The BBC have released the first images of Scots actress Kelly Macdonald's upcoming role in Line of Duty.
As we reported yesterday, the sixth instalment of Jed Mercurio’s hit crime thriller - which resumed filming at the end of August - has wrapped up in Northern Ireland.
The popular show, featuring Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar, will air on BBC One in 2021.
To mark the news that the production crew finished up on Monday, the two images of Kelly as the next guest series lead have been made public.
The snaps show the Boardwalk Empire star as Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case whose unconventional conduct attracts the attention of AC-12.
Line of Duty showrunner Jed Mercurio said: "Thanks so much to our brilliant cast and crew who applied rigorous Covid safety measures to deliver Line of Duty six to our wonderful fans.
"We're all immensely grateful to World Productions and the BBC for the unswerving support they've given us in a time of unprecedented challenges to UK television production."
Shooting for the sixth series was halted earlier this year amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic but resumed in September, with strict guidelines to ensure the new episodes are produced as safely as possible.
Simon Heath, executive producer for World Productions, added: “Huge praise has to go to Jed, Kelly, Vicky, Martin, Adrian and the brilliant Line of Duty cast and crew who completed filming on series six yesterday, after five months of lockdown and three more of shooting under the most trying of circumstances. The audience is in for a treat next year.”
A premiere date for the new series will be announced in due course.
Series one to five of Line of Duty are available to stream in the UK exclusively on BBC iPlayer.
Last week Greenock-born Compston, who stars as DS Steve Arnott, praised the "discipline and determination" of those behind the scenes, as well as the scripts.
He said: "Delighted we've finally wrapped series 6! Tip of the cap to the production team for putting the protocols in place to provide a safe working environment and to the phenomenal crew, having the discipline and determination to work within the new parameters and get us over the line.
"It was a different way of filming to get used to but we're lucky to get back doing a job we love.
"The scripts from Jed Mercurio superb as ever and we gave it everything we had so fingers crossed."
The new series will also see the arrival of newcomers Shalom Brune-Franklin, Perry Fitzpatrick, Andi Osho and Prasanna Puwanarajah.
