Mother of God! Is Line of Duty really coming back for a three-part ...

There are so many great reasons for Line of Duty to make a comeback. No one liked the ending. The show’s stars seem to have the appetite for it. There’s room in the finale’s talk of how AC-12 has “never been weaker” for a glorious phoenix-from-the-flames-style return. And, it’s worth saying again, no one liked the ending.

But will it get more episodes? The internet has been aflame with rumour today after a story in the Sun quoted the highly reliable sounding source of “a TV insider”, claiming: “There was a very strong feeling, particularly among fans, that there was unfinished business with Line of Duty. Viewers weren’t satisfied with the ending of series six and were crying out for a more sensational conclusion – now Jed can deliver that.”

The quote doesn’t clearly state that the show is coming back, but does talk obliquely as if its return has already been established. It continues: “The question is whether the person we were led to believe was H really is the villain that AC-12 has been hunting or if it was another nemesis. There’s also a theory another, darker puppet-master is at work.

“The fact that they’re looking at taking the unusual step of making three episodes rather than the usual six or seven is a reflection of just how special this is for the show.”

A Line of Duty return would make sense. Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and even Jed Mercurio’s production company, Hat Trick Mercurio, seem keen to pursue projects that involve crime-based thrills. ITV’s Trigger Point saw Mercurio executive produce as McClure failed to replicate the adrenaline of AC-12’s antics, despite plots involving shedloads of bombs and repeated usage of the word “sarge”. Dunbar’s attempt to launch himself as a standalone detective in Ridley went so awry that he spent a good chunk of each episode crooning lounge jazz numbers beside a grand piano. It would make an awful lot of sense to get the old gang back together, give LOD fans what they want and put paid to the awful prospect of Dunbar releasing a solo album: Ted Hastings sings the blues and twos.

They seem to know it as well. In November, Dunbar told the Radio Times that: “I think generally there’s a willingness among everybody to do something.” He also claimed that Mercurio, Martin Compston and McClure were “very keen”, partly due to the frustrating experience of filming season six in lockdown, which stopped the team from socialising. “We were all in a kind of bubble so it just didn’t have the same feel – which is one of the reasons we’d like to do another one.”

McClure, too, has said much the same, on Wednesday telling Good Morning Britain that “I speak to the lads all the time and we’d all love to, we’re all game”. Compston also said to the Radio Times last week: “I’m so chuffed that people want it back … I’d love to work with the guys again. Adrian, Vicky and Jed are genuinely some of my closest friends.”

But what a lot of the speculation fails to consider is that all of its stars seem baffled as to when it might happen. Much of the reporting of Dunbar’s Radio Times interview has omitted quotes such as: “There’s no update yet on whether we can expect a seventh season,” and “We might hear something at some point in the near future, but I really don’t know. It’s hard to predict these things.” These quotes are from only a few weeks ago. McClure’s interview happened far more recently, and she said: “I think it’s just a case of now … Martin, I think he’s in about nine shows or something. He’s busy.”

Add in the fact that the BBC is responding to inquiries with “No comment”, and it’s hard to know how much truth there are to the current rumours. Largely, it would seem to hinge on Mercurio, who is the one person yet to publicly commit himself to wanting to produce more episodes. But, if it were to come back, one thing’s for sure, the week before Christmas would certainly be the right time to confirm it. After all, it’s what Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey would want.

• Television

• Line of Duty
• Vicky McClure
• Adrian Dunbar
• Drama
• features