Martin Compston lifts the lid on BBC Line of Duty return as he issues telling statement

star Martin Compston has broken his silence following reports the hit BBC police drama show would be returning for a seventh season.

Earlier this year, Christina Chong, who played DI Nicky Rogerson in series two and six of the show let slip a possibility of a return at the Hollywood Saturn Awards. Asked about talk of a return, Christina, 41, said: “So I have been asked about a season, is it seven? Yeah. Potentially Nicola Rogerson will be back for season seven.”

Last year , who plays Supt Ted Hastings, said writer Jed Mercurio was working on a new script. “He is writing… we haven’t got a script on the desk yet,” he said.

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Now, Martin, who plays Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott has had his say. “We're always talking about possibilities and schedules and whatnot,“ he told 's TV Mag.

However, fans may be slightly disappointed, as he continued: “Everybody's got stuff going on at the minute, so I think anything, unfortunately, would be a way off.“

Martin is still close friends with show creator Jed Mercurio and co-stars Adrian Dunbar and Vicky McClure. He told the publication that the group met up over , as he added: “Because we're all so close and we all want the best for the show, we wouldn't do it again just for the sake of it.

“If it was just about doing it for the sake of it, we'd have probably done another three series by now. We really care about the quality of it. So if we come back, it would be for the right reasons.“

He then said if they did return, it would be because show creator Jed “thinks there's a story to tell.“

The explosive series six finale saw AC-12 unravel the secret identity of H or the Fourth Man as the seemingly bumbling officer Ian Buckles. However, some fans were left disappointed by the ending which also saw Jo Davidson gain witness protection where she lived happily ever after in a beautiful house with a new lover and a dog.

, which drew in a record-breaking 12.8million viewers, Jed said: “We're honoured and flattered by the viewing figures for .

“We knew attempting to explore the real nature of corruption in our society wouldn't appeal to everyone, but we do sincerely thank you all for watching. It's been our privilege to share your Sunday nights.“

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