Line of Duty season 7 first look unveiled by BBC as our favourite trio return alongside roster of new characters

Five and a half years after the sixth season of Line of Duty came to an end, and fans thought they may have seen the characters for the last time, we now have a first look at the highly anticipated seventh season.

A set of images has been released by the BBC, which show Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprising their roles as Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings respectively.

Also seen in the images are newcomers Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later), who plays guest lead Police Constable Shaun Massie, Tom Weston-Jones (Sanditon), who plays Detective Inspector Gough, and Laura Aikman (This City Is Ours) as DC Paula Beckman.

Season 6, which was filmed in Belfast, will find AC-12 disbanded and now rebranded as the Inspectorate of Professional Standards.

The synopsis for the season says: "Anticorruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate, the trio are assigned their most sensitive case so far."

Meanwhile, it introduces Shaun Massie, a Specialist Rifle Officer (SRO), a veteran marksman, operating with Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7) to take down Organised Crime Groups.

He is described as a gruff loner who keeps himself to himself. However, when his boss, TO-7's commanding officer DI Dominic Gough, is accused of being a sexual predator, Massie's otherwise detached demeanour changes drastically.

Gough is described as a charismatic officer who has won plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime.

The synopsis says: "Gough is accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator. But is his case a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows?"

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Also joining the season in new roles are Levi Brown (This Town), Amy Leigh Hickman (You), David Calder (Rivals), Steven Elder (Prisoner), Dominic Mafham (Vigil), Aimee Powell (Believe Me) and Naomi Yang (Under Salt Marsh).

Returning stars include Mark Bonnar as former Deputy Chief Constable Mike Dryden, Owen Teale as Chief Constable Philip Osborne, Perry Fitzpatrick as DS Chris Lomax and Christina Chong as DI Nicky Rogerson.

The release date for the new season has yet to be announced. A January 2027 release date has been reported, but not yet confirmed.

Line of Duty season 7 is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer.

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Authors

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.