Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has thanked fans for their patience as filming resumed on the sixth series of the hit show.
The next instalment of the hit police thriller will feature a brand new case for anti-corruption unit AC-12, which is investigating DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), the senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case.
Filming on the hit show was halted earlier this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Series regulars Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure will all return, alongside newcomers Shalom Brune-Franklin, Perry Fitzpatrick, Andi Osho and Prasanna Puwanarajah.
When I took this photo I was careful to keep the inmate opposite @martin_compston hidden but you can just about see an out-of-focus image on the camera monitor. Clue: it’s not Julia Montague. pic.twitter.com/rb7xdv8ybo
— Jed Mercurio (@jed_mercurio) September 1, 2020
The Line Of Duty production team will adhere to strict guidelines to ensure that the new series is produced as safely as possible.
Mercurio said: “We know Line Of Duty fans are desperate for series six and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible.
“Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times.”
McClure, who plays DI Kate Fleming, said: “Been sitting on these incredible scripts for some time now, so I’m really looking forward to getting back to it and seeing the Line Of Duty family.”
Dunbar, who returns as Ted Hastings, added: “Even with the imposition of Covid restrictions I can’t hide my excitement at getting the team back together.
“So many people wondering…what happens next?”
Seems like a very long time between these two takes. It’s great to be back filming #LineofDuty. pic.twitter.com/OvkUxZQ6nI
— Jed Mercurio (@jed_mercurio) September 1, 2020
In a new image Compston can be seen in his role as DS Steve Arnott, in an interrogation room, but with another person out of sight.
He said: “It’s been a long few months and it will be a different way of working from when we stopped, but I’m delighted to be back on the case with the Line of Duty team.”
Sharing the picture on Twitter, Mercurio wrote: “When I took this photo I was careful to keep the inmate opposite @martin_compston hidden but you can just about see an out-of-focus image on the camera monitor. Clue: it’s not Julia Montague.”
Simon Heath, executive producer for World Productions, said: “It’s been almost six months since we stopped shooting, but following our implementation of all the industry Covid protocols, we’re delighted to be able to resume filming series six safely.”
Thanks to our dedicated cast and crew for keeping the #LineofDuty filming CoViD safe pic.twitter.com/dX0ZViRZr8
— Jed Mercurio (@jed_mercurio) September 1, 2020
The new series of Line Of Duty is now due to air on BBC One next year.