Adrian Dunbar would love 'Line of Duty' to continue for as long as there is an “appetite” for it.
Adrian Dunbar
The 62-year-old actor - who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings in the BBC crime series - has admitted he hopes the popular programme will have many more episodes past season six, which he teased is "coming soon".
Speaking on The Graham Norton Radio Show on Virgin Radio, he said: "I think as long as there's an appetite from our audience for the show, we'll keep going.
"Why would we stop? We've managed to keep the standard, Jed [Mercurio, show creator] rather, has managed to keep the standard so high for so long, and people love the show. I hope it does go on."
He added: "But of course everything is finite, I see 'Peaky Blinders' is coming off after six fabulous seasons. When it ends, it will end, and we'll have all had the most wonderful time.
"At the moment there is a great appetite among all of us involved in the programme to do more.
"What we don't know is whether there will come a point where we kind of lose that enthusiasm to keep going back."
The upcoming season will see series regulars Adrian, Martin Compston (Steve Arnott), and Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming) reprising their roles.
The new episodes of the police corruption drama will feature a brand new case for the AC-12 team as they investigate DCI Joanne Davidson - played by Kelly Macdonald - after she looked into an unsolved murder case.
Showrunner Jed Mercurio previously thanked fans of the show for their "patience" as they faced some setbacks getting filming done amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: "We know 'Line of Duty' fans are desperate for series six and we hope we can get it on air as soon as possible.
"Thanks so much for your patience in these difficult times."
The Graham Norton Radio Show with Virgin Radio airs Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am -12:30pm and is available via virginradio.co.uk