Star Adrian Dunbar is doing his duty as a top cop and some fans just cannot get enough of him.
The actor is astonished to find his role in police drama Line of Duty has turned him into a heart-throb at 60.
In a surprise twist worthy of the hit BBC series, he is now a sex symbol with women of a certain age – much to the entertainment of his co-stars.
He laughed: “That’s a subject of some amusement, obviously. We didn’t expect any of that.”
Adrian has played dependable Superintendant Ted Hastings for all five series.
The star, married for 33 years to actress Anna Nygh, was even asked to appear on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour to explain Ted’s allure.
He said: “I think it’s because women all realise they could have him round their fingers within 20 minutes.
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“Women like that. ‘Oh, Ted, he’s so easily led.’ In personal relationships I think that’s where he’s at,” he told Radio Times.
Adrian, who has starred in hit films The Crying Game and Hear My Song, said the role of Ted is the highlight of his career. On Sunday fans saw him being arrested, accused of being one of the bent coppers he has dedicated his life to eradicating.
Senior officer Patricia Carmichael is determined to prove Ted is heading an organised crime group.
And she is not the first woman to target him. Gill Biggeloe, played by Polly Walker, has tried to get her emotional and professional claws into Ted, famed for sayings such as “Now we’re sucking diesel” and “I didn’t float up the Lagan on a bubble”.
The series’ feature-length finale is on Sunday but Adrian hinted he will be back for series six next year, saying: “I’d miss everybody too much.”
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Line of Duty, BBC 1, Sunday, 9pm
