Line of Duty will soon return for a seventh series following a five-year hiatus, and the BBC has now revealed the face of the new season.
Following on from previous guest leads, which have included Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Graham, Thandiwe Newton, Daniel Mays, Keeley Hawes, and Lennie James, The Full Monty star Robert Carlyle has been confirmed as the new protagonist.
The Bafta-winner will star as Detective Constable Shaun Massie in the popular crime drama, which is set to be filmed this spring.
Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar will reprise their roles as the main trio of officers in the series, who led anti-corruption unit AC-12.
The series will follow the officers amid AC-12 being disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards.
A BBC synopsis reads: "Anticorruption work has never been more difficult, and in this challenging climate, Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming, and Ted Hastings are assigned their most sensitive case so far.
"Detective Constable Shaun Massie is a Specialist Rifle Officer (SRO), a veteran marksman, operating with Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7) to take down Organised Crime Groups.
"A gruff loner, Massie keeps himself to himself, but 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."
Line of Duty will return to the BBC next year
|BBC
Responding on Instagram, one fan penned: "I watched all of the last series. I'm looking forward to the new series."
"YES!!!!!" another exclaimed, while a third commented: "What a guy!!!!!!"
Someone else added: "Oooo this is going to be gooooood!"
"Now that’s a good addition to the show!!" another viewer approved.
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Robert Carlyle will be Line of Duty's new guest lead
|GETTY
A different social media user commented: "This is going to be EPIC!!!"
"Oh now this is going to be off the scale with the brilliant @robertcarlyleofficial joining the cast," one more shared. (sic)
On joining the Line of Duty cast, Mr Carlyle stated: "Having been a huge admirer of [writer] Jed Mercurio's work for many years, I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to join such an exceptional cast for series seven of Line of Duty.
"The scripts for the series are excellent and will absolutely maintain the quality that the audience have come to expect from this fantastic show.
"DC Massie is an extraordinary character, and I look forward to bringing him to life."
Mr Mercurio commented: "On Line of Duty we've been honoured by the glittering guest leads who've joined the cast over the years.
Vicky McClure will reprise her role as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming
| PA"We couldn't be more thrilled that Robert Carlyle will star in series seven as Specialist Rifle Officer Shaun Massie.
"I've been a huge fan of Robert's work for many years and it will be a career highlight to work with him.
"Robert always brings mesmerising power and depth to every role; I know viewers will be on the edge of their seats wondering what his character will do next, and why."
During the latest nail-biting series of the drama in 2021, it emerged that DSI Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle) was supposedly the mysterious, corrupt officer, "H".
He'd been at the centre of the team's investigation all along, with the reveal leaving many fans disappointed.
It is rumoured that the outcome of the case will play a key role in the upcoming series, which will be shot in Belfast next month.