It’s official: Service exercise is back.
Jed Mercurio’s hit police procedural will return to the BBC for a seventh series, with stars Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar reprising their roles.
The show last aired in 2021, and the season six finale was the biggest drama episode – excluding soaps – since modern British records began in 2002, with a huge 17 million viewers after 28 days.
The new six-part series, created and written by Mercurio and produced by World Productions in association with ITV Studios for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, will begin filming in Belfast in spring 2026. Additional cast members will be announced in due course.
During the seventh season, AC-12 was disbanded and renamed the Police Standards Inspectorate. Anti-corruption work has never been more difficult and in this difficult climate, Steve Arnott (Compston), Fleming (McClure) and Ted Hastings (Dunbar) are assigned their most sensitive case yet.
“Detective Inspector Dominic Gough, a charismatic officer hailed for a string of takedowns of organized crime, is accused of abusing his position of trust to act as a sexual predator,” reads the plot synopsis. “But is Gough’s case a deliberate diversion from a larger threat that still operates in the shadows?”
Creator, writer and executive producer Mercurio said: “Everyone involved in Service exercise feels enormous gratitude to the fans of the series. We are privileged to have had so many of us follow the ups and downs of AC-12 over the previous six seasons and couldn’t be more excited to return for a seventh. Corruption in this country is supposed to have ended while Service exercise was no longer on the air, so I was forced to use my imagination.
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, added: “Service exercise is loved by audiences and critics alike and its incredible ratings are a true testament to the success of Jed’s writing, the work of the brilliant team at World Productions and the entire cast and crew. I am so happy that after four long years Service exercise I’ll be returning to filming soon and I can’t wait until BBC viewers are back on the edge of their seats.
Compston described the show as “the work of a lifetime” while McClure said: “Belfast, we’ll see you soon!” Dunbar commented: “As we count down the days of AC12 Christmas, what joy to know that the Three Amigos will be back to film together next year. Delighted with the news and looking forward to these mercurial twists and turns.”
Service exercise is written and created by Mercurio and produced by World Productions, part of ITV Studios, which handles international distribution. It will be directed by Jennie Darnell and the producer is Ken Horn. Executive producers are Mercurio, Simon Heath for World Productions and Nick Lambon for the BBC. Service exercise is produced with the support of Northern Ireland Screen.
The first six seasons of Service exercise are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
