David Farnor | On 25, Aug 2016

Line of Duty is already one of the BBC’s biggest dramas. Now, it’s about to become even bigger with the announcement of Season 4’s villain: Thandie Newton.

The actress, known for her roles in Crash and Mission: Impossible II and soon to be seen in Westworld (pictured above in the HBO show’s trailer), will star as DCI Roz Huntley, the new antagonist for AC-12 to face. She will join returning cast members Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar.

The award-winning series moved to BBC One after its huge success since launching on BBC Two in 2012. Its third season was the highest-rating BBC Two drama series ever, with a series consolidated average of 5.1 million. Season 4 of the hit drama, written and created by Jed Mercurio and made by World Productions for BBC One, begins with Roz and her team in the thick of a career-defining case: Operation Trapdoor.

Under intense pressure to catch the culprit and prove herself to her superiors, and facing conflict with her colleague, Forensic Coordinator Tim Ifield (Jason Watkins – Love Nina), it’s not long before AC-12 decide to probe her handling of the investigation. A mother of two and wife to husband Nick (Lee Ingleby – The A Word), Roz will do anything to stop her life unravelling. Anything.

Determined to uncover the truth, Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Compston), Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming (McClure) and Superintendent Ted Hastings (Dunbar) must work together to tackle their most devious opponent yet. They are aided by PC Maneet Bindra (Maya Sondhi) and newcomer Detective Constable Jamie Desford (Royce Pierreson).

“I watched the last three seasons of Line of Duty with breathless admiration for its creators, both behind and in front of the camera. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be joining them now,” says Newton.

“Such exciting news to have Thandie on board. I’m really looking forward to working with her and getting back to Belfast with the team,” adds McClure.

Newton follows in the footsteps of Lennie James, Keeley Hawes and Daniel Mays. It’s no spoiler to say that the bad guys don’t stick around for very long on Mercurio’s watch, something that clearly hasn’t deterred the Hollywood veteran from hopping from US to UK screens.

“It’s incredibly flattering we’ve been able to attract such amazing talent as Thandie Newton, Jason Watkins and Lee Ingleby to join our brilliant regular cast of Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar,” comments Mercurio. “We’re all looking forward to tormenting the nation with ever more diabolical plot twists!”

Filming starts in Belfast next month.

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