Stars back in the Line Of Duty

THE hotly anticipated launch date of the latest series of hit TV show Line of Duty has been announced by the BBC.

The police drama will return on Sunday, March 31, at 9pm on BBC One, with Scots actor Martin Compston returning to TV screens as anti-corruption officer DS Steve Arnott.

Vicky Mcclure and Adrian Dunbar will also return as DS Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings.

BBC One confirmed the start date on Twtter, posting: “The fans have already called it. Confirming for the record, #Lineofduty Series 5 starts on Sunday March 31 on BBC One and BBC iplayer.”

The fifth series will bring a significant change to the plotline as, instead of focusing on a single corrupt officer, the team will be on the hunt for an organised crime group.

Actor Stephen Graham will also appear in the show for the first time, playing a key figure in the crime group and a person of interest for AC-12. He said joining the show was “an honour”.

Earlier this year, creator Jed Mercurio said: “That is the fresh ground that we break in the series.

“We’ve had these shadowy figures, ‘the Balaclava Men’, who are part of an organised crime group and have featured on and off all through the previous four seasons.

“But we’ve never really gone behind the mask and identified them as proper characters and found out about them.”

The announcement by the BBC comes two weeks after the series’ first proper trailer was unveiled.

„ Adrian Dunbar, Rochenda Sandall, Vicky Mcclure and Martin Compston attend a photocall for series five of BBC’S Line of Duty yesterday.

„ Rochenda Sandall plays Mcqueen and Stephen Graham plays new character Corbet in the next series of the police drama.

„ Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar.