Filming for the upcoming new series of Line of Duty was paused in Belfast during the city's recent violent unrest, Adrian Dunbar has said. The show is currently in the process of shooting its seventh season, its first since 2021.
Dunbar plays Ted Hastings in the acclaimed drama, which was filming in the Northern Irish capital when disorder broke out earlier in June.
It was sparked by the stabbing of Stephen Ogilvie, for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder. In shocking scenes, a number of rioters attempted to identify houses occupied by immigrants, with properties attacked and cars set alight.
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"We did have to pause for that, which... That wasn't great," Dunbar confirmed to RTE Radio 1.
He explained: "There's a lot of stuff being stirred up in Ireland I think from outside of the country at the minute. And I think a lot of social media stirred a lot of pots here, and a lot of idle hands sitting around were able to get on the street.
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"I think the demonstration that happened a few days later by the people of Belfast shows you what the real sentiment in Belfast is towards immigrants. This is a small minority of people who are allowed to get on the street, so it was really unfortunate."
Line of Duty's upcoming seventh run will be comprised of six episodes, and will see show boss Jed Mercurio penning all scripts.
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Alongside Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston are also set to return, with McClure showing off her script in an Instagram post back in March.
"Season seven, we're back. Here's the script, want to have a look?" she said as she waved it in the air. She then flicked the pages, but a wisely-placed emoji stopped any spoilers being given away.
The new run will open as AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded to the Inspectorate of Police Standards. According to an official synopsis, Steve Arnott (Compston), Kate Fleming (McClure) and Ted Hastings are then assigned to a sensitive case.
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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.
