INTERVIEW

Ahead of his new ITV detective show, actor Adrian Dunbar, 63, talks about finding fame later in life, his past struggles with alcohol, falling for his wife and why he ‘needs’ to film a new series of Line of Duty

by LOUISE GANNON

styling SASHA BARRIE

In the rather plain office of an East London studio, Adrian Dunbar leans across a wooden table, his pale blue eyes narrowed and fully focused. He has something important to say. He takes a breath. ‘It’s not that I would just want to do another series of Line of Duty,’ he says, his Northern Irish inflection accenting each word slowly and precisely for maximum effect. ‘I think we need to do another series. We need to go back just one more time.’

He is, of course, talking about the police investigation series in which he – as Superintendent Ted Hastings – starred alongside Vicky McClure and Martin Compston. The show, written and directed by Jed Mercurio and launched in 2012, became a multi-award-winning television phenomenon. It turned its three main stars into household names, gripped viewers with its twists, turns and forensic attention to police terminology and acronyms, and created a frenzy of social media memes, gifs and viral videos (largely made up of Adrian’s semi-improvised expressions, including the unforgettable ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey’). Line of Duty drew an audience of more than 12.8 million for the final episode of the sixth series, which was screened last May.

‘I added donkey” once the cameras started rolling. Everyone was silent for a moment but it stayed in’

But now, even as he is about to be launched to the British viewing public as a very different police detective in a compelling new ITV series, Ridley, Adrian acknowledges that his most famous alter ego, Hastings, and his anti-corruption team have unfinished business.