Will real ‘H’ be revealed in Line of Duty season seven?

As Ted Hastings star Adrian Dunbar teases the return of one of the BBC’s most successful thrillers, Hannah Ewens and Ellie Harrison try to predict the twists and turns that await

- By Hannah Ewens and Ellie Harrison

No British crime drama of recent years can even feign to rival the thrilling corruption saga Line of Duty. From the premiere of its first season in 2012 to its sixth and most recent series in 2021, the BBC's crown jewel of scripted television had viewers of all demographics gripped on its intricate and addictive twists and turns. The story followed AC-12, a team of internal affairs investigators hot on the tail of corrupt police officers. No bent copper is apparently too high-ranking or powerful to escape the clutches of the core team, the three musketeers we know and love: Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston).

But after many seasons of complex plotting, morally grey characters and countless shocking switch-and-bait moments (remember the “urgent exit required” text from season three that had you screaming “Mother of God” at the TV? What about when Dot shot Lindsay Denton in the car?), the most recent season finale comparatively drifted along like a sagging birthday balloon. Following the big reveal that Buckells was the bad guy all along, creator Jed Mercurio decided that he was little more than a cog in a machine. Systemic corruption is the problem, of course, not the possible existence of evil geniuses.

The depressing truth that our institutions are so broken that they have to be the ultimate Line of Duty punchline didn’t please everyone. It wasn’t just viewers who were left a little deflated by the series ending. Even the characters were. It all felt very much like a full stop to the show.

Not so, according to Dunbar, who has confirmed that Mercurio is currently writing a script and the team are in talks with the BBC. As we await the big announcement from the Beeb, here are our predictions for the mysterious and unexpected seventh season.

TWBMA (there will be more acronyms)