. 

Is he married? 

Martin Compston married his wife, Tianna Chanel Flynn in 2016. 

Does he have children?

Martin Compston and his wife Tianna have one son together. 

Where was he born?

Martin Compston was born in Greenock, Scotland. 

How tall is he?

Martin Compston is 1.73 metres tall.

Instagram:

Twitter: @martin_compston

We work hard to ensure that all information is correct. Facts that change over time, such as age, will be correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of the last article update.

Sean Bean plays Mark Cobden, a guilt-ridden teacher whose life is destroyed when he accidentally kills an innocent man, in thrilling three-part prison drama Time by acclaimed British TV writer Jimmy McGovern. 

Separated from his family, Mark is sentenced to four years in jail where he befriends prison officer Eric McNally (Stephen Graham), who does his best to protect the inmates from the dangers of life behind bars.

But when one of the most dangerous prisoners identifies Eric’s softer side as a weakness, Eric faces an impossible choice between his principles and protecting the ones he loves. With both Eric and Mark trapped by their pasts and unsure of their futures, can they find survive and find the strength to move forward?

Sean Bean, who starred in the previous Jimmy McGovern drama Accused, says: “Getting involved in a Jimmy McGovern drama again is a real privilege and it's been great to be reunited with Stephen Graham. Mark Cobden is another of Jimmy’s complex and superbly-written characters and I'm looking forward to bringing him to life on screen.” 

Stephen Graham, who'd starred in the same Accused episode as Sean Bean, reveals: “It's an absolute honour to be working with Jimmy McGovern again, I’m feeling blessed. I’m excited to be working with Lewis as I have heard so many incredible things about him as a director, I can’t wait to get stuck in. Of course, I am made up to be back on set with Sean.”

Time with Sean Bean release date...

Sean Bean's three-part series Time is now available in the US on BritBox. While in the UK it is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Is there a Time trailer?

Yes a trailer for Time has been released...

Sean Bean on Time's Mark Cobden...

Sean Bean plays mild-mannered teacher Mark Cobden who is brought to Craigmore Prison to start a four-year sentence for accidentally killing a man. But prison proves a terrible shock to Mark and life quickly becomes unbearable when he finds himself incarcerated alongside aggressive and disturbed fellow inmates.

Sean says: ‘Time tells you what it’s like for a regular guy to be imprisoned, and the nightmare that is,’ he says. ‘Mark has had an uninteresting, normal life where nothing much happens. But he suddenly finds himself taken to prison and locked up among a frightening bunch of people who are all going through their own suffering, mayhem and paranoia.'

To make matters worse, Mark, who’s estranged from wife Alicia (Nadine Marshall), misses his teenage son terribly, and is plagued with remorse about the crime he’s committed. ‘It’s a thing he can never atone for,’ says Sean. ‘He takes on all the responsibility and all the guilt because that's what he believes he should do.

‘Time is about lots of different facets of being imprisoned and guilt, suffering and inequality. You’ve got a real cauldron of emotions and violence and it’s every man for himself…’

Stephen Graham on Time's Eric McNally...

Stephen Graham says: 'Time is about honour, loyalty and love and what we do when faced with our own moral compass. It's a great, old-fashioned narrative between these two men who are both on this journey of self-discovery and are in extraordinary situations. You feel honoured to get a script from Jimmy McGovern. He tells the story of the human condition in an amazing way. You're guaranteed your character is going to come up against conflict or trauma, you know you're in for a great ride!

'Growing up, wanting to do this job professionally, my major ambition was to be in a Jimmy McGovern piece from the age of about 15. I remember watching Hillsborough about the tragic football-stadium disaster. It blew my mind.'

Hannah Walters on starring alongside her husband in Time..

Stephen Graham's real-life actor wife Hannah Walters (Whitechapel, This Is England) plays Eric's on screen wife Sonia in Time. 

'Acting alongside my wife Hannah as she was playing Eric's wife Sonia was phenomenal,' explains Stephen. 'The characters we play it, are nothing like us two at all. So that was really lovely to explore.'

Hannah Walters gave us an insight into her marriage with Stephen: 'I'm just going to be honest...it's fancying my best mate. Yeah, that's what it is. It's having butterflies in my tummy when I have been away from him for too long, and it's fancying the arse off my husband, And basically, after 27 years, he's my best friend and I want to kill him at times, but I just adore him.'

Who else is starring in Time?

The Royle Family star Sue Johnston appears in Time as Mark’s concerned mum June, while The World is Not Enough actor David Calder plays Mark's father. Look out too for Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley and Benidorm) as Marie-Louise, who works in the prison chaplaincy team and helps prisoners with their rehabilitation.. 

Dunkirk star Aneurin Barnard (who recently played murdered brewery boss Jack Evans in The Pact) is Mark's disturbed cellmate Bernard and Small Axe star Nadine Marshall plays Mark's estranged wife Alicia - they have a teen son together.

Eric McNally's son David is played by Paddy Rowan, best known for portraying Sean Mercer in ITV drama Little Boy Blue.

Meanwhile, behind bars, ruthless prisoner Pete is played by Kadiff Kirwan (Timewasters, Chewing Gum), and Michael Socha has a pivotal role too. 

 Jack McMullen, who was Finn Sharkey in Waterloo Road and also starred in Little Boy Blue, plays young prisoner Daniel who'd killed someone during a fight. you may also remember Jack in BBC football comedy The First Team.

Writer Jimmy McGovern gave us his thoughts on creating Time...

BBC1's Time is the creation of BAFTA and Emmy-winning writer Jimmy McGovern, who has also penned major hit series including Cracker, Hillsborough, The Lakes, The Street, Moving On and Accused, which also starred both Sean Bean and Stephen Graham. 

Writer Jimmy McGovern said of Time: 'The BBC have given me a brilliant young director and two of the greatest actors on the planet. I am overjoyed.

'I did have both Sean Bean and Stephen Graham uppermost in my thoughts all the way through when writing. Yes, absolutely. I just think they have faces you die for, full of full of life, full of compassion and humanity. I think if you're gonna write about a British prison, that's the kind of things you need — experience, shown in all the lines of those faces.

'I think I've been working on Time since the 1980s because from about 1982 onwards, I did a fair bit of work in prisons. I was always popping in doing a writer’s workshop and popping out again, and I was always fascinated by prison life for all kinds of reasons but I think the main one is I always had the feeling of, There but  for the grace of God go I'. You know, because I was young and skint once as well, and I did a few naughty things. I was extremely lucky. So it I think the seeds of writing Time goes back to the 1980s really. I'm always looking for stories, and the thing about the thing about a British prison is it's so full of stories.'

Time cast — what else have Sean Bean and Stephen Graham starred in?

Sean Bean has had a long established career in film and TV. Between 1994 and 1997 he starred in eight Sharpe TV movies as the British soldier Richard Sharpe. He joined the first series of Game Of Thrones as Ned Stark in 2011. Recently Sean played worried father Douglas Bennett in World on Fire and starred in the Netflix sci-fi series Snowpiercer. Sean's episode of the Jimmy McGoverns series Accused called 'Tracie's Story' saw him play a cross-dresser, alongside his Time co-star Stephen Graham. In films, he's probably best known for playing wise warrior Boromir in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

Stephen Graham made a name for himself in This is England in 2006 and its TV sequels, but in the US he's probably best known for playing Al Capone in the hit gangster series Boardwalk Empire. He received critical acclaim for his roles in C4’s The Virtues and ITV’s Little Boy Blue (available on. BritBox), Starred in Jimmy McGovern's Accused (see above) and made a much-talked about appearance as DS John Corbett in Line of Duty Season 5.

Time with Sean Bean — the locations

BBC1's Time has been described as a "visceral, emotional and high-stakes portrayal of life in a British prison." It’s directed by Lewis Arnold, who recently helmed the hit ITV series Des, and produced by Simon Maloney (I May Destroy You). 

As for locations, Time was filmed in and around Liverpool and in a disused prison in Shrewsbury that was painted a colour by the production team that was intentionally made to look miserable and oppressive. Director Lewis Arnold said that he'd looked around for various locations before going for Shrewsbury.

'We looked at so many different prisons, but this one just had such a feeling and energy, especially when our set designer got in and put a visual stamp on it as well, and it’s been left that way!'

“The wings and the cells, plus the majority of key prison stuff such as the landings, were shot in this disused prison, which ironically, myself and the executive producer had filmed in five years ago when it first closed. That was just before it was meant to be turned into student accommodation that never happened. So we were still able to use it now. We looked at so many different prisons, but this one just had such a feeling and energy, especially when our set designer got in and put a visual stamp on it. And it’s been left that way!'

Time with Sean Bean — episode reviews

We've loved watching Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in Time, despite the harrowing nature of some scenes. But let's face it a Jimmy McGovern drama about prison life wasn't going to be in any way gentle. As all three episodes of Time are now on BBCiPlayer, here's a look at the highlights of each, but please do look away if you haven't caught up yet to avoid spoilers.

Time — Episode One
Mark Cobden arrives at Craigmore prison to start a four-year sentence which we later find out is for dangerous driving, having killed a man. The inmates are intrigued what he's in for and start giving him a hard time. Mark has to share a cell with a disturbed prisoner Bernard who's serving time for murder. Aneurin Barnard's portrayal of Bernard, especially the reveal of his self-harming, provided the most memorable moments in the whole first episode.

Mark gets the wrong side of some of the prison hard nuts just for being who he is — a middle class teacher in his 50s, who just wants to serve out his time quietly and reflect on his sentence. He does keep any troubles to himself and doesn't let on anything is wrong to his parents when they visit, or to his teen son when he speaks to him on the phone. He goes along to counselling sessions at the prison chaplaincy run by a kindly lady Marie-Louise, played by he ever-brilliant Siobhan Finneran.

Meanwhile, Eric McNally is the the prison officer who works on Mark's wing and looks out for the prisoner's welfare. Yet he gets a huge shock when one violent offender Pete reveals to him that he knows Eric's son David is serving time in another prison and there's an implied threat to his safety unless Eric follows his orders. This leads to Eric's life spinning out of control and trouble with his wife Sonia, as he has to sort for David to be sent to another prison for his own protection. Eric then metes out revenge on the blackmailing prisoner Pete. But at the end of the episode, it's clear menacing Pete knows exactly where Eric's son has been moved to. Who's been spilling the beans? 

Time — Episode Two
The brutality of prison life continues in abundance. Prison officer Eric has learnt that his son David is still not safe despite being moved to a different jail. But will he give in to the prison gang’s demands and protect his boy, or will he stick to his principles? short answer is yes, and he's soon becoming a drugs mule. But as with most blackmail, it doesn't stop with the first drop. Life’s not much rosier for jailbird Mark, as he wants to write to the wife of the man he killed to ease his guilt, while the intimidation from other prisoners increases. He takes on his chief tormentor Johnno, by surprise attached and ear bite! Meanwhile, he accompanies his new cellmate Daniel when he finally agrees to meet the parents of the man he killed. It's tough for all parties.

Time — Episode Three
In this stunning finale, there’s no let-up, as Eric continues to go against his own strict moral code and smuggles in more illegal goods to protect his son David. Meanwhile, as Mark receives tragic news, chaplain Marie-Louise asks him to go on day release and attend a conference to talk about his crime. Can he finally come to terms with what he has done?

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It’s now been two months since Line of Duty Season 6 came to its divisive ending in the UK. The action-packed sixth season ended with a much quieter finale that saw AC-12 unmasking Superintendent Ian Buckells as the fourth man, but many fans weren’t quite happy with the story wrapping up the way it did.

Daniel Mays, who played Sergeant Danny Waldron in Line of Duty Season 3 has just sparked debate over the possibility of what might happen in Line of Duty Season 7 if another series is announced by the BBC.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, Daniel Mays revealed that he doesn’t think AC-12 caught H after all! He admitted that he thinks DCI Marcus Thurwell could still be alive and that he could be the one pulling the strings in the OCG!

Phillip Schofield asked “You don’t think James Nesbitt’s dead, do you?”, and then Daniel explained his theory. He said: “I don’t know this, don’t take it as read, but I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that he might be the main man.”

Holly Willoughby agreed with Daniel’s theory, especially after he pointed out that we never really got a close-up of the bodies in Thurwell’s home. Perhaps they were put there to allow Thurwell to make his escape?

The trio went on to discuss why series creator Jed Mercurio would waste a prominent actor like James Nesbitt on such a small part. He played Marcus Thurwell, but viewers only saw his face on police reports and in photographs and never got to see him in action!

Daniel added: “James Nesbitt is a phenomenal talent, so maybe it’s just Jed Mercurio dangling the carrot, who knows? I wouldn’t put it past him… he killed me off, didn’t he! He could do anything!”

There’s still no confirmation whether Line of Duty will return just yet, but with dodgy Chief Constable Philip Osborne still working within the force and Marcus Thurwell potentially still at large, there seem to be plenty of bent coppers who could still be out there for AC-12 to chase down!

Line of Duty is available to watch on BBC iPlayer in the UK. US viewers can stream all six seasons of the show on BritBox.

• Who is H in Line of Duty

Is Llama secretly part of AC-12?

The Masked Dancer is in full swing, and fans are convinced that Line of Duty star Vicky McClure is the one hiding behind Llama.

While the actress obviously hasn't confirmed or denied her involvement in the series, she did post a tweet which definitely seemed to be aimed at fans of the ITV guessing game.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, Vicky wrote: "Been an aLLAM’ingly hot day!", an obvious reference to the costume featured on the show.

But is Vicky really Llama, or is she just teasing hopeful fans?

This tweet isn't the only clue that points to Vicky, as one of the clues on the show is "I am a Northern drama queen" which could fit her perfectly as she's from Nottingham and of course, has experience with drama!

Other clues include that they’re a country girl at heart, they swear and have "a reputation", and that they like keeping active and eating greens.

Vicky definitely seems to fit the bill so far, but other theories include Zoe Ball and Geri Horner.

Beetroot is unmasked 

The competition has already unmasked Louise Redknapp and Diversity star Jordan Banjo, and burlesque star Dita Von Teese is the most recent celebrity to leave the competition.

Dita shared her departure on Instagram, writing: "#BeetaVonTeese? How could I resist! With so many incredible dancers on the #MaskedDancerUK, I suspected I’d ultimately be BEET and get my asparagASS handed to me in the dance off by a #knickerbockerglory 🍦...it was worth it! Haven’t laughed so much all year. Traveling all the way over from 🥬KALE-ifornia, I figured I wouldn’t be guessed."

She added: "Grateful to @maskedsingeruk for giving this #burlesque hoofer a chance to be a part of this hilarious experience. Thanks to all the lovely and supportive dancers, patient choreographers and my fellow contestants. Can’t wait to see everyone revealed this week! @MaskedSingerUK"

The Masked Dancer continues on ITV on Tuesday 1st June at 7:30pm.

Here's how to watch the new series of Line of Duty online wherever you are in the world... over 15 million viewers caught the finale so it's worth watching! It's without doubt the most talked about show of the year.**Warning some mild spoilers for season six below**

Line of Duty series six has been the must see show of 2021. So if you've not caught it yet here's how to watch Line of Duty series six online anywhere in the world.

The whole series has now been broadcast on BBC1, but all the episodes are still available to watch, plus the older series.

The new season of Line of Duty sees Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and (newly promoted) DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) back for a new case, and this time they're joined by AC-12 newcomer DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin).

One surprise that the new series has brought is that DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) is now no longer part of AC-12 but instead working alongside new pivotal character DCI Joanne Davidson, played by Kelly Macdonald.

DCI Davidson is the senior officer on Operation Lighthouse, which is looking to solve the murder of journalist Gail Vella. But DCI Davidson is now the focus of AC-12's investigations... what does she have to hide?

There is, of course, still the big question that everyone wants answered - who is H?

We now know - or think we know - that H is in fact four corrupt officers and not just one person. But while Ted and his team have worked out the identity of 3 members of the group, who is the fourth?

How to watch Line of Duty series six for free online in the UK

You can watch Line of Duty season 6 for free on BBC iPlayer. All 7 episodes are there to stream right now!

Seasons one to five are also available to watch for free on iPlayer if you want to catch up.

How to watch Line of Duty series six online from abroad 

There is a handy way to watch your favourite TV shows from wherever you are in the world, and it is called VPN.

This lets you get around the usual digital barriers by changing your IP address, meaning you can watch your favourite TV shows even if you’re away from home.

But which VPN will suit your needs best?

Our favourite is ExpressVPN, which lets you change your IP address on whichever device you want to watch your new favourite TV show on.

From laptops to a Smart TV, Amazon Fire Stick and games consoles to a mobile phone, you can change the address to make your device think it is in a different location.

ExpressVPN is one of the best out there. Not only because it is straightforward and easy to use, but it also has great security and, best of all, it comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

This is the number one rated VPN in the world right now and as well as trying it out for free for a month, you can sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely free.

How to watch Line of Duty series six in the US

The first episode of Line of Duty will premiere exclusively on BritBox on May 18, 2021.

Line of Duty star reckons finale hit right tone

Line of Duty star Martin Compston has backed the way creator Jed Mercuio ended the latest series.

Many critics and fans panned the final episode of Line of Duty Season 6, which saw Ian Buckells revealed as H in front of a record audience of over 15 million viewers.

But while Buckells wasn’t the criminal mastermind some were hoping for, Martin reckons that having a Blofeld type Bond baddie figure would have been a mistake.

Talking to ES Magazine, Martin, who plays Steve, said: “I think he [Jed] felt it would have been a bit of a cop-out to have — and he’s right — some sort of cat-stroking mastermind and then a crazy gun shoot-out. I think he felt that would have been the easy option.”

It’s unclear still if that’s the end of the who is H mystery and Martin revealed that it’s even still unclear if there will be another series.

Given the show’s huge ratings, it seems improbable that there won’t be more episodes. While Martin says the cast doesn’t know what’s in store, he does reassure fans that this isn’t an unusual situation.

Quizzed about whether we will see a seventh series of Line of Duty, he replied: “The genuine answer is that we don’t know.

“But that’s nothing new. Jed always takes time away from it. I think what I would say, the two things I would say, is that the idea that I would never work with all the guys again together would be heartbreaking.

“But also with everything that’s just gone on this week, I think everybody, including the audience, needs a bit of time away from it. So we’ll see.”

We reckon fans would also be pretty heartbroken if there wasn’t more episode to enjoy.

Meanwhile, fans can still enjoy all series of Line of Duty on iPlayer.

Millions tuned in to the latest series of Line of Duty!

Line of Duty has officially been named the UK’s most-watched drama series of the century, after a whopping 15.24 million viewers tuned into the highly anticipated season six finale.

The season six finale aired last month, and viewing figures at the time were recorded as 12.8 million.

However, new data has now included those who watched on demand within a week of its initial air date.

Making TV history

Line of Duty has now taken over ITV’s Heartbeat which once drew in an impressive 15.16 million viewers.

It is now the highest-rated drama since a 1999 episode of Touch of Frost which brought in 15.83 million viewers.

The season six finale of Line of Duty caused quite the buzz on social media.

Fans were desperate to find out who 'H' was after years of speculating who could be responsible for corruption within Central Police.

It had the nation talking as everyone tried to piece together the puzzle.

Celebrating in style

After reaching the 12 million milestone, it was revealed by Steve Arnott actor Martin Compston that they planned to get matching tattoos to celebrate!

He wrote: "Finally myself, Vicky Adrian and Jed made an agreement in the inconceivable and ridiculous scenario we ever got twelve million viewers we would get 'AC12million' tattoos..."

Despite the huge success in the drama category, the police procedural drama hasn't quite taken over some of the bigger TV series over the past few years.

The Great British Bake Off achieved 15.9 million in October 2016.

BBC soap EastEnders also saw 16.4 million in February 2010.

Meanwhile, beloved comedy series Gavin & Stacey hit 17.1 million in December 2019, and singing competition The X Factor reached 17.7 million viewers in December 2010.

Could anyone manage to take over these major players? Only time will tell!

Seasons 1 - 6 of Line of Duty is available on demand via BBC iPlayer.

Line of Duty season six - everything you need to know about the current series...

Line of Duty season six has brought AC-12’s finest - Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) back to our screens for a new case.

Written again by Jed Mercurio, season six also features Trainspotting and Harry Potter star Kelly Macdonald.

When does Line of Duty season six air — Line of Duty series 6 final episode air date confirmed

Line of Duty season six started on Sunday, March 21st and airs on Sunday nights on BBC One at 9pm. The Line of Duty series 6 final episode air date is Sunday 2 May on BBC1 at 9pm.

There is seven episodes, making it the longest series to date.

You can catch up on missed season 6 episodes on BBC iPlayer now as well as refresh your memory on seasons 1-5.

What’s the plot?

Each of the first five series of Line of Duty sees the story revolving around one central character the team are investigating. As fans will already know, the pivotal character this time is DCI Joanne Davidson, played by Kelly Macdonald. She heads up the Murder Investigations Team (MIT) at Hillside Lane station, who are conducting an investigation into the murder of Gail Vella.

AC-12 are also trying to work out who's behind the murder, and whether Jo is involved. MIT is currently trying to pin Gail's murder on Terry Boyle, a character who we know has been used by the OCG several times already. This is the most explosive season yet, but we should expect even more action from the last few episodes!

Will Jo be behind her murder after all? Is she truly a bent copper? We still can't be sure...

What happened in season 6, episode one?

Warning - spoilers for the first episode below

Probably the biggest shock in the opening episode of season 6 was the fact Kate is no longer on the AC-12 team. She is now working directly under newcomer DCI Jo Davidson as they try to crack the murder case of journalist Gail Vella.

We have also learned that Steve isn't happy with his role on AC-12 and is looking to try something new within the police force... plus he also seems to be battling a painkiller addiction judging by his stash of tablets at home.

Joanne Davidson seems to be hiding some serious skeletons in her closet, not only is she now under suspicion after a questionable decision to reroute the Terry Boyle arrest by suggesting they investigate an armed robbery, but she was also in a doomed relationship with fellow police officer, Farida Jatri.

The CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Sources to you and me!) who gave the name Ross Turner to the police is also dead, but did he jump or was he pushed? Did DCI Davidson have something to do with his death?

And Terry Boyle from seasons 1 and 5 is also back, this time under suspicion for killing Gail Vella. But what is his connection to the OCG these days? And where has his fridge freezer gone?!

What happened in episode two?

If you're not caught up, don't read on!

In episode two, Ted finally authorises AC-12 to start investigating MIT. Scared for her life, Farida requests a transfer to another police department, away from Jo.

Meanwhile, Steve finds out that Gail Vella might have uncovered something crucial to exposing police corruption, but her back-ups have been stolen!

The Hill is rocked by the news that Carl Banks has been found dead at an abandoned site. A new officer, Ryan Pilkington, finds a knife at the scene that ties Alistair Oldroyd, aka "the CHIS", to the murder. Kate seems sure that she recognises him from somewhere.

Steve informs Kate that AC-12 are moving ahead with their investigation, and she betrays his trust by revealing this to Jo. This allows her to prepare for their arrival and withhold evidence due to her "concerns" about info being leaked to the OCG.

This doesn't stop AC-12 though, and they turn up again later on to start seizing computers and files relating to Operation Lighthouse. Whilst there, they even serve a very smug Jo with a Regulation-15 notice for gross misconduct!

Ted, Steve and Chloe grill Jo in a tense interview, where she throws suspicion at Farida, urging them to search Farida's home just before AC-12 place Jo under arrest. A forensic team then uncovers a stash of burner phones hidden in Farida's home, leading to Farida's arrest and forcing AC-12 to let Jo go free once more.

Ryan is waiting to drive her home, but he takes her to a shady underpass. There, she receives a parcel containing yet another mobile phone, proving that she's a bent copper!

What about episode 3? What's Jo up to?!

MASSIVE spoilers ahead!!

Episode three finally saw Kate working more closely with AC-12 once again!

At the start of the episode, DS Chris Lomax informs Jo that he's found a new witness who saws she saw Terry Boyle arguing with the CHIS, Alistair Oldroyd. Terry is brought back to the Hill and interviewed once again. Just as Terry's about to reveal some new info, Jo ends the interview out of concern for Terry's mental wellbeing.

Ryan joins Terry as he is escorted home, reminding him he's still his "best mate". Ryan tells the driver, PC Lisa Patel, the route has changed, directing her to drive by a reservoir. Out of nowhere, he attempts to strangle her, sending the car into the water! Against all odds, Lisa, Terry and Ryan survive, so Ryan returns to the reservoir and drowns Lisa in the water. Luckily, Kate had spotted the car change course and followed it to the water, arriving just in time to stop Ryan from killing Terry, too.

Steve finally reveals Ryan's true identity to Kate. He's also scared by the sudden arrival of AC-9 officers who have been asked to attend and conduct routine drugs tests of AC-12 officers. Ted told them Steve wasn't available, but he clearly knows Steve is in a bad place...

Steve goes to confront Steph Corbett now he knows Steph told Ted about his drug addiction (although he later spends the night with her!). Meanwhile, Ted is told to end the search for H by DCC Andrea Wise!

Back at the Hill, Kate interviews Ryan, fully aware he must be working with the OCG. Farida refuses to give AC-12 a second interview after her wrist is broken by a prison guard.

Later on, Jo confides to Kate that she believes DSU Ian Buckells is the one leaking info to the OCG, and the missing Gail Vella documents turn up in the boot of his service vehicle, and he is brought into AC-12 for questioning. At the end of the episode, Jo tells a mystery contact that it’s “all okay” with Buckells as her scapegoat.

What happened in episode 4?

HUGE spoilers ahead for episode 4!

Jo Davidson is made a temporary SIO after Buckells’ arrest. Ted and Kate meet to discuss what to do about Ryan Pilkington at the underpass, but Kate suggests just placing him under surveillance to avoid alerting him.

Steve, Chloe and Ted interview Ian Buckells about his role in Operation Lighthouse. Steve believes Buckells is too incompetent to be working for the OCG, but Kate believes this is just his cover. Meanwhile, Ted is informed by DCC Andrea Wise that he’s no longer able to lead his department and encouraged to “retire”.  AC-12 will be merged with AC-3 and AC-9 into a brand new unit, with a new commanding officer. 

Elsewhere, Jo attempts to distance herself from the OCG and tries to transfer Ryan to a different department. Kate’s surveillance reveals Ryan has been stalking and watching Jo, and he intimidates her into keeping him at Hillside Lane to continue working for the OCG. 

Later on, Steve identifies Jimmy Lakewell’s voice from one of Gail Vella’s unreleased podcast files. Steve arranges an offer of immunity and witness protection in exchange for new information on the OCG. Later, officers attempt to remove Jimmy from HMP Blackthorn, but the OCG ambush the police convoy en route, leading to an incredibly tense shoot out!

Buckells is sent to Blackthorn, and Lee Banks uses him to distract Jimmy just long enough to so he can murder Jimmy for being a “rat”. DNA traces at Farida Jatri’s home suggest Jo may have planted the burner frames to frame her. The same traces are also checked against officer data, and they reveal she is related to someone who already appears in police databases… but who could it be?!

What happened in episode 5?

HUGE spoilers for episode five below!

Thanks to a tip-off from Jimmy Lakewell before his murder, Steve and Chloe begin digging into the death of Lawrence Christopher. Kate tells AC-12 that Jo is giving her the cold shoulder. In an effort to convince Kate that Jo’s a bent copper, Ted and Steve reveal Jo is related to none other than Tommy Hunter, the main criminal from season one!

At Hillside Lane, Kate leads an operation looking for the OCG's untraceable firearms workshops at three local industrial estates, but orders all MIT officers to surrender their phones to stop potential leaks to the OCG. Unknown to MIT, AC-12 officers are lying in wait at each site, and they catch Ryan on camera leaking info about the operation using a concealed burner phone.

Chloe goes over the inquiry into the mishandling of Lawrence Christopher’s case, and finds the former SIO Marcus Thurwell is also connected to the Sands View case from season three! Steve and Chloe continue to investigate why Thurwell could be connected to Gail Vella’s murder, leading them to pursue a new interview with disgraced Chief Superintendent, Patrick Fairbank.

Later, AC-3’s DCS Patricia Carmichael, who’s lined up as Ted’s replacement at the new anti-corruption unit, begins interfering with the investigation into Operation Lighthouse. She tells him to let Buckells go, and suspends all AC-12's ongoing surveillance ops on Terry Boyle, Ryan Pilkington and Jo Davidson!

Meanwhile, Jo lures Kate out to a lorry park after her OCG contact tells her she has to get rid of her fellow officer. There, Ryan emerges, entering into a tense stand-off with Kate. The episode finishes with the sound of two gunshots...but who shot who?!

What happens in episode six?

In the sixth episode of season 6, AC-12 find Ryan Pilkington’s corpse at the lorry park, but Kate and Joe have fled the scene. Kate takes Jo with her to grab Steve's car so they can go on the run. DCS Carmichael orders their arrest and tells Chloe to stop the investigation into Chief Constable Philip Osbourne. 

Despite Kate's slick driving, police track her and Jo down very quickly. We later learn Carmichael was authorised to have trackers placed on all AC-12 vehicles by the Chief Constable. Carmichael assumes authority over the case against Jo Davidson.

Jo is initially uncooperative in her interview, but after AC-12 reveal their forensics make Tommy Hunter both her uncle and father, she starts opening up and confessing what she's done to delay the Gail Vella inquiry. Ted tries to push Jo to give up crucial info on the Fourth Man (aka H), but DCS Carmichael continues to shut him down, calling his questions irrelevant. Jo denies any knowledge of Gail Vella’s interest in the Lawrence Christopher case but refuses to say whether she knows Marcus Thurwell or not.

Carmichael shuts down Ted once again after she tries to claim she shot Ryan, not Kate, and she concludes the interview whilst before Jo can reveal who runs the OCG. Carmichael charges Jo with perverting the course of justice and malfeasance (wrongdoing) in a public office. 

After Jo’s interview, we learn Steve’s now just five days from suspension for ignoring all those emails from Occupational Health and Ted’s at rock bottom over AC-12’s imminent closure, and Carmichael's interference with their investigation into police corruption. 

Steve and Kate meet outside of work to discuss how to close their cases. They go to meet Chris Lomax at the OCG firearms workshop, where forensics have found evidence linking the workshop to the firearms used in the Jimmy Lakewell ambush. Kate's now the senior officer on Operation Lighthouse, and she orders the floor dug up. 

Steve and Kate get called back to AC-12 as Spanish authorities have located Marcus Thurwell. The Spanish officers raid Thurwell's home, but they find two dead bodies inside. Meanwhile, Jo is put in prison, where the two bent prison officers who assaulted Lindsay Denton try to approach her, but they back off after spotting the CCTV cameras outside her cell. Will they get to her before AC-12 close the case? 

What happened in episode seven?

MASSIVE spoiler ahead for episode seven!

A strongbox is uncovered underneath the floor of the OCG workshop. It contains the missing evidence that finally connects Carl Banks to Gail Vella’s murder and the murder weapons from Maneet Bindra, John Corbett and Jackie Laverty’s deaths, too.

Chloe turns up cybercrime evidence that suggests Marcus Thurwell was a decoy the entire time. The cybercrime unit then intercepts a text that instructs OCG officers to retrieve Jo from HMP Brentiss. Since it contains the infamous misspelling of “definately”, Ted organises a hasty interception of the prison transfer vehicle.

With Jo back in safe hands, AC-12 press her to give up the fourth man. She points to Patrick Fairbank as the mystery police officer she was led to fear, but he proves unhelpful in another interrogation. Whilst AC-12 continue to find nothing, Chloe gets to work with cybercrime. By searching past police reports for the word “definately”, they finally identify the real fourth man, who had been hiding in plain sight all along!

After Steve and Kate confront Ted about the money he gave to Steph Corbett and leaking the existence of an informant to Lee Banks, armed officers bring in Ian Buckells for a tense interrogation about his activities as the fourth man! His cover had been his incompetence all these years!

After Buckells’ arrest, Kate and Steve reconcile at the pub and Ted tells DCS Carmichael that he’s lodged an appeal against his enforced retirement. Carmichael tells him that historic corruption cases will not be a priority for investigation, prompting Ted to make a statement about his involvement in the information leak that led to John Corbett’s death.

In the epilogue, we learn that both Terry Boyle and Farida Jatri have been cleared of any criminal charges, and Jo has been placed under witness protection. Darren Hunter (Tommy Hunter’s son) is to be investigated for Lawrence Christopher’s murder, and Ian Buckells has been placed in a maximum-security prison.

The planned restructure of anti-corruption is still to go ahead, and we’re told that AC-12’s powers to curb wrongdoing in public office “have never been weaker”... Is this really be the end AC-12?! 

Who was H?

Finally, we got to find out who H was!

We'd spent years pouring over clues trying to figure out who H is ever since DI Cottan first signalled via morse code that there were four "Hs"!

After Cottan, ACC Derek Hilton and Senio Legal Counsel Gill Biggeloe were unmasked, we learned at the end of season 6 that the so-called "Fourth Man" was none other than DSU Ian Buckells!

Who’s in the cast?

Alongside the regular cast and Kelly Macdonald, newcomers Shalom Brune-Franklin (Our Girl), Perry Fitzpatrick (Downton Abbey), Andi Osho (I May Destroy You) and Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster) have also joined the series.

Shalom Brune-Franklin plays DC Chloe Bishop, a new AC-12 recruit who has been brought in to help crack down on Davidson.

Who is Gail Vella?

Gail Vella is an investigative TV journalist who was shot dead outside her house in the Kingsgate area on 10th September 2019 at point blank range.

It has been suggested by the investigating team that she was either the target of a contract killing, or that she was murdered in cold blood by a crazed fan or stalker.

Gail’s high-profile and yet unsolved murder is now being worked on under the investigation name Operation Lighthouse, which is being led by newcomer DCI Joanne Davidson and has none other than a certain Kate Fleming on the team.

Is there a trailer?

Yes - and it's a good one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbKIzP4bmFA

What else do we know?

Series six is filmed in Belfast and production was forced to be shut down due to the pandemic last spring.

Thankfully the team worked against the odds and got the rest of the series filmed after lockdown one restrictions eased.

Line of Duty series 6 airs on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One – see our TV guide for more shows to enjoy. You can catch up on series 1-5 on BBC iPlayer now.

It's the question every Line of Duty fan is asking... WHO. IS. H? We hope you have mugshots of all the suspects on your wall! And we don't think all the suspects have been found yet!

Who is H in Line of Duty? We hoped the Line of Duty Season 6 would close the plot forever, but it hasn't!

After the pandemic threw production for the sixth series into chaos, we waited an agonising two years to get answers to all those questions Line of Duty Season 5 conjured up - with the most important still being, who is H?

We have put all the clues, theories and suspects together in one place as the search continues!

What do we know about H so far? 

H is - or we think is - not one but at least four corrupt officers. H is a code name referring to a group of senior ranking corrupt police officers within the Central Police.

The revelation that H was not just one individual but actually a group of officers was revealed by DI Matthew Cottan (Craig Parkinson) as his dying declaration in Line of Duty Season 3.

MORE: Craig Parkinson to host Line of Duty podcast

In the Series 3 finale Dot was fatally injured after being shot three times, however, before he passed away he provided essential information about the group of corrupt officers by blinking when Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) got to the letter H.

However, it wasn't until Series 5 that Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) noticed that in addition to Dot's blinking he was also making tapping motions with his hands.

In footage recorded on a police bodycam, Dot could be seen using Morse Code to indicate the letter H wasn't necessarily the surname of a person, but a wider group.

In Morse Code, H is four dots, leading the AC-12 gang to conclude that there are four senior ranking members in cahoots with organised crime. However, there appears no logical reason why there can't be more than four corrupt officers. If you're dying and trying to do Morse Code you could make a mistake!

Who has been identified as part of the H line up? 

So far the names that have been identified are Cottan himself, Derek Hilton and Senior Legal Counsel Gill Biggeloe. In Line of Duty series 6 it was further revealed that Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells was part of this corrupt group. But many fans - including us - can't buy into Buckells masterminding everything. This suggests that a further H is still at large... here we look at the suspects!

Who ele could be H?

Is Superintendent Ted Hastings H? H rating 6/10

For a time in series 5, it was believed that our beloved Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) could in fact be H.

Not only had he started acting suspiciously, but he had also started to take on some of the traits of H (like the now-famous misspelling of 'definitely'), leading to him being questioned about the crimes.

Thankfully Ted was eventually relieved of all charges when it was revealed he'd been set up, with his 'best team' coming to his rescue as they got their hands on some new evidence.

But have all the loose ends been tied up with Hastings? How much do we really know about what Ted gets up to when he's not fighting rogue coppers with AC-12?

In season six, Ted appeared desperate to find out who H is. But is this just covering up the fact he is H? He would be the perfect H in the fact that he's head of anti corruption. He's one of the few suspects that has enough clout within the police it appears to mastermind all these crimes. However, Hastings does seem genuinely distraught that he can't catch H.

Is Chief Constable Philip Osborne H? H rating 7/10

Now, we don’t like Osborne. But, until recently he just looked like a career obsessed cop. Now, though, we’re starting to think he could be H! He’s certainly in a very powerful position and could be masterminding everything. It was also revealed in series 6 that he was involved in the failed and apparently corrupt investigation of Lawrence Christopher's murder.

With Gail Vella digging into this case, was Osborne involved in her murder behind the scenes? In his role as H did he order that she had to die? Osborne is also getting rid of Hastings. Is this because he thinks Hastings might be onto him?

Is DI Kate Fleming H? H rating 7/10

In a shock twist, fans have been speculating that the one and only Kate Fleming - one of AC-12's finest - could in fact be H.

One reason fans think Kate could be secretly corrupt is based on the fact she is so squeaky clean.

While both Steve Arnott and Ted Hastings have both had some slightly dodgy dealings in the past - Steve with his Lindsay Denton drama in series 2 and 3, and Ted with his financial dodgy dealings - but no one has anything on Kate. Yet.

Over the last few series she has been seen getting home late after work, but where has she been? Working hard to bring down dodgy police officers? Or leaking info to the OCG?

Did Kate shoot dead Ryan Pilkington because he was set to expose her as H?

Is DCC Andrea Wise H? H Rating 8/10

There are three clues pointing to Detective Chief Constable Andrea Wise, played by Elizabeth Rider, being part of H.

The first clue was her determination to remove AC-12 from the investigation into Operation Pear Tree... perhaps because they were getting too close to uncovering the truth?

The second clue is that she was the one to order a separate inquiry into Ted Hastings... was it her plan to frame him for being H?

The third clues is how determined she was to retire Ted in series 6, is that because she's worried he's on to her? But she's not the most exciting character in the world, so we're not sure she's H.

Is DCS Patricia Carmichael H? H Rating 7/10

Patricia (played by Anna Maxwell Martin) was brought in during Series 5 to investigate Ted Hastings... but her case against him totally fell apart at the last hurdle.

However some fans are convinced that her determination to put the spotlight on Ted was a way of covering her own shady dealings with organised crime. The character made a comeback in season 6. It looks like she’s taking over anti-corruption as Ted exits - wouldn’t it be ironic if she was H?!

There’s a theory that Jimmy Lakewell told Steve Carmichael was H in episode four of series 6. Lakewell told Steve that he needs to “Look beyond the race claim to find H.”

Now, “race claim” is an anagram of Carmichael except for the letter H! So it must be Carmichael!? Erm, even in the crazy world of Line of Duty this seems rather unlikely!

Assuming there is a seventh series, Carmichael looks set to still have a big part to play.

Marcus Thurwell - H Rating 5/10

Rather excitingly in episode 5 if series 6 it was revealed that James Nesbitt was playing dodgy retired cop Marcus Thurwell. Now, the fact that Nesbitt has been cast is a clue in itself. Why cast such a well-known actor if he’s not going to play a significant role?

We know that Thurwell was the Senior Investigating Officer on the death of Lawrence Christopher, who died in police custody. It’s been revealed that Gail Vella was looking into this case.

Thurwell was also involved in another case, a murder organised by the OCG, which had links to the Sands View Boys Home sexual abuse scandal.

But while Thurwell is clearly likely to be corrupt, he was also apparently found dead at his Spanish home at the end of episode 5 of season 6.

Fans have got a theory that Thurwell has simply faked his own death after being tipped off that AC-12 were on to him. I could be likely... so could this mean we get to see Thurwell face questioning in the interrogation room after all?

Could Thurwell return from the dead in series 7?

You can catch up on series 1-6 on BBC iPlayer. 

Well, that's it, Line of Duty is over for another season. What on earth are we going to do with our Sunday evenings, now? For the past seven weeks we have been lying awake at night pondering questions like 'Who is H?' and 'Who killed Gail Vella?' and now we have finally got the answers we were looking for. 

But as always with Jed Mercurio's clever plotting, there are still questions remaining that will keep us puzzled until Line of Duty Season 7 (yet to be commissioned, but surely the BBC will bring back its most popular crime drama?!) — we just hope they don't keep us waiting too long. 

Until we see Ted Hastings, Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming back on our screens, here are a few things we loved about the last episode of Season 6 of Line of Duty... although the conclusion was slightly underwhelming compared to the rest of the series. Where was the big twist?

H uncovered — or was he?

It's the question that has been keeping Line of Duty fans pondering for years... and finally we know that DCU Ian Buckells is H, or the fourth man. Or do we? 

We DO know that he was the one writing the online messages to Joanne Davidson and Lisa McQueen, we know he is the one that can't spell 'definitely' for love nor money, and we also know he has been living a double life, posing as an incompetent police officer while really pulling the strings behind the scenes for the OCG. But are Buckells' claims that he is only the messenger true? Could he really be a criminal mastermind or is there more to this storyline to come? We're not convinced this is as clear cut as we'd hoped. 

Terry Boyle's happy ending 

Ever since Season 1 Terry Boyle has been targeted and manipulated by the OCG from hiding Jackie Laverty's body in his freezer to framing him for the murder of Gail Vella. When Ryan Pilkington was then brought onto the Investigation Lighthouse team, it seemed Terry's days could be numbered when he tried to drown him in a lake... but  he made it out alive thanks to Kate Fleming. Now Terry has been given a new life away from danger and the OCG, and with Ryan no longer around, it seems that Terry really is safe at last. 

There's no doubt that actor Tommy Jessop has been outstanding in his role as Terry Boyle, and he is undoubtedly going to go on to do amazing things as an actor. 

Justice for Jo 

While she might have been working alongside the OCG and even plotted to get our beloved Kate Fleming killed, we can't help but like Joanne Davidson. Born into a life of corruption and crime, Jo had no choice but to do as she was told by those who had power over her.

And while we think all the guest roles in Line of Duty have been brilliantly cast, Kelly Macdonald has definitely been one of the best. She had us hating Jo one minute and feeling sorry for her the next — so we were thrilled to see she got her happy ending, living in witness protection in the country with her new partner and pet dog... the life that she was meant to have had Tommy Hunter not got his claws into her.

Ted comes clean 

Ted Hastings has been keeping the fact he gave Steph Corbett £50,000 of OCG money under his hat for some time, but when Steve worked out exactly where the hidden cash in Steph's attic came from, he shared the information with Kate before the pair confronted the gaffer in the season finale. 

But while there is no denying Ted's involvement in John Corbett's death, it is clear this is something he deeply regrets. But why did he confess his wrongdoing to DCS Patricia Carmichael? Was it to clear his conscience? To come clean so that no one has anything to hold against him in the future? Or because keeping the information to himself doesn't look good when you're the head of an anti-corruption unit? 

Ted might be on his way to an early retirement, but could his appeal be granted? With the restructuring of anti-corruption still going ahead, what does this mean for the future of any of our favourites? Will Season 7 see Ted out of a job and Kate and Steve working elsewhere in the force? 

Justice for Gail Vella 

Operation Lighthouse has been at the centre of Season 6 as police officers vow to find out who killed investagative journalist Gail Vella. But while Jo Davidson and Ian Buckells might have been hampering the investigation, it was finally confirmed in the last episode of the season that Carl Banks was the one who killed Gail... most likely ordered to do so by Buckells. 

After DS Chris Lomax found the evidence under the OCG workshop floor that tied up all the loose ends for Gail's killing, it seems the case is closed... and finally there is justice for Gail after all this time. 

The big three still standing... 

There was a lot of speculation ahead of the season finale that one of the big three, Kate, Steve and Ted, wouldn't make it to the end of the episode without meeting their maker. Thankfully the three main characters have been saved from the chop by creator Jed Mercurio, which is no mean feat considering how the Line of Duty writing team love throwing a shock death into the mix every now and then. So the fan favourites are still standing, meaning we should see the brilliant Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure all back for Season 7 soon. Hurrah! 

• Anna Maxwell Martin 
• Matthew 'Dot' Cottan
• Line of Duty Season 5
• Tony Gates 

Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells is back for another season of Line of Duty, once again playing a pivotal role in Jed Mercurio's complex and clever storyline plotting. 

But Season 6 isn't the first time Line of Duty fans have seen shady Ian Buckells on their screens. 

Here is everything you need to know about the character... 

Who is DSU Ian Buckells?

Ian Buckells is now in charge of the Major Investigation Team at Hillside Lane Station, working as the boss of DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) and Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure). 

There is no love lost between Jo Davidson and her boss, especially when it comes to Operation Lighthouse, the investigation into the murder of journalist Gail Vella. 

Most recently Ian has come to the attention of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and his team at AC-12 after many of his actions appeared to prove he is a corrupt member of the police force. 

Not only was he the one who apparently brought in the late Ryan Pilkington, who we know was actually working undercover in the police for the OCG, but also he was the one who messed up surveillance on Beechwood House on the day of Terry Boyle's arrest. He also appeared to have the missing Gail Vella files in his car. 

Since this evidence came to light it has been confirmed by Jo Davidson in her AC-12 interview in episode 5 that she had framed Buckells for most of his dodgy wrongdoings in connection to the Gail Vella murder. 

It has also been revealed that the witness, Deborah Devereux, who identified Terry Boyle as the man talking to the CHIS about Gail Vella's murder actually owed Buckells a favour. The pair had also been exchanging messages, proving her witness account was false. 

But, the question still remains, is Buckells corrupt or just incompetent?

When did we first see Ian Buckells in 'Line of Duty'?

We first saw Ian Buckells in Season 1 when he was part of the investigation into Jackie Laverty's disappearance - yes, the very same Jackie Laverty who has been stored in Terry Boyle's freezer since Season 1. 

At the time Buckells crossed paths with Kate Fleming and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) as they were investigating DCI Tony Gates, who was the lover of the since-frozen Jackie Laverty. 

But, to make Ian look shifty from the start, he was actually brought into the investigation by Superintendant Derek Hilton, who later turned out to be part of the H line up - the codename for a group of four corrupt officers.  

Buckells then reappeared in Line of Duty in Season 4 when he was brought in to replace AC-12 antagonist DCI Roz Huntely on Operation Trapdoor. He wasn't happy about having Kate working undercover on the team for AC-12 and was eventually accused of being the one who blew Kate's cover. 

Who plays DSU Ian Buckells? 

DSU Ian Buckells is played by actor Nigel Boyle. Nigel is no stranger to UK TV and has appeared in shows like Peaky Blinders, Inbetweeners, Silent Witness, Casualty, Doctors, Peep Show and This Time with Alan Partridge to name but a few. He has appeared in Coronation Street twice, once in 2012 as a solicitor and again in 2015 as a character called Joe, a friend of Luke Britton. 

Is Ian Buckells corrupt? 

With the evidence stacking up against him in Season 6 episode three, it certainly looks that way. But while it is likely he has been framed for a lot of his actions by Jo Davidson, it also seems that Buckells is far from squeaky clean even without Jo's involvement. 

Not only has he had some seriously suspicious links to corrupt officers like Marcus Thurwell and Chief Constable Philip Osborne over the years, he has also been linked to past investigation cover ups including the Lawrence Christopher killing. 

Some fans are convinced that he is is linked to the H gang and OCG because of the golf clubs that have been spotted in his office. Viewers will remember that corrupt officers have been linked to the sport since OCG leader Tommy Hunter was seen playing golf in Season 1. 

DI Dot Cottan was also nicknamed 'The Caddy' - and he is renowned for his part as one of the four H's. But are Buckells' golf clubs a not-so-hiddn clue that he is corrupt, or just a big red herring from Jed Mercurio? 

The Season 6 Line of Duty finale airs on Sunday 2nd May at 9pm on BBC One. You can catch up on past series and missed episodes on BBC iPlayer. 

Detective Sergeant Chris Lomax has joined the Murder Investigation Team for Line of Duty's season 6, earning himself a place in Jed Mercurio's complex and clever storyline plotting. 

But what do we know about the series newcomer who works alongside Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald)? 

Here is everything you need to know about the new character... 

Who is DS Chris Lomax?

Chris Lomax has joined Line of Duty for Season 6, working for the MIT who are investigating the murder of journalist Gail Vella. 

We first saw Lomax when he was working a night shift at Hillside Lane Station and got a call from a CHIS handler with information on Operation Lighthouse. But before he could go ahead and bring any suspects in, DSU Ian Buckells called a halt on the operation. 

Lomax has since been a central part of the team investigating Operation Lighthouse. He was part of the police convoy that got rerouted because of an armed robbery on a bookies in episode one and has also been seen interviewing witnesses and looking into forensics. 

Chris Lomax was also the one who ran a background check on the witness called Deborah Devereux who had come forward apparently placing Terry Boyle at the pub the night the CHIS heard someone bragging about Gail Vella's murder. A witness statement that later was thrown into question when it appeared she had previous shifty links to DCU Buckells.  

Chris is also the one who was leading the forensic investigation into the OCG unit were firearms were being workshopped. In episode 5 he was ordered by Kate and Steve to get a team in to dig up the floor and find what has been hidden underneath it. Will Chis uncover vital evidence? 

With Lomax being new to Line of Duty we don't know a lot about his background or personal life, however, we know he joined Central Police in June 2010 after training at Chislehurst Police College. 

Who plays DS Chris Lomax?

DS Chris Lomax is played by actor Perry Fitzpatrick, who has appeared in shows like This Is England '90, I Am and Peaky Blinders. 

He has also starred alongside his Line of Duty co-star Vicky McClure in the Channel 4 drama I Am Nicola where the pair played husband and wife. Perry has also appeared in the Downton Abbey movie as Chris Webster, who takes Thomas Barrow to the underground gay club before they get caught by the police. 

As well as appearing in Line of Duty and I Am Nicola with Vicky McClure, Perry is also good friends with the actress. In fact, they have been best friends for more than 20 years and even their families are friends. The pair met when they were just 11 years old at The Television Workshop.

Could DS Chris Lomax be corrupt? 

While at the moment it seems Chris Lomax is squeaky clean, that could all change because this is Line of Duty after all. 

So far Chris seems to be a well-respected member of the Murder Investigation Team, but does that mean he will continue to work alongside Kate to crack Gail's murder case, or we should be keeping a close eye on him? 

• Steph Corbett
• Ryan Pilkington 
• Who is H?
• Ted Hastings
• Adrian Dunbar
• Martin Compston
• Steve Arnott

The final episode of Line of Duty Season 6 airs on Sunday 2nd May at 9pm on BBC One. 

You can catch up on past series and missed episodes on BBC iPlayer. 

Ever since starring as waistcoat-wearing DI Steve Arnott in cop thriller Line of Duty, Martin Compston has become a household name. It was 2012 when Martin signed up to play Arnott, a detective working as part of an anti-corruption squad, AC-12, and he instantly became a hit with viewers.

Over six series fans have obsessed over his tireless commitment to the job, his penchant for covert meetings in graffiti-covered underpasses and the fact that he calls DS Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) "mate" in his southern lilt — even though Compston is actually Scottish!

His co-stars include Adrian Dunbar, who’s previously appeared in Ashes to Ashes, as Superintendant Ted "mother of God" Hastings. Meanwhile, Vicky McClure has previously starred in the acclaimed film This Is England and the following TV series sequels This is England ’86, This is England ’88 and This is England ’90. 

But before joining the Line of Duty cast, Martin appeared in various roles, and he’s since starred in other films and TV projects alongside his work on Line of Duty. He’s also set to star in Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming supernatural series The Rig, about a group of North Sea oil workers, where he’ll be back in his ordinary Greenock accent!

Here’s our guide to where else you may have seen the Scottish star and his upcoming role in The Rig…

Line of Duty's Martin Compston: Starting out...

Although he’d never acted before, Martin Compston was plucked from obscurity when he successfully auditioned for Ken Loach’s 2002 film Sweet Sixteen, which was being filmed near his Scottish home.

He won the lead role of troubled teenager Liam, who dreams of starting afresh with his mum as soon as she’s out of prison and tries to raise money for their future.

Sweet Sixteen had success at the Cannes Film Festival and catapulted Martin to fame in Scotland. He also won Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards for his role.

"Very early on one of my teachers said, ‘I think you’ll get this’, even though it was a part that was very competitive to get and there were thousands of kids all over Scotland going for it," says Martin.

"Looking back, the amount of trust Ken Loach put in me was unbelievable. There’s no doubt that the man changed my life and I’ll be forever grateful to him."

Line of Duty's Martin Compston — learning on the job!

Following on from Sweet Sixteen, Martin landed a regular role in hit BBC TV drama Monarch of the Glen, playing happy-go-lucky "cheeky chappie" Ewan.

Martin admits he cut his acting teeth on Monarch of the Glen, and learnt much from his co-star Tom Baker.

"I didn't have any acting training so Monarch has been my drama school. No doubt about it," he said at the time. "[Tom Baker] is the old grand dramatic actor and I'm just the little Glasgow kid nipping about in the background!"

Martin also appeared and a variety of films before landing the job of playing DS Steve Arnott in Line of Duty. He was in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints with Robert Downey Jr, Red Road with Kate Dickie and Tony Curran, True North with Peter Mullan and Gary Lewis, and Soulboy alongside later Line of Duty cast member Craig Parkinson.

He also appeared in the horror film The 4th Reich and had a bit part 2009’s The Damned United as Leeds and Derby player John O’Hare.

"It was great to be part of that film for one reason – you had 14 actors in a hotel for three months," says Martin. "We all got keys cut for each others room so if anyone didn’t want to go on a night out we could go and get them out!"

Line of Duty's Martin Compston — a life of TV crime...

In 2013 Martin played real life Scottish criminal Paul Ferris in the British gangster film The Wee Man, which told the story of Ferris’s life in Glasgow’s violent underworld. 

Then in 2016, Martin played another real life criminal, Peter Manuel, in the three-part Scottish television series In Plain Sight. The drama follows serial killer Manuel, as he’s pursued by detective William Muncie, until he’s tried, convicted and eventually executed in 1958.

"I’d heard of Peter Manuel before playing him — he’s a sort of the bogeyman in Scotland — but I wasn’t aware of the depth and the severity of his crimes," says Martin. "He was an absolute psychopath and that was one of the reasons they couldn’t catch him for so long because there was no pattern to these murders. It was a challenge playing him!"

* You can currently watch In Plain Sight on the streaming service BritBox.

Line of Duty's Martin Compston, music star!

The Scot made an appearance in The View’s music videos for 2011’s Grace and 2012’s How Long. The Scottish Indie band, who are from Dundee, are best known for their 2007 hit Same Jeans, which reached no 3 in the UK charts.

The bit part came about after the actor lived with The View’s Kyle Falconer when he was in his 20s.

"When I moved to London properly I was 24 or 25 and I shared a flat with Kyle Falconer — that took a few years off my life!" he says. "It was great living with Kyle and there were bands and artists coming round and it was an amazing time."

Line of Duty's Martin Compston — TV regular!

Although still a series regular in Line of Duty, Martin Compston has appeared in other roles while filming the show, including the Ice Cream Girls and Victoria on ITV, and BBC1’s Great Train Robbery.

In 2020 he joined the cast of the BBC1 thriller The Nest  as Dan Docherty, alongside Peaky Blinders star Sophie Rundle as Dan’s wife Emily. The tense plot follows the couple, who end up turning to an 18-year-old girl to be their surrogate when they fail to conceive… with dangerous results.

"To all intents and purposes they’ve got this perfect life apart from this one thing they can’t have. It all goes wrong after that," says Martin. "It’s about class, money and the lengths people will go to when they’re desperate."

More recently he was seen on screen in Traces on BBC1, as the romantic interest of Molly Windsor’s lab technician Emma Hedges, who’s desperately trying unpick the unsolved murder of her mother.

"Both of them are lost at the time they meet and they’re in this crazy situation — he’s been investigated for culpable homicide and she’s looking for her mum’s killer," says Martin. "They kind of need each other but it’s the maddest thing for them to be together."

* The Nest, The Great Train Robbery and Victoria can currently be watched on streaming service BritBox.

Where can you see Line of Duty's Martin Compston next? 

Martin’s next project is The Rig, an Amazon Prime thriller about a group of North Sea oil workers due to return to the mainland when they’re cut off after mysterious and all-enveloping fog descends. He’ll play communications officer Fulmer Hamilton and will star alongside Mark Bonnar, Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek), Iain Glen and his former Line of Duty co-star Rochenda Sandall in the six-part series.

Martin’s also about to bee seen alongside Suranne Jones, Shaun Evans and Paterson Joseph to star in BBC1’s suspenseful thriller series Vigil, from the makers of Line of Duty.

Set in Scotland, the six-part drama follows Suranne as DCI Amy Silva, who’s called to investigate the death of a sailor on board the submarine HMS Vigil, as well as the strange disappearance of a Scottish fishing trawler. But the mysterious case brings her into conflict with both the Navy and the heart of the British Security Service.

The trailer (see below) sees DCI Silva entering the sub, while Martin Compston’s character warns, ‘There’s 20 different ways you could kill Vigil’s crew single handedly,’ although so far no details about his character have been revealed.

Line of Duty is currently available in the UK on BBCiPlayer and is coming soon to BritBox in the US.

The Line of Duty Season 6 US release date has been confirmed by BritBox. Finally, you’ve got the chance to watch the show that everyone in the UK is talking about. Soon you'll all be wondering who H is!

The first episode of Line of Duty will premiere exclusively on BritBox on May 18, 2021. 

The Line of Duty US release date sees the show coming to BritBox just a few weeks after it will have ended across the pond on BBC1. In the UK, the first episode of the latest series was the most-watched drama launch since 2013 and had the highest ever overnight rating for an episode of Line of Duty.

The US release date announcement also brings with it the news that BritBox will become the exclusive US home to all future seasons of the hit show!

You can watch the trailer from BritBox below:

For the uninitiated, Line of Duty is an action-packed police thriller filled to the brim with plot twists, intense interrogations scenes, and corrupt coppers. It follows officers Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure). They all work at the fictional anti corruption unit AC-12, working to ensure police procedure is followed to the letter of the law!

In Season 6, AC-12 are after their smartest suspect yet. DCI Jo Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) raises suspicions after her strange conduct on a high-profile operation leads to the escape of a career criminal who is a prime suspect in the murder of investigative journalist Gail Vella.

All five previous seasons of Line of Duty are currently available to stream on BritBox. 

• Line of Duty Season 5
• Ryan Pilkington 
• Steph Corbett
• Tony Gates 
• DCU Ian Buckells 
• DS Chris Lomax
• Jackie Laverty
• Terry Boyle 
• DCS Patricia Carmichael
• Anna Maxwell Martin 
• Matthew 'Dot' Cottan

Line of Duty Season 6 has kept us on the edge of our seats even more than in previous years, with a host of shocks, twists and curveballs being thrown our way. 

This Sunday, the drama is concluding in epic style as time is running out for AC-12. While the forced retirement of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) looms closer, DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) faces possible suspension if he continues to evade a medical review to hide his painkiller addiction. 

Can they and DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) finally crack the Operation Lighthouse investigation into the murder of journalist Gail Vella and unmask the elusive ‘H’ or ‘Fourth Man’, the corrupt police figure linked to organised crime?

Here are six burning questions that need to be answered in the finale…

Who is responsible for the murder of Gail Vella? 

Carl Banks, part of the organised crime group (OCG), appears to have killed journalist Gail and has now been murdered himself. But who ordered Gail’s assassination? She was investigating police corruption concerning historical cases, some of which involved ex-detective Marcus Thurwell (James Nesbitt), who has now apparently been murdered, dodgy cop DCU Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle), and seemingly shifty Chief Constable Philip Osborne (Owen Teale). Did one of them request the hit? 

“The Vella case is something the police force is struggling to solve,” says the show’s writer Jed Mercurio. “There’s been no closure.”

Who did Joanne think was her father? 

Troubled cop Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) has discovered that murdered crime boss Tommy Hunter (Brian McCardie) was her father as he had raped her mother Samantha, his sister. But who was the ‘bent police officer’ she believed to be her real father? Could he be Thurwell, Osborne, or even Hastings?

“Things have happened in the past,” teases Mercurio. “Joanne is enigmatic…”

What is Carmichael’s motivation? 

Formidable DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) has taken control of AC-12 and shut down their enquiries, particularly those linked to Osborne or the search for ‘H’. Are Pat’s actions down to her jobsworth desire to stick to budget cuts? Or is she protecting a corrupt colleague, or even herself? 

“I wouldn't be allowed to blab, but she’s ready to bust some balls,”  laughs Maxwell Martin. “I love playing Pat, she’s ace!” 

Is Chloe the daughter of Tony Gates? 

Efficient DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin) has unearthed vital evidence for AC-12, but fans have been speculating like crazy about her background as series one’s dishonest cop Tony Gates (Lennie James) had two daughters, one of whom was called Chloe... Is Chloe working with AC-12 to atone for her late dad’s shady past, or is she continuing his legacy and leaking information to the OCG?

“Chloe’s eager to prove to her bosses that she was the right choice,” reveals Brune-Franklin. “She’s really trying to impress…”

Is Kate corrupt? 

An ‘H’ was seen beside Kate on the graffiti in the subway where she meets her AC-12 colleagues. Is this a telling clue? Did the seemingly upstanding cop leave AC-12 and join Operation Lighthouse in order to control the murder investigation for the OCG? And if so, will she be killed off in dramatic style?

“Nobody’s safe, that's what keeps the audience on the edge of their seat,” hints Jed. “It’d be a sad day. But all the cast realise it's possible. We're mates, we joke about it. It's something no one would relish, but everybody would understand…”

Is Hastings ruled out as 'H'? 

Although suspicions that Hastings was ‘H’ seemed to have been assuaged last series, his behaviour still gives cause for concern. Did he give money to Steph Corbett (Amy De Bhrún) to ease his guilt over her husband John’s death, or to buy her silence? Why did he really block Ryan’s arrest? 

“We’re looking forward to how it plays out,” smiles Dunbar. “All will be revealed in the fullness of time.”

Where can I watch the finale of Line of Duty?

Line of Duty concludes on Sunday May 2 on BBC1 at 9pm and you can also catch the finale, and the rest of the series so far, on BBC iPlayer.

• Line of Duty Season 5
• Who is H?
• Ryan Pilkington 
• DS Chris Lomax
• Jackie Laverty
• Terry Boyle 
• Matthew 'Dot' Cottan

Kelly Macdonald says Line of Duty is 'unlike anything I’ve ever done'

Kelly Macdonald appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to chat about the sixth episode of Line of Duty season six, which aired last night.

In her short interview with presenter Dan Walker, Kelly opened up about how difficult it was to film the nearly 30-minute-long pivotal interview between Jo Davidson, DCS Carmichael and AC-12. 

Kelly called the interrogation “really daunting” and gave a few details about how the scene came together. The scene took two days to film, and Kelly said the first day was “very serious” as “everybody was very conscious of what I had to achieve, because the scene is very up and down, emotionally.”

She went on to explain that the scene was  “unlike anything I’ve ever done” because it took over half an hour to film each take and required more than 50 camera set-ups to film the whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHe3Weueog

Earlier in the interview, Kelly Macdonald also revealed that she finds it hard to watch Line of Duty. She said: “I'm in this weird world where I'm not watching it and I'm also not going online.

“I watched the first episode and also went online, and then it took me a week to not be mental anymore… It was just too much for me."

Did Kelly Macdonald give anything about the season finale away?

Fans hoping to get more info about the series finale from this interview will be disappointed. Dan Walker did his best Ted Hastings impression as he tried to get spoilers out of Kelly Macdonald, but she gave absolutely nothing away. Clearly, none of her time AC-12’s glass box was wasted! You can watch the whole BBC Breakfast interview here.

Line of Duty season six concludes this Sunday at 9pm on BBC One. If you need to catch up, you can find every previous episode on BBC iPlayer.

Eagle-eyed Line of Duty fans have been paying close attention as always... *WARNING - SPOILERS FOR ALL EPISODES OF LINE OF DUTY SEASON 6 BELOW*

Line of Duty fans were left shocked last night as the penultimate episode of season 6 saw Marcus Thurwell killed off before he'd even made it onto our screens.

But is everything as it seems?

Marcus Thurwell, played by James Nesbitt, has only been seen in photographs as Steve Arnott and Chloe Bishop worked out his links to organised crime in episode 5.

Not only have AC-12 worked out that Thurwell has connections to past investigations like Sands Views, but he was also part of the Lawrence Christopher case which has now been linked to investigative journalist Gail Vella and her murder.

More: Line of Duty fans are all loving THIS iconic moment from tonight's episode  

When Jo was shown Thurwell's image during her interview in the interrogation room in episode 6 she appeared to recognise his face. But is that becasue he was the one calling the shots? Could he be H?

Where is Thurwell?

It was discovered that Thurwell had managed to avoid any questioning over his corrupt activity and escaped to sunny Spain for a new life.

But despite his location being found by the Spanish police, it appeared that it was too little too late when the police raided Thurwell's villa only to find the dead bodies of a man and a woman.

Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), who was watching the drama over in Spain unfold on a computer screen with Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), took the news that Thurwell was dead particularly badly.

Ted was frustrated that another lead into who H could be, plus his chance to save his career, had been halted once again.

A red herring?

But what if Thurwell isn't dead? Could the body in the Spanish villa be a red herring?

Fans have got a theory that Thurwell has faked his own death after finding out AC-12 were on to him.

They have even spotted that one of the police officers working on the raid of Thurwell's home looked suspiciously like actor James Nesbitt...

So could Thurwell be found alive and well and brought in for questioning after all?

Or is Ted's career still going to be left hanging by a thread?

Line of Duty continues on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One. You can catch up on past seasons and missed episodes on BBC iPlayer. 

Line of Duty fans are all talking about ONE thing after tonight's episode... ** WARNING - SPOILERS FOR THE WHOLE OF SERIES 6 BELOW, INCLUDING EPISODE 6**

Line of Duty fans have just watched the penultimate episode of season 6 and what a cracking episode it was.

But while we might have discovered the fate of Ryan Pilkington and Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), and also got more answers about why Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) has been acting so suspiciously for the whole series, there is something entirely different that fans are talking about.

Fans of the show just can't get enough of Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and his Ted-isms... he has become iconic for his one liners over the years, but tonight he pulled it out of the bag.

As DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin), Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) joined Ted in the interview room to interrogate Jo Davidson about her links to organised crime, you could have cut the tension with a knife.

Not only was the scene probably one of the best interrogation scenes ever seen in Line of Duty, but it also produced one of Ted's best lines.

As they grilled Jo only to have her answer with 'No comment' every five minutes, Ted was losing patience and replied with 'Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey, can we just move this interview on'... leaving fans thrilled.

Viewers took to social media to share their joy at Ted's new saying... no doubt one to go down in the Line of Duty history book...

Also in tonight's episode we saw Jo in danger as she was lead to her prison cell, only for dodgy prison officers to try and track her down.

Meanwhile, Carmichael cemented herself as the new most-hated character in Line of Duty. With Ryan now dead, she has quickly filled his shoes.

There is also the matter of Ted being forced to retire.

Will he manage to work out who H is before the end of the series and save his career?

With only one more episode left of series 6, it seems time is running out, but we don't think Ted will go down without a fight.

Let's hope he pulls it out of the bag next Sunday night.

Line of Duty continues on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One. You can catch up on past seasons and missed episodes on BBC iPlayer. 

Line of Duty Season 6 fans have spent the longest week of their lives waiting to discover the fate of Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Ryan Pilkington... and now we FINALLY have some answers. 

The fall out of Ryan's death has been huge and episode 6 has been the perfect mix of high drama (thanks to Kate and her car chase) an intense interview in the interrogation room (you could have cut the tension with a knife!) and yet more cliffhangers as we lie awake wondering what is hidden under the floor of the OCG workshop. 

Here's our list of questions after Season 6 episode 6... 

Will Jo Davidson manage to stay alive in prison? 

With dodgy prison guards already circling her like vultures, it doesn't look like Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) is going to be that safe while spending time at Her Majesty's pleasure. While she has clearly done plenty of wrong in her time (don't even get us started on the fact she almost got Kate killed) we still can't help but feel sorry for her. After being born into a family with so many skeletons in the closet, it is amazing she has got this far to be honest. The moment when Jo discovered Tommy Hunter was her dad and her uncle was clearly distressing for Jo, but how much longer can she cover for those at the top? Will she finally reveal all in episode 7? Or will the OCG manage to silence her first? 

What is under the floor at the OCG workshop? 

This might be a minor thing, or it could be key - but what does Kate think is under the floor in that warehouse? While DS Chris Lomax was ready to wrap up the forensic search for the night, Kate and Steve waltz in and realise there is plenty more digging to be done. But what could be hiding under the cement, and will it be significant in working out who the fourth man is going by code name H?

Can Ted find out who H is before his enforced retirement? 

Poor Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) and the look of horror on his face as DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) told Steve about his impending retirement, but he definitely isn't going down without a fight. His interrogation of Jo Davidson during her interview saw him determined to prove that there is a high ranking police officer pulling the strings when it comes to the OCG... but while Jo's 'No Comment' replies were wearing thin, there was a feeling that Ted was getting closer to the truth. The question remains, can he crack this case before he is shocked out of the door? 

Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey, will Steve EVER answer that email about his medical review? 

It has been a sideline plot point running throughout the whole of Season 6... in fact this wouldn't be Season 6 of Line of Duty if Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) DIDN'T get an email about attending his medical review. But just how many times can he delete a message before he realises this isn't going to go away? The email in this episode told Steve that he had five days to attend his review before being suspended. AC-12 will be losing both Ted and Steve in one go at this rate... how is this plot going to be wrapped up in one remaining episode? 

• Steph Corbett
• Tony Gates 
• DCU Ian Buckells 
• Jackie Laverty
• Gail Vella 
• Terry Boyle 
• Matthew 'Dot' Cottan
• Line of Duty Season 5

Line of Duty continues on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One. You can catch up on past seasons and missed episodes on BBC iPlayer.