Line of Duty's Ted Hastings is returning to duty once again but this time in an entirely new role within the police force.
Adrian Dunbar, the actor behind Line of Duty's much-loved Superintendent, is set to take on his first tole since the hit BBC series came to an end earlier this year with a leading role in a new, gritty ITV drama.
The 62-year-old actor has been announced as one of the stars of Ridley, a new contemporary detective drama created by the team that brought us Vera and Hollington Drive.
Viewers will be introduced to charismatic Detective Inspector Alex Ridley, played by Adrian, who is retiring from the police after years of dedicated service.
After twenty-five years as a homicide copper, Ridley has been nudged out of the job he loves.
But the prospect of retirement is not a particularly welcome one as he's been cut off in his prime - in a scenario with echoes of Hastings' storyline from the last series of Line of Duty.
Speaking about his first role since Line of Duty, the Northern Irish actor said: "I don’t think I’ve ever headed into a production with more excitement and enthusiasm.
"As an actor I know how rare it is to be given such a wonderful opportunity, and the combination of Polly Hill and Chloe Tucker at ITV and Jonathan Fisher at West Road Pictures means we are in both safe and creative hands."
He added: "Jonathan and I worked closely together on the very successful series Blood , and I'm confident we can bring some of that magic to Ridley.
"Here’s to getting the team together and developing a show that audiences can find both entertaining and engaging."
The upcoming series will see Adrian's character lured back into the force by his former protégée when a complex murder investigation takes a dark and unexpected turn.
While the series will be fictional, it is actually inspired by true stories of real life retired detectives re-joining police forces in a consultancy role given increasingly over-stretched resources.
The thought provoking crime story has been commissioned by ITV 's Head of Drama, Polly Hill, with Drama Commissioner, Chloe Tucker overseeing production.
Speaking in a press release, Chloe expressed her joy at Adrian coming back to the forces once again, saying: "We are absolutely delighted that Adrian Dunbar will be starring as the retired DI Ridley, a man who cannot leave police work behind.
"We are excited to be working with West Road Pictures again, and to be bringing Paul Matthew Thompson’s brilliant scripts to screen."
While Ridley may see Adrian back on the beat, it's unsure whether we'll ever find out if his Line of Duty character Ted Hastings was actually forced into an early retirement.
Since the show's series six finale aired earlier this year, finally revealing who H was, Line of Duty fans have been desperate to know whether we'll ever see the AC-12 crew on screen again.
Speaking in an interview with the Radio Times back in March, the show's creator Jed Mercurio admitted he's unsure whether the gripping drama will return.
"We’re in a situation where it’s not entirely clear that there will be a seventh series," he revealed.
"We would hope there could be. But we’re having to do our planning coming out of COVID, and a whole bunch of other things around the idea that these things aren’t guaranteed at all now," he added.
While Line of Duty's fate remains uncertain, fans of Adrian Dunbar won't have to wait long to see him on their screens once again - Ridley will begin filming later this autumn.
