Line of Duty cast spotted filming intense scenes in Belfast

Following the news that BBC crime drama Line of Duty would be making a sensational return, excitement has been rife about the seventh series, as AC-12's Superintendent Ted Hastings, DI Steve Arnott and DI Kate Fleming take on their next mission to bring down corrupt cops.

With the hugely-antipcated seventh series expected to drop in early 2027, the series has been in production since March, and now the cast have been spotted filming some pretty intense scenes in the demanding heat of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In photos obtained by Press Eye, actors Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston were spotted in bulletproof police vests as they filmed an 'active shooter' scene outside of Custom House Square.

READ MORE: Line of Duty filming locations you might not know

In other filming photos doing the rounds on the Internet, Chief Constable Philip Osborne (played by Welsh actor Owen Teale), can be seen with a nasty head injury, as he's led away by DI Arnott, who also has a cut on his head.

In another photo, DI Arnott, DI Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings can be seen being attended to be paramedics, looking deflated and injured following the tense scene.

Although the BBC are keeping most details about the seventh series under wraps, they have said of the plot: 'In series seven AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. Anticorruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case so far.

'Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime, is accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator. But is Gough’s case a deliberate distraction from a bigger threat still operating in the shadows?'

As well as the usual suspects, we also know that Robert Carlyle has joined the cast as Detective Constable Shaun Massie, a Specialist Rifle Officer.

On joining the Line of Duty cast, Robert Carlyle said: “Having been a huge admirer of Jed Mercurio’s work for many years, I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to join such an exceptional cast for series 7 of Line of Duty. The scripts for the series are excellent and will absolutely maintain the quality that the audience have come to expect from this fantastic show. DC Massie is an extraordinary character and I look forward to bringing him to life.”

READ MORE: Line of Duty series 6: All the facts about the sixth season

When is it on TV?

Although we know series seven of Line of Duty will air in 2027, an exact start date hasn't been given just yet.

Whilst fans wait, all six series are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.