Adrian Dunbar hinted at the potential return of Line of Duty during his appearance on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday.
The 65-year-old actor, known for his role as Superintendent Ted Hastings in the BBC police drama, which last aired in 2021 after nearly a decade, is currently starring in the musical Kiss Me, Kate in London's West End.
Speaking with hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls on ITV, the Irish actor mentioned that he will be available for filming once his stage show concludes in September.
When asked about the possibility of another series, he responded optimistically: “Well I think so, Vicky (McClure) thinks so, Martin (Compston) thinks so. Everybody thinks so! It’ll be down to the BBC and Jed Mercurio I think, when and whether we do it.”
The star was questioned about how long it would take for another season to be made if it were to be commissioned now, and said: "First of all, Jed will have to write whatever he’s going to write.
“That doesn’t happen overnight. Then the BBC will have to make a decision on when we’re going to shoot it, where we’re going to shoot it.
“Hopefully we’ll get back to Belfast, that’s where we shot everything. It’ll easily be a year.”
When pressed about whether fans could see it return in 2025, he said coyly: “The end of next year? Maybe.”
Last month, Dunbar said the cast “all want” to see the return of the show.
The sixth season of the police drama, which aired from March to May in 2021, was a ratings success, with its dramatic finale revealing the identity of the mysterious corrupt officer H.
Speaking about what it was like to film the drama in Northern Ireland, Dunbar told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme in June: “It was fantastic to go back to Belfast to work, because that’s where I got my start, I got my start at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
“The uplift has been amazing.
“It’s just the positivity that exists in the place at the minute, but it was great going back and it was great bringing Vicky (McClure) and Martin (Compston) over there to show them around.
“And we had some great times in the city, and we will hopefully, who knows, maybe have some great times again.”
Asked if their could be another series, he said: “I have to be very careful, because you know, we burn up the internet, if we say anything, but I mean the point is that we all want it to happen.
“So if it were to happen, we’d be really happy.”
