Line Of Duty 'WILL return for a seventh series'

Line Of Duty will return for a seventh series, it has been reported.

Sources claim bosses have finally drawn up plans for new episodes of the beloved police drama after a string of secret meetings, bringing news that 'millions of fans have been hoping for.'

It comes after fans called for a seventh series after being left 'disappointed' by the finale of series six in May, despite creator Jed Mercurio furious defending the show.

A source told The Daily Star: 'Another series is happening. This is the news millions of fans have been hoping for.

It's thought that details including storylines and filming dates are yet to be finalised, with the source adding: 'A lot of stuff still needs to be agreed and it is likely to take a while. Fans will probably have to wait a few years before it airs on TV.'

MailOnline has contacted representatives for BBC for comment.

It comes after the show's creator Jed Mercurio continued to defend the BBC police drama after droves of fans slammed the 'disappointing' series six finale.

Taking to Twitter. the writer, 55, responded to critics in an impassioned post and said that it is 'impossible' to satisfy all viewers' expectations.

An eye-watering 12.8million viewers tuned in to watch Line Of Duty's sixth season conclude on Sunday night with a 56.2% share - recording the network's highest ever overnight rating, yet some disappointed fans were left with unanswered questions.

Responding to the fan backlash over the finale, Jed admitted that the episode 'divided social media opinion' yet he found a 'a far less extreme picture' when taking in the audience research.

He tweeted: '1. No one disputes the Line of Duty finale divided social media opinion but the audience research so far shows a far less extreme picture. 

'We knew a "down" ending would rate less favourably with some viewers, however all 7 episodes varied by under 10% on average viewer score...'

Jed continued: '2. The research determines the episode ratings based on randomly polling viewers, rather than sites like imdb where scores can be skewed by users strongly motivated to register their immediate anger/adulation …

'3. 1000 random viewers submitted scores from 1-10 which have been used to calculate the Appreciation Index (AI) as a score out of 100. The AI for the "down" finale was only 7 points below the next lowest in Season 6 (Ep 1) …' 

Jed concluded with: '4/4 These figures won’t stop the debate, of course, nor should they - that’s still all part of the experience of shared TV viewing. Thanks again for watching.'

He also clarified his statement with: 'Some clarification on specific numbers has been requested.

'I'm not permitted to disclose the AI figures, however for LoD they are in the top tier of the range for BBC1 drama, including for the finale, and over 50% of those polled rated the finale as either 9/10 or 10/10.'  

The writer also directly responded to several fans after one viewer admitted the finale 'seemed rushed' while another labelled the episode a 'let down'. 

The social media user said: 'Personally I admired the message on reflection, just felt that things like gail vella’s murder/jo’s storyline seemed rushed and would’ve preferred more focus on the characters/less plot holes.

'Doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredible show overall though, [fingers crossed emoji] for series 7!'

To which Jed replied with: 'Thanks for your view, Katie. It's interesting how many of the people most critical of the finale were wanting more thrills and action. 

'This is the problem with attempting to satisfy all viewers' expectations. It's just not possible, I'm afraid. Thanks very much for watching.'

While a different fan put: 'Jed, I get the message of endemic corruption. That works for one series of six episodes. But having invested in LoD from the first episode of series one, the ending was a huge letdown.

'If it leads to a grand denouement with series 7, all well and good. If not, I feel cheated.'

To which Jed replied with: 'Thanks for your view, Peter. We made the choice that showing AC-12 dismantle institutional corruption would be the "cheat". 

'As the audience data show, some viewers share your view but many don't. Thanks for watching.'

This isn't the first time Jed has defended his popular TV shows and in 2018 he said that he was annoyed at critics 's**gging off' his then drama the Bodyguard after questioning the gripping series' accuracy.  

While Jed also hit back at Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick in 2019 after she criticised Line Of Duty and said she was 'outraged' by the 'level of casual and extreme corruption that was being portrayed' in the series. 

Line Of Duty fans across the nation were left 'fuming' as the nail-biting series finale drew to a close on Sunday and the mysterious antagonist 'H' was finally unmasked.

Seasoned fans took to social media in their droves to share their frustrations as officers from the police anti-corruption unit AC-12 discovered the

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