Line of Duty series six WILL air in March 2021

The hotly anticipated sixth series of Line of Duty will arrive by the end of March 2021, the BBC has confirmed.

Fans of the drama – which follows the exploits of the Anti Corruption Unit (AC-12) as they root out bent coppers – will rejoice at the announcement, which comes two months after filming resumed on the show following a hiatus due to COVID-19. 

An exact air date for Line of Duty – which stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar – has not been given.

They’re sucking diesel now! The hotly anticipated sixth series of Line of Duty will arrive by the end of March 2021, the BBC has confirmed (above L-R Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston)

The sixth series sees the debut of Kelly MacDonald as Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson, senior investigating officer of an unsolved murder. 

The BBC also confirmed  His Dark Materials, Doctor Who, and Call The Midwife, Top Gear, Great British Sewing Bee, The Repair Shop, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK are expected to air before the end of March.

Sir David Attenborough’s five-part series, A Perfect Planet – will air on BBC One in the New Year.  

The announcement comes as  Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio detailed how the crew have adapted to filming amid the coronavirus crisis for its sixth season.

Comeback: Fans of the drama - which follows the exploits of the Anti Corruption Unit (AC-12) as they root out bent coppers - will rejoice at the announcement, which comes two months after filming resumed on the show following a hiatus due to COVID-19

Comeback: Fans of the drama – which follows the exploits of the Anti Corruption Unit (AC-12) as they root out bent coppers – will rejoice at the announcement, which comes two months after filming resumed on the show following a hiatus due to COVID-19

The writer, 54, spoke candidly during an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of Lorraine about the changes he and the team have made so that they could work, and admitted it has been ‘tough’ to do so. 

Saying the crew were ‘delighted’ to be able to film the BBC show’s sixth season, Jed explained: ‘It’s been pretty tough to be honest for you.  

‘I have to pay tribute to our brilliant cast and crew, we’re diligently wearing masks the whole time, we clean things that are passed from one person to another.’

Going on to detail the alterations they have made to the shoot, he went on they have made sure to change ‘scenes from interior locations to exterior locations, some of our location shoots were changed to in the studio.’

While he admitted there were changes being made, Jed admitted he hoped the alterations wouldn’t be ‘noticed by fans’ when the show returns next year.   

They're back! The stars of AC-12 Vicky and Martin (both pictured) and Adrian have been spotted filming in Belfast in recent weeks

They’re back! The stars of AC-12 Vicky and Martin (both pictured) and Adrian have been spotted filming in Belfast in recent weeks

The stars of AC-12 have been spotted filming in Belfast in recent weeks.

The BBC police drama suspended shooting for series six back in March, before they resumed filming in September after a five-month hiatus due to the Covid crisis. 

Since resuming filming in Belfast, the crew have been careful to adhere to the current COVID-19 guidelines by donning face masks while on set.  

Previously speaking about the new safety measures, Jed told the Sunday Times: ‘If we can do a scene outdoors rather than indoors then that’s really helpful for social distancing, and virus transmission is thought to be much lower outdoors.’

But the changes did not stop there, as even the famous glass-walled interrogation room, where the AC-12 trio interrogate suspects in scenes that can take days to film, had to be altered.  

Who's the caddy? Line Of Duty's Jed Mercurio revealed on Wednesday's Lorraine how the crew have adapted to filming the sixth season amid the coronavirus crisis

Who’s the caddy? Line Of Duty’s Jed Mercurio revealed on Wednesday’s Lorraine how the crew have adapted to filming the sixth season amid the coronavirus crisis

Jed explained: ‘We have created much more ventilation around that box and altered how we go about shooting it.  

‘The cameras are further away and we’re using remote control cameras, so the crew can be some distance away.’

Another show of Jed’s that people are avidly waiting for is a second season of The Bodyguard, but the writer claimed it was too early to say.

‘We’re still in discussion about that, we don’t have news just yet,’ he claimed.  

Changes: Jed explained, 'I have to pay tribute to our brilliant cast and crew, we're diligently wearing masks the whole time, we clean things that are passed from one person to another'

Changes: Jed explained, ‘I have to pay tribute to our brilliant cast and crew, we’re diligently wearing masks the whole time, we clean things that are passed from one person to another’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk