ADRIAN Dunbar has entertained in theatres, in films and on television – but his Ted Hastings character in hit show Line of Duty has been a highlight of his 40-year career.

He will be appearing at the first reunion of the show’s stars since it ended, as he joins Martin Compston and Vicky McClure, as well as showrunner Jed Mercurio, to dish the dirt and raise money for a good cause, with a recording of the event exclusively available to subscribers of this title.

To find out more about how you can watch the show please click HERE!

Although Line of Duty has certainly catapulted Dunbar into the limelight, he has also been cast in familiar titles alongside well-known faces.

Impartial Reporter:

Dunbar is best known for the films My Left Foot (1989), The Crying Game (1992) and The General (1998), alongside many television series appearances.

Dunbar's theatre performances include The Shaughraun and Exiles at Dublin's Abbey Theatre and The Danton Affair at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Dunbar was even cast in Star Wars, the Phantom Menace as the original Bail Prestor Organa – his scenes were cut for the theatrical version … but can still be found in the deleted scenes.

He also appeared in a minor role in the political drama The Dawning (1988), alongside Anthony Hopkins and Hugh Grant, which helped to kickstart his career in film.

Since then, Dunbar has won two awards thanks to his performances in Line of Duty. Namely, Best Actor for TV Choice Awards in 2019 and Best TV Actor for GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2021.

Impartial Reporter:

He has also been nominated for two Baftas, once in 2018 for Best Supporting Actor in Line Of Duty, and once in 1993 for Hear My Song, a film he cowrote and starred in, for Best Screenplay.

In the funny musical Hear My Song, fans can see a softer side to his Line of Duty performance, portraying a struggling nightclub owner.

He now lives in North London with his wife, Australian actress Anna Nygh, but has not lost his Northern Irish accent for his performances.

Colloquialisms such as “houl yer whist” and “mother of God” made Ted Hastings go viral – the catchphrase “Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey” has made for an impressively long hashtag on Twitter.

In an interview with the BBC, Dunbar said he thinks keeping the twang helps fans feel an authentic connection with the character: "The sense of believability has to be great, so bringing it as close to yourself as you can always helps."

Dunbar also attributed his genuine portrayal of Hastings to his experiences growing up in Northern Ireland in the 60s and 70s.

Dunbar exhibited his philanthropic side ahead of the Line of Duty season six finale, when he decided to auction off his cast puffer jacket, which reads “Line Of Duty” on the chest, on eBay.

The proceeds went to UK-based charity Anno’s Africa, which helps establish educational arts projects for children in Kenya and rural Malawi.

The jacket, worth only around £40, went on to reach more than £2000 in bids, as the limited-edition piece provided the winning bidder a piece of TV history.

Line of Duty star, Martin Compston supported the move and then did the same for Ardgowan Hospice in his hometown of Greenock – his jacket hit £16,000 in bidding – which is the same charity now being supported by the reunion.

Dunbar has described his relationship with the rest of the cast as great: “I feel very blessed and I am working with a fabulous bunch of people and working with the greatest writer there ever was, so long may it continue.”

How can I watch the Line of Duty Reunion?

The exclusive video will only be available to our subscribers.

You can pay as little as £1 for your first month and that fee will go directly to Martin's favourite charity, Ardgowan Hospice.

To sign up, visit our subscribe page here and take advantage of our latest amazing offers.

Our exclusive recording of the event will be available to subscribers HERE from Thursday March 24.

For those who already subscribe, you will also receive exclusive access to the video.

Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

If you would like to make a further donation to Ardgowan Hospice, you can do so HERE.