Adrian Dunbar wants Line of Duty return before he needs a Zimmer frame
The man behind Ted Hastings wants to lead AC-12 once again in a Line of Duty return. There's only one thing he's interested in — bent coppers.
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Everybody involved in Line of Duty has been very clear that they want to return to the murky world of AC-12. But Adrian Dunbar is particularly keen because he wants the chance to play Ted Hastings again before he gets too old.
Jed Mercurio's twisty-turny cop thriller last aired in 2021, in which DSU Ian Buckells was surprisingly unmasked as H — one of the masterminds of a network of corrupt officers. More than 15 million viewers watched the climactic episode.
There has been little news about whether the show could eventually return in the wake of the finale, in which AC-12's power to catch bent coppers was blunted. But Dunbar very much wants to wear the police uniform again.
“We all want it to come back," the 65-year-old told The Times. "I don’t want to get any older either because we don’t want to be coming back when we’re in a wheelchair. Ted Hastings with a Zimmer frame.”
Dunbar was already a veteran actor when Line of Duty started in 2012, catapulting him to fame and turning Ted Hastings into one of the most popular TV characters in Britain.
“I’m sure it’s much more difficult to deal with [fame] in your twenties," he said. "Whereas when you’re in your fifties, you can throw a pretty sanguine eye over the whole thing. And just realise it’s part of the job and take it as it comes, be nice to people and all the rest of it.”
Ted Hastings particularly won the affection of fans for his array of catchphrases and colourful turns of phrase, from "now we're sucking diesel" to the immortal "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey".
Watch: The best Ted Hastings moments from Line of Duty
Dunbar previously suggested that Line of Duty season 7 could take the form of two 90-minute specials rather than a conventional series.
He's not the only person to have spoken about the show this week though, with Vicky McClure chatting on This Morning about the possibility of playing DI Kate Fleming again.
She said: "I mean look, we've all said we love the show, we would want to go again, obviously. But there's nothing to talk about so it's really disappointing in terms of no news."
So the wait goes on for Line of Duty fans, but it should be a comfort to know that all three of the main cast members will be ready and waiting when Mercurio makes the call. And Dunbar certainly wants that call to come sooner rather than later.
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