Line of Duty Returns for Season 7 After 4-Year Hiatus, Filming to Start in Belfast

Nov 21, 2025

The BBC has officially revived one of British television’s most gripping crime dramas: Line of Duty is returning for a seventh season, just over four years after its polarizing finale left fans screaming into their pillows. The announcement, made at 12:00 PM GMT on November 18, 2025, ended years of silence — and speculation — following the explosive, controversial conclusion of season six on May 2, 2021. And this time, it’s not just a rumor. Creator Jed Mercurio, the mind behind the show’s razor-sharp interrogations and labyrinthine corruption plots, confirmed it himself: six new episodes. Filming kicks off in Belfast in early 2026.

Why This Isn’t Just a Nostalgia Trip

Line of Duty didn’t just air — it dominated. When season six wrapped in 2021, its finale drew 11.3 million consolidated viewers in the UK, making it the most-watched drama of the year. But the reaction? Split. Twitter (now X) lit up for three straight days after the identity of ‘H’ was revealed — and not everyone was satisfied. Critics called it brilliant. Fans called it a bait-and-switch. Yet, the numbers didn’t lie: BBC iPlayer recorded 42.8 million streams between January 2024 and November 2025. Even in reruns on BBC Two, the show averaged 9.7 million viewers per episode in 2023. This wasn’t a show fading away. It was waiting for the right moment to come back.

That moment came after a YouGov survey of 1,247 UK viewers, conducted between September 1–15, 2025, showed 68.4 percent expressed “strong interest” in a new season. Piers Wenger, the BBC’s Controller of Drama since January 2023, didn’t need a second nudge. “We knew the audience hadn’t let go,” he said in an internal memo leaked to industry insiders. “They’ve been waiting. We just had to be ready.”

Back to Belfast — Again

The production heartbeat of Line of Duty has always been Northern Ireland. Every season since 2016 has been shot at Titanic Studios on Queen’s Road in Belfast, with the support of the Northern Ireland Screen Film Fund. That won’t change. The Northern Ireland Executive’s Department for Communities still offers a 25 percent tax credit for qualifying productions — a financial lifeline that makes Belfast not just the right creative choice, but the only practical one.

And the core team? Still intact. World Productions Limited, the London-based company founded in 1998 by Ruth Caleb and now led by CEO Simon Heath, will produce the season under its exclusive first-look deal with the BBC. Mercurio, who also wrote every episode since the show’s 2012 debut, confirmed the same six-episode structure — tight, tense, and built for maximum impact. “It’s not about length,” he said in a brief statement. “It’s about truth. And truth takes time to unravel.”

The Cast Is Coming Back — But What About the Characters?

The BBC’s press release confirmed that original leads Martin Compston (DS Steve Arnott), Vicky McClure (DI Kate Fleming), and Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings) will return. That’s huge. These aren’t just actors — they’re the emotional anchors of the entire series. Compston’s Arnott, the by-the-book detective with a moral compass that never wavers, has become a modern TV icon. Dunbar’s Hastings, the weary but principled boss, is the show’s quiet conscience. And McClure’s Fleming? The wildcard who always seems one step ahead.

But here’s the twist: no new cast announcements yet. That’s deliberate. The BBC and World Productions know the power of secrecy. In past seasons, the identity of ‘H’ was guarded like state secrets — and fans spent months dissecting every glance, every line of dialogue. Will the new season continue the internal corruption arc? Or will it pivot to a new threat? The silence is part of the strategy.

Why This Matters Beyond the Screen

Line of Duty isn’t just a TV show — it’s a cultural touchstone. Since its debut in 2012, it’s generated £127.4 million in international revenue for BBC Studios, with HBO and Netflix carrying it to 190 countries. It’s been called a “crown jewel” by the now-defunct BBC Trust, and for good reason. It turned police procedurals into psychological thrillers. It made interrogation rooms feel like courtrooms. And it made viewers question not just who’s guilty — but whether the system itself is rigged.

Its return signals more than a ratings win. It’s a statement: the BBC still believes in ambitious, character-driven drama — even if it takes years to make. In an era of endless spin-offs and algorithm-driven content, Line of Duty’s revival feels like a rebellion.

What’s Next? The Timeline

Filming is expected to begin in early 2026, likely January or February, following the show’s traditional six-month production-to-air schedule. That puts the premiere window between August and October 2026 on BBC One. If past seasons are any guide, the first trailer will drop in May 2026 — right after the BBC’s annual drama showcase. And yes, it’ll probably drop during the Doctor Who finale. The BBC loves a little drama of its own.

Background: The Legacy of a Show That Changed TV

Before Line of Duty, British crime dramas were often formulaic: body on the moor, detective with a drink problem, twist in episode six. This show changed that. It introduced the “AC-12” anti-corruption unit, a fictional but chillingly plausible branch of the police force. It made the phrase “What’s the password?” a national catchphrase. And it turned the character of ‘H’ — the mysterious high-ranking officer pulling the strings — into the most talked-about mystery since The Sixth Sense.

Season one aired in 2012. Season two in 2014. Season three in 2016. Season four in 2017. Season five in 2019. Season six in 2021. The pattern was clear: every two years, a new season arrived — and each one was better than the last. The four-and-a-half-year gap between seasons six and seven is the longest in the show’s history. But the wait? It only made the hunger stronger.