Adrian Dunbar says “It’s not looking good for Ted,” ahead of 'Line of Duty''s return

Tomorrow night the highly anticipated fifth series of Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty hits BBC One. Expect kettles boiled, breaths held and assumptions shattered.

Adrian Dunbar, who plays Chief Inspector Ted Hastings in the cop drama, joined Graham Norton on his Saturday radio show, to talk about life on set and what to expect in season 5.

“It’s not looking good for Ted,” he revealed.

“None of us feel safe. It’s Jed – he wipes out fantastic actors in one episode.” Previous stars that have met a sticky end include Danny Mays and Jessica Raine, who exited her episode by being chucked out of a window. Needless to say, she did not return for the next instalment.

Read more: Line of Duty season 5 trailer shows one huge change to the show

Dunbar opened up about filming the hit show in Belfast. “It’s a fantastic city. We all have flats in Belfast in the same block, borrowing sugar from each other.”

Dunbar, originally from Enniskillen, has been known to introduce his own Northern Irish slang into the dialogue, which has been a big hit with fans.

There’s a very good one in episode one to watch out for,” he told Norton. Dunbar loved the fact that his character is a Catholic. “He’s from the RUC, nobody really knows him. He’s an outsider. He’s not identifiable or has connections.” All factors that make him an ideal candidate for investigations, but to also be corrupt.

Read more: ‘Line of Duty’’s biggest fans are in the police force, says Adrian Dunbar

He admitted that Line of Duty is “the only show I’ve ever watched live. It’s turned into an event now – into watercooler telly.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s used to being recognised while out shopping just yet. “The woman in Tesco said to me you don’t look as fat as you do in that white shirt. I just said thank you and asked for a bag.”

So, who does he tell after he’s finished reading his script. Who knows the secrets of series 5?

“Oh, you don’t tell anyone – that’s the safest thing,” Dunbar was quick to emphasise.

“Otherwise I think something very bad would happen… it would be like voodoo, because million of people would hate you. All the bad vibes and then Jed, well he would actually punish you.”

Line of Duty starts tomorrow 9pm on BBC One.