Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio’s BBC police corruption drama, holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and produced the most-watched drama finale in British television history when 15.79 million people tuned in to watch Season 6’s conclusion in 2021. Four years later, the show is coming back. Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar have all committed to return for Season 7, filming began in January 2026, and the series is expected to air in 2027. Robert Carlyle has been confirmed as the season’s big-name guest star. AC-12 has been rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards, and the Line of Duty cast net worth tells the story of three careers built primarily through one extraordinary show.
Vicky McClure (DI Kate Fleming): The AC-12 Breakout
Vicky McClure has an estimated net worth of $4 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, though some UK-focused estimates place her wealth significantly higher at approximately £13.65 million based on a wider range of income sources. The 42-year-old from Nottingham trained at the Central Junior Television Workshop in Nottingham, where she was coached by Samantha Morton. She auditioned for the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts at 16 and was accepted, but her family could not afford the tuition. She spent four years without acting work after her first film role at 15, working in retail and an office job that allowed her time to audition.
Her breakthrough came through Shane Meadows’s This Is England in 2006, and she continued that role through This Is England ’86 and ’88 on Channel 4, winning the BAFTA for Best Actress for the ’86 series in 2011. Line of Duty followed in 2012. She has been DI Kate Fleming across all six series and will return for the seventh. Beyond Line of Duty, she starred in BBC One’s The Replacement and has been a consistent presence in British television drama. She received an MBE in 2023 for services to drama and charity, presented to her by King Charles at Windsor Castle. She is the founder of Our Dementia Choir and has been closely involved with the Teenage Cancer Trust in Nottingham. She married Welsh director Jonny Owen in August 2023. She stated publicly that all three AC-12 leads are paid equally regardless of screen time: “I know I’m on the same pay as Adrian and Martin. It doesn’t matter who gets the most screen time. We all come as a team.”
Martin Compston (DI Steve Arnott): The Former Footballer
Martin Compston has an estimated net worth of $5 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The 40-year-old from Greenock, Scotland, was a professional footballer for Greenock Morton before an audition for Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen in 2002 changed his career entirely. He was cast in the lead role with no acting experience and won the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in a Feature Film for that performance. The film’s reception at Cannes launched an acting career that might otherwise never have existed.
He appeared in Monarch of the Glen, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints alongside Robert Downey Jr, The Damned United, Mary Queen of Scots opposite Margot Robbie, and Filth alongside James McAvoy before Line of Duty established him as a leading television actor rather than a character player. Post-Line of Duty, he starred in The Nest, Traces, Our House, Vigil, Red Eye, and Fear, building a portfolio of prestige BBC and ITV dramas that demonstrate he has constructed a career independent of Steve Arnott rather than being defined solely by it. He is married to American actress Tianna Chanel Flynn, whom he met during the show. They have one child. He lives between Scotland and Las Vegas, where his wife is based, an unusually transatlantic arrangement for a British television lead.
Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings): Now We’re Sucking Diesel
Adrian Dunbar has an estimated net worth of approximately $3 million. The 62-year-old from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, has been an established figure in Irish and British theatre and television since the 1980s. His career includes Blood Sunday, Hear My Song, Cal, The Crying Game, and multiple theatre productions with the National Theatre of Ireland. Before Line of Duty, he was well-regarded within the industry but not a household name. Ted Hastings changed that comprehensively.
Hastings’s improvised catchphrases, most famously “now we’re sucking diesel” and “mother of God”, were not in the original scripts. Dunbar added them during filming and Mercurio kept them, recognising that they had become part of the character’s texture and a significant part of the audience’s affection for the show. The “H is for Hastings” fan theory, which dominated British television discourse during Season 5 and was definitively resolved only in Season 6, generated a level of cultural penetration unusual for any BBC drama. His net worth is modest by television-star standards, reflecting a career built primarily in the less commercially lucrative British and Irish theatre and television sectors rather than film or US television. Line of Duty has given him a level of mainstream recognition that has translated into further television and stage opportunities since 2021.
The Season 7 Guest Star and What the Show’s Return Means
Robert Carlyle has been confirmed as the Season 7 guest star, playing Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, described in the synopsis as “a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns.” Carlyle stated: “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.” Carlyle’s casting follows the Line of Duty tradition of securing a British acting figure of significant profile and cultural standing: Stephen Graham, Thandiwe Newton, and Daniel Mays are among previous season guest leads. Carlyle is best known internationally for Trainspotting, The Full Monty, Once Upon a Time, and Hamish Macbeth, giving him the dual quality of critical respect and popular recognition that the role demands.
The Season 7 synopsis states: “AC-12 has been disbanded and rebranded the Inspectorate of Police Standards. Anti-corruption work has never been more difficult.” The institutional renaming suggests Mercurio is refreshing the show’s structural premise rather than simply repeating the formula of the previous six series. Filming began in January 2026 and a 2027 transmission is anticipated, though no broadcast date has been confirmed by the BBC as of May 2026. The combined net worth of the three AC-12 leads, approximately $12 million, is modest relative to the cultural value they generated for the BBC and for British television. The Season 6 finale’s 15.79 million viewers represented a commercial event that the BBC has been attempting to replicate ever since. Season 7, whenever it arrives, will likely do the same.
Line of Duty Cast Net Worth: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Line of Duty cast net worth?
The three main Line of Duty cast members have a combined estimated net worth of approximately $12 million. Vicky McClure, who plays DI Kate Fleming, has an estimated net worth of $4 million according to Celebrity Net Worth. Martin Compston, who plays DI Steve Arnott, has an estimated net worth of $5 million. Adrian Dunbar, who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings, has an estimated net worth of approximately $3 million.
Is Line of Duty Season 7 confirmed?
Yes. Line of Duty Season 7 is confirmed with filming beginning in January 2026 and a 2027 transmission anticipated. Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar have all committed to return as DI Steve Arnott, DI Kate Fleming, and Superintendent Ted Hastings respectively. Robert Carlyle has been confirmed as the season’s big-name guest star, playing DI Dominic Gough. The series is written and created by Jed Mercurio.
Who is the guest star in Line of Duty Season 7?
Robert Carlyle is the confirmed guest star in Line of Duty Season 7, playing Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, described as a charismatic officer winning plaudits for a string of takedowns. Carlyle is best known for Trainspotting, The Full Monty, Hamish Macbeth, and Once Upon a Time. He follows previous Line of Duty season guest leads including Stephen Graham, Thandiwe Newton, and Daniel Mays.
How many viewers watched the Line of Duty finale?
The Line of Duty Season 6 finale in May 2021 was watched by an estimated 15.79 million viewers, making it the most-watched drama finale in British television history. The episode, which revealed the identity of the mysterious ‘H’ and the structure behind organised crime’s infiltration of the police, generated significant public attention throughout its run.