Stephen Graham Signed Up For New Series Of 'Line Of Duty'

There was a time when audiences up and down the country were waiting for a police drama to replace the loss of The Bill.

And after years of disappointment they finally got one in the form of Line of Duty.

Led by Superintendent Ted 'the letter of the law' Hastings it follows anti-corruption police force AC-12, which specialises in rooting out every single 'bent copper' in the force.

And it is a task that Hastings relishes.

BBC/Line of Duty

But it's not just the veteran officer who leads the charge, he is flanked by his trusty sidekicks, Detective Seargants Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming.

Though the trio have their ups and downs, tantrums and tears, and you're never quite sure who is good and who is bad, they always get their man.

And it has now been announced another star has joined the ranks of the primetime drama. Hollywood scouser Stephen Graham has been confirmed among the cast for series five.

But by the looks of it, he's not one of the good guys.

Line of Duty's official Twitter page announced the arrival of the This is England actor by posting a photograph of him dressed in black, peeling a balaclava away from his face.

The post read: "Welcome to the club! @StephenGraham73 #LineofDuty"

Stephen shared the post and wrote: "Thanks for having me!!"

And this is only going to feed excitement among fans, who have been pulling their hair out for more than a year, after the finale of series four left audiences guessing what the hell was going on. Who can you trust?

The cliffhanger saw AC-12 finally unveil the identity of the murderous balaclava man. It was more than one person. Mind blown, I know.

A trailer for the upcoming series - due to hit our screens in 2019 - was released earlier this month, which though it doesn't give too much away - surprise - it does reveal that during the break Det Arnott has decided to grow a rather fetching beard.

There are so many questions left to be answered; will they ever unravel the criminal web of bent coppers that has infiltrated the police force? Will Steve and Kate finally get together? And most importantly, will Ted Hastings stop being a weird crush?

I don't have the answers, but I can't wait to find out.

Topics: TV and Film, News, Line of Duty

Dominic Smithers

Dominic graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in French and History. Like you, Dom has often questioned how much use a second language has been. Well, after stints working at the Manchester Evening News, the Accrington Observer and the Macclesfield Express, along with never setting foot in France, he realised the answer is surprisingly little. But I guess, c'est la vie. Contact us at [email protected]

@SmithersDom