LINE of Duty’s Martin Compston has broken his silence on the hit BBC drama’s return – saying it will be ‘for the right reasons’.
The Sun exclusively revealed Line of Duty would be returning next year for a seventh series.
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The six-parter will reportedly see Martin, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar all reprise their beloved roles for filming in January.
When speaking to The Sun’s TV Mag, the actor was grilled about rumours of the show making a comeback.
Martin shared: “We’re always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot.
“Everybody’s got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off.
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“You know, the day people stop asking about the show will be a sad day, so I’m delighted that people are still excited about it.
“We’d all love to work together again at some point. We still all meet up.
“I met with Jed [Mercurio, the show’s creator], Adrian [Dunbar] and Vicky [McClure] in London before Christmas – we went out for dinner, to hear what everyone’s up to.”
He added: “It’s amazing. It’s the best feeling as an actor when you feel like the whole country’s in the palm of your hand with what’s coming next, and there’s only a couple of you in that secret of who’s surviving and what’s going on.
“But because we’re all so close and we all want the best for the show, we wouldn’t do it again just for the sake of it.
“If it was just about doing it for the sake of it, we’d have probably done another three series by now.
“We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons.
“It won’t just be: ‘Get another one done.’ It’ll be because Jed thinks there’s a story to tell.”
A TV insider previously told The Sun: “This is the news Line of Duty fans have been waiting for since the sixth season left them deflated when it aired back in 2021.
“The BBC almost immediately requested more episodes to continue the story, but the success of the show meant Vicky, Martin and Adrian were instantly snapped up for other projects.
“But after several meetings with Jed [Mercurio, creator and writer] and the production team, they’ve finally managed to clear space in their calendars next year to commit to making the show.”
The Sun first revealed in 2022 that the show, which drew up to 13million viewers, would return.
BBC crime dramas
The BBC is reopening case files on an all-star line-up of crime dramas this summer.
Here’s a refresher on the popular programmes which span six decades.
- Campion: Aired from 1989 to 1990, this detective drama series was adapted from novels by Margery Allingham and stars Peter Davison.
- Dalziel And Pascoe: A gritty detective drama series about a mismatched pair of policemen, based on the award-winning books by Reginald Hill. Aired from 1996 to 2007.
- Death In Paradise: A misanthropic detective inspector is assigned to a Caribbean island against his will. Premiered in 2011 and is still on air to this day.
- Happy Valley: Created by Sally Wainwright, this northern noir follows Sarah Lancashire as Sgt Catherine Cawood – tough, defiant and facing her traumatic past.
- Hinterland: Welsh drama starring Richard Harrington. Brooding DCI Tom Mathias uncovers secrets – and links to his troubled past amid mountainous terrain and close-knit villages. Aired from 2013 to 2016.
- Inspector Lynley Mysteries: Based on the novels of Elizabeth George, this drama series is about upper-crust DI Thomas Lynley and working class DS Barbara Havers. Aired from 2001 to 2007.
- Jonathan Creek: Starring comedian Alan Davies, this comedy-drama series follows a inventor of magic tricks who is often called in to solve puzzling murders. Aired from 1997 to 2016.
- Law & Order: Originally broadcast in 1978, this four-part drama series is about the British judicial system. Stars include Peter Dean and Derek Martin.
- Life On Mars: Beguiling science-fiction police drama following a Manchester policeman who travels back to 1973 following a car accident. Stars John Simm and Philip Glenister. Aired from 2006 to 2007.
- Luther: Crime drama series starring Idris Elba as DCI John Luther. Aired from 2010 to 2019, with a follow-up film released in 2023.
- Shetland: Detective drama starring Douglas Henshall, Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell, showcasing the dark side of one of the most beautiful places on earth. Premiered in 2013 and is still on air to this day.
- The Cops: Set in the fictional northern town of Stanton, this acclaimed, provocative police drama stars Katy Cavanagh, Rob Dixon and John Henshaw. Aired from 1998 to 2001.
- Waking The Dead: With a cast including Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston and Wil Johnson, this series follows a cold case team who unearths sleeping secrets, but sometimes the past is best left buried. Aired from 2000 to 2011.
- Wallander: Starring Sir Kenneth Branagh, Kurt Wallander is unable to unsee the dark crimes he’s tasked to investigate while Wallander’s job comes at a cost to his family and relationships. Aired from 2008 to 2016.
The stars have been attached to other projects – Martin with supernatural thriller The Rig, Vicky with bomb squad drama Trigger Point, and Adrian with jazz singer detective show Ridley.
Many of the 13million who saw the sixth series felt it a huge anti-climax to learn buffoon Det Supt Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle) was H, the elusive mastermind with links to organised crime.
Fans had wondered if it was a genuine end after nine years of nail-biting storylines, or a red herring by creator Jed Mercurio.
TV Mag is available for free every Saturday, only in The Sun.
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