Happy Line of Duty Day! Excited fans of hit BBC police drama count down the MINUTES on Twitter ahead of series five airing tonight
- Adrian Dunbar appeared on Lorraine this morning to talk about new Line of Duty
- Revealed 'it's not looking good' for his character Ted as he hints he's a baddie
- Told the actors don't know if their character survive from episode to episode
- Hinted he may be leaving, 'whether we'll all be in series 6, we don't know'
- The hit BBC1 drama series returns to screens this Sunday at 9pm
Fans of BBC police drama Line of Duty are excitedly counting down the hours until the latest series begins tonight - the first since 2017.
Twitter was awash with posts wishing fellow enthusiasts a 'Happy Line of Duty Day' as excitement builds for a fresh installment of writer Jed Mercurio's work.
Police anti-corruption unit AC-12 has thrilled viewers for four series and Mercurio's other work, The Bodyguard, has just about kept them going while they await the fifth.
Thousands of viewers tweeted their anticipation ahead of the 9pm airing of the hour-long episode, which sees familiar faces Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) returning to duty in battle against the mysterious 'balaclava gang'.
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Guess who's back: Familiar faces from police anti-corruption unit AC-12 sees Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) back on screens as Line of Duty returns to BBC1 on Sunday at 9pm
@MissLouB44 wrote: 'Never mind Mother’s Day it’s #LineOfDuty day!'
@smart_desk even embraced the loss of an hour as the clocks leapt forward for British Summer Time, writing: '#DaylightSavingsTime means one hour closer to new #LineofDuty'.
@shewithcapitalV wrote: 'Let's face it, we're going about our business in anticipation of new season #LineOfDuty tonight aren't we?'
@My6Percent wrote: 'I'm here for one thing and one thing only today and that's Line of Duty.'
A trailer for the new series sees Detective Seargent Steve Arnott brandishing a gun; viewers saw him last being the victim of a brutal attack by the mystery Balaclava Man, in which he was thrown down stairs.
Detective Seargent Steve Arnott is seen brandishing a gun in a teasing trailer for the latest series
In an appearance, on Lorraine last week, leading man Adrian Dunbar hinted that his character Ted Fleming may be the next villain of the popular series, admitting 'it's not looking good for Ted.'
The actor told Lorraine Kelly on her ITV show that his character comes under 'new scrutiny' in the upcoming season.
Line of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has hinted that his character Ted may be the next villain of the popular series, admitting 'it's not looking good for Ted.'
Viewers were shocked by the revelation, with one writing: 'No no! Hastings cannot leave, cannot be a baddie.'
After starting the interview by saying to Lorraine, 'I can't tell you anything', Dunbar went on to admit that things are not looking good for his character Superintendent Ted Hastings.
Adrian Dunbar winced when questioned by Lorraine last week about whether his character Ted Hastings is the secret villain of BBC1 drama Line of Duty
At the end of the last episode in series four, there was some indication that there was more to the policeman than meets the eye.
And this morning, Lorraine told the actor she'd be shocked if his character was a villain, saying: 'If he turns out to be a bad 'un, that's it then. I can't believe anybody about anything'.
But Dunbar responded by wincing, and saying: 'Mmm, it's difficult. It's not looking good for Ted, it has to be said. He does come under scrutiny in the new series.'
Lorraine quizzed the actor about the hit series, and seemed stunned by his admissions about his character Ted
Lorraine looked shocked that the actor had apparently revealed a series secret, exclaiming 'Oh really!'
These hints may point to the possibility of Hastings being ‘H’ — the mysterious leader of a network of corrupt coppers working for an organised crime gang.
Dunbar went on to agree that 'none' of the actors feel safe on the show, and know that they could be written out at any moment.
'That's the way Jed Mercurio writes.'
He also told Lorraine that the actors are only given the scripts episode by episode, so have no idea what the ending of the series will be when they start filming.
And when the presenter asked him if there would be a season six , the actor seemed to hint that he may be exiting the show this season.
'There is going to be a series 6, whether we'll all be in it, we don't know. What's going to happen, nobody knows.'
