Robert Carlyle Joins Line of Duty for Series Seven
Robert Carlyle has been confirmed as the guest lead for the upcoming seventh series of Line of Duty, stepping into the role of specialist rifle officer Det Con Shaun Massie in the six-episode return of the police drama.
Robert Carlyle to play Det Con Shaun Massie
The casting announcement names Carlyle as a veteran marksman and specialist rifle officer, a character described as a "gruff loner" who will be assigned to take down organised crime groups as part of a Tactical Operations unit. Carlyle has said he is a long-time admirer of the series' creator and welcomed the chance to join the ensemble; the scripts, he added, will maintain the quality viewers expect. The series writer also praised Carlyle's performance, suggesting audiences will be kept guessing by the new character's actions and motives.
What the new series will bring
The forthcoming season will follow the anti-corruption unit that has been disbanded and rebranded as the Inspectorate of Police Standards, with the team assigned their most sensitive case so far. Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar will reprise their roles for the new instalment. The narrative will take a sharp turn when Massie's boss, DI Dominic Gough, is accused of being a sexual predator — a development that reshapes the operation and raises more complex questions for the reconstituted team.
Production is scheduled to begin filming in Belfast in the spring. The six-episode run is slated to be broadcast next year. The previous series concluded in 2021 with a finale that drew more than 17 million viewers, setting a high bar for the return.
Carlyle follows a line of high-profile guest leads who have joined the show in past seasons; previous actors in similar roles include familiar faces from the series' history. The new casting is positioned as a significant draw for the upcoming instalment and a fresh focal point for the unfolding investigation at the heart of the drama.
The combination of the rebranded inspectorate, a sensitive new case, and the arrival of a specialist firearms officer with a troubled chain of command sets the stage for a season built around tense moral and operational dilemmas. Carlyle's character is expected to be central to those tensions, both as an effective operator against organised crime and as a figure whose loyalties and responses will complicate the team's work.
With filming set to start in the spring and the show scheduled for broadcast next year, audiences can expect the series to return as a tightly plotted six-episode thriller that picks up the threads of its anti-corruption remit while introducing new internal and external pressures. The creative team has signalled an intent to preserve the tone and quality that drew a large audience to the last season's finale in 2021.
