Adrian Dunbar says Line of Duty will be back: will it right the finale wrongs?

"I really hope so... it certainly seems that way!" remarked the actor portraying Superintendent Ted Hastings in an interview with Times Radio. "All the signs are pointing in that direction, but as someone mentioned, you can’t be completely confident until the script is officially in front of you. So, we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that there will be an announcement from someone soon..."

"I can assure you of one thing: when they make that announcement, it's going to break the internet."

Absolutely, it definitely will, especially since Dunbar's remarks have already sparked a buzz. It's been three years since the conclusion of the BBC series, which wrapped up the six-season mystery surrounding the identity of 'H,' the main antagonist infiltrating the police and opposing AC-12. For many of the 12.8 million viewers who tuned in, the final reveal was quite disappointing.

It appears that series creator Jed Mercurio has reconsidered his decision to let things end as they did. Following the release of the finale, he took to Twitter to support his choices in a series of detailed posts. In one of these, he referenced a study about audience reactions:

A total of 1,000 random viewers rated the finale on a scale from 1 to 10, and their ratings were used to create the Appreciation Index (AI), which is expressed as a score out of 100. The AI for the "down" finale was just 7 points lower than the next lowest score in Season 6 (Episode 1).

This didn't dampen the reaction.

Even the actor whose character was uncovered as 'H' or the 'Fourth Man' was surprised.

Nigel Boyle, who portrayed DCI Ian Buckells, remarked, "I never expected it because I’m aware of how Jed expertly misleads the audience with clever distractions. I didn’t really focus on details like Buckell’s golf clubs, but I certainly should have! I was completely convinced that Buckells lacked competence, but now that I reflect on it, everything clicks into place!"

A lot of viewers were surprised to find out that the deceptive genius behind everything was actually the show’s irritating source of humor. The announcement of a competing series has stirred up considerable excitement, presenting an opportunity to correct some mistakes, even with all the previous investigations.