Martin Compston confirms crushing Line of Duty news ahead of series 7

Line of Duty star Martin Compston said the upcoming series is incredible but said it is ‘the end’ of the BBC drama.

The Scottish actor, 42, has starred as Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in the drama for more than a decade, first appearing as a member of the anti-corruption squad for the fictional Central Police force in 2012.

Compston is joining co-stars Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar as he reprises his role for the next instalment of Jed Mercurio’s hit crime thriller, which is due to air next year.

The actor, from Greenock, discussed the highly anticipated seventh series while appearing on ITV’s This Morning and said: ‘The scripts are incredible. There’s some amazing returning cast.

‘I think with all of us coming back we probably … not got complacent, but thought it’d be a bit of a victory lap. It was genuinely the hardest one we’ve had to shoot. It was a pretty brutal shoot.

He added: ‘But I think that’s because what we’re trying to achieve is very ambitious – we’ve got bigger and longer and more interview scenes, and a ton of action.’

‘It’s not for me to say when the show will ever end – but I think this is the end of the story arc that’s been building since series one. Everything will come to a head in this one.’

Presenter Ben Shephard said the sixth series, which wrapped up many mysteries and loose ends, was expected to be the finale of the show.

‘Well, this is the end. I think it’d be fair to say that this is the end,’ Compston said.

Compston also admitted that something ‘dramatic’ happens in the final episode, but he couldn’t say much without spoiling it.

He added: ‘But I really do think it’s the strongest script we’ve ever had. If we do it justice, then we will be on to a winner.’

The upcoming series of the show will follow the anti-corruption unit AC-12, after being disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards, as the team is assigned their most sensitive case so far.

The star-studded cast features a guest appearance from Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, who Compston praised as ‘the kindest, loveliest, most patient man’.

Mark Bonnar, Owen Teale, Perry Fitzpatrick and Christina Chong are among the cast members returning to the show for its new instalment.

New additions include Laura Aikman, Amy Leigh Hickman and Levi Brown – who will play detective constables in the new series – as well as Tom Weston-Jones, who is joining the cast as Detective Inspector Dominic Gough.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.