‘Line Of Duty’: Arnott, Fleming & Hastings Return To Service In First Look At Season 7 Of BBC’s Record-Setting Cop Drama

Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprise their roles as Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings, respectively in the first look at the much anticipated return of record-setting BBC cop drama Line of Duty, along with a sight of Robert Carlyle‘s character, Shaun Massie.

Season 7 of the show, which was announced in November last year amid wild speculation the ratings behemoth from Jed Mercurio series would return, will see the anti-corruption cops returning at the now rebranded Inspectorate of Professional Standards, which replaces the famous AC-12.

There are the usual shots of the trio sat stoically in police interview rooms, along with a first look at Robert Carlyle, who is the guest lead for the series, playing Specialist Rifle Officer (SRO) Massie. His character is a veteran marksman who usually keeps a low profile only to drastically change his demeanor when his commanding officer, DI Dominic Gough (Tom Weston-Jones) is accused of being a sexual predator.

The series will explore whether the accusations made against Gough, a charismatic TO-7 officer known for a string of organized crime takedowns, is a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat lurking in the shadows.

Other actors in TO-7 team include Laura Aikman as DC Paula Beckman, Levi Brown as DC Luke Tobin, and Amy Leigh Hickman as DC Nira Rashid. Mark Bonnar, Owen Teale, Perry Fitzpatrick and Christina Chong all return to reprise their roles, with new cast members including David Calder, Steven Elder, Dominic Mafham, Aimee Powell and Naomi Yang.

It has been over five years since the sixth season of Line of Duty went out in the UK, achieving huge average overnight ratings of nearly 10 million and 13 million+ consolidated.

Having begun life as a relatively small BBC Two drama, the ratings grew exponentially and the final episode of Season 6 on BBC One remains the most-watched British drama episode since records began with more than 15.2 million consolidated viewers. The conclusion divided fans as the identity of ‘H’, the figure pulling the strings behind the scenes, was revealed.

Each season of the show has brought in one high-profile actor who plays a morally grey character under AC-12’s suspicion. The likes of Stephen Graham, Lennie James, Daniel Mays and Keeley Hawes have all featured, and Carlyle now joins that band.

Mercurio wrote and created season seven, and also directed episodes 4-6. World Productions returned to make the show in association with parent company ITV Studios, which is handling international distribution. Jennie Darnell directed the first three episodes, and the producers are Ken Horn and Richard Burnell. The executive producers are Mercurio, Simon Heath for World and Nick Lambon for the BBC. Northern Ireland Screen provided support.