'Line of Duty' could return next year.

Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar in Line of Duty

Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, Adrian Dunbar in Line of Duty

Series creator and writer Jed Mercurio has revealed he hopes series six will be aired "sometime in 2020", but he admitted there is no official announcement just yet.

Jed told RadioTimes.com: "I would hope its sometime in 2020, next year. But that's not something we're able to confirm."

The season five finale aired back in May, and the run followed a two-year gap between series.

Jed - who also created 'Bodyguard' for BBC - says that production is at the "planning stage".

He said: "That's something that we have at the planning stage, so we are working towards a date. We can't confirm everything until things are in place."

The series follows AC-12's Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) as they investigate corrupt police officers.

And Mercurio revealed earlier this year he was in talks with the Beeb about the future of both his shows.

He previously said: "We're currently in talks with the BBC about the future of both series. So at this point it's not possible to say what will happen next.

"But it's impossible to work on the two of them simultaneously, so it would have to be sequential."

He has made it clear he would love 'Line of Duty' to return for a seventh series after a sixth was already commissioned.

He added: "We're looking forward to a conversation with the BBC once series five has aired ... about whether there is an appetite from fans to have more, or whether there's a feeling the show is coming towards its natural arc.

"That conversation will be very specific, which is whether series six will be the last, or whether the BBC would be prepared to commission a seventh so we can approach series six knowing it's not the last."