Filming for the new series of Line of Duty is to begin next year ahead of a 2026 broadcast date.

It has been reported that show stars Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston, had all met with creator Jed Mercurio last week to strike a production deal.

An insider said: "Jed is close with Vicky, Martin and Adrian and they often meet for dinner – this time it was different."

The source told The Sun newspaper: "A topic of conversation was how they could align their schedules in 2025 to ensure Line of Duty 7 happens. The ambition is filming could start next year, with it on screens by early 2026."

Line of Duty to begin filming next year for 2026 broadcast date

In recent months, news about Line of Duty's future has been less positive with stars indicating that there were no immediate plans to begin filming for a new season.

Back in April, Compston said: "I'm sorry. They're some of my closest friends, we all love Jed [Mercurio], and we'd all love to work together at some point, but there are no immediate plans.

"It's just getting us all together and stuff. We'd like to but, yeah, these things are a bit complicated. But there are no immediate plans."

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Anna Maxwell Martin, who played Patricia Carmichael in seasons five and six, previously made clear her desire to return to the programme.

She recently said that she "loved" playing the "amazing" character, and said she would play her "for the rest of my life" if she could.

Martin added: "In fact, I wish Jed would do the spin-off: 'Pat' – not even Pat doing policing, just her doing other things like going to the shops!"