Line Of Duty series seven first look is revealed as BBC bosses bring air date forward

Line Of Duty have released a first look at the seventh series after BBC bosses brought the air date of the police drama forward.The six-part series, which wrapped filming in Belfast earlier this year, will see the return of Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprising their roles as Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings respectively.The new series, which is slated to premiere in late January, sees AC-12 disbanded and now rebranded as the Inspectorate of Professional Standards. Anti corruption work has never been more difficult and in this challenging climate the trio are assigned their most sensitive case so far.As previously announced, BAFTA-winning actor Robert Carlyle is the guest lead for the upcoming series where he plays Police Constable Shaun Massie.PC Massie is a Specialist Rifle Officer operating with Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7) to take down Organised Crime Groups. Line Of Duty have released a first look at the seventh series as BBC bosses bring the air date of the police drama forward As previously announced, BAFTA-winning actor Robert Carlyle (right) is the guest lead for the upcoming series where he plays Police Constable Shaun Massie Tom Weston-Jones (Warrior, Sanditon) will play Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, leader of Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7)A gruff loner, Massie keeps himself to himself, but when his boss, commanding officer DI Dominic Gough, is accused of being a sexual predator, Massie's otherwise detached demeanour changes drastically.Tom Weston-Jones (Warrior, Sanditon) will play Detective Inspector Gough, leader of TO-7.A charismatic officer who has won plaudits for a string of takedowns of organised crime, Gough is accused of abusing his position of trust.TO-7 will also feature Line of Duty newcomers Laura Aikman (This City Is Ours, Gavin & Stacey) as DC Paula Beckman, Levi Brown (This Town, Girl Taken) as DC Luke Tobin and Amy Leigh Hickman (Ackley Bridge, You) as DC Nira Rashid.The BBC have traditionally released the show in March but the seventh season of the police corruption thriller is reportedly airing in late January. Vicky, 43, Martin, 42, and Adrian, 68, wrapped up filming back in July after four months on set.A TV insider told The Sun: 'This will be welcome news for fans who have already been waiting five years for the next instalment in the story of AC-12. 'They will have been expecting this to land in late March and moving the show is a vote of confidence in the new series as January is when the Beeb likes to showcase its big dramas. The six-part series, which wrapped filming in Belfast earlier this year, will see the return of Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar reprising their roles as Steve Arnott, Kate Fleming and Ted Hastings respectively PC Massie is a Specialist Rifle Officer operating with Tactical Operations Unit 7 (TO-7) to take down Organised Crime Groups Vicky, 43, Martin, 42, and Adrian, 68, wrapped up filming back in July after four months on set A gruff loner, Massie keeps himself to himself, but when his boss, commanding officer DI Dominic Gough, is accused of being a sexual predator, Massie's otherwise detached demeanour changes drastically'Other shows, such as Sherlock, started off being broadcast in the summer, then shifted to January. It's also when it debuted The Night Manager. Rumour has it that bosses have viewed early edits of the new run and are delighted with what they see.'The Daily Mail has approached the BBC for comment. Cast-members Vicky, Martin and Adrian shot new scenes as AC-12, some five years after an anti-climactic sixth series divided viewers.Fans were largely disappointed by the controversial ending, during which bumbling Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle, was unmasked as 'H' – the shadowy criminal mastermind behind an intricate network of police corruption.But in recent weeks, creator Jed Mercurio has given fans a taste of what to expect from the seventh series.Taking to Instagram earlier this year, Jed shared a shot of Dunbar, dressed in full police uniform, looking out across a busy office as he prepared to film his latest scenes as Superintendent Ted Hastings.'There's only one thing I'm interested in and one thing only and that's bent coppers,' read an accompanying caption – one of Hastings' best-known quotes.The popular police drama originally aired on BBC Two, before moving to BBC One from its fourth series onwards. Vicky, 43, Martin, 42, and Adrian, 67, wrapped up filming back in July after four months on set The actress posted a snap on Instagram with her co-stars after finishing filming The iconic police trio looked happier than ever after reuniting for the highly-anticipated series