Actress Thandie Newton will star as guest lead DCI Roz Huntley in the fourth series of Jed Mercurio’s hit drama Line Of Duty. 

She will join returning cast members Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar. Jason Watkins, Lee Ingleby and Royce Pierreson also confirmed for the BBC One series.

Thandie Newton (Westworld, Crash) will take on the role of new AC-12 antagonist DCI Roz Huntley, in series four of Line Of Duty, following in the footsteps of Lennie James, Keeley Hawes and Daniel Mays.

Series four 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, The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies), 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, Our Zoo), Roz will do anything to stop her life unravelling. Anything.

Determined to uncover the truth, Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian 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).

Speaking about the role, Thandie Newton says: “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.”

Vicky McClure says: “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.”

On returning to the series, Martin Compston says: “I’m delighted to be heading back to Belfast with the rest of the AC-12 cast and I’m looking forward to once again trying to do justice to the fantastic scripts Jed Mercurio has written. It's a testament to how well Line of Duty has done last few years that we can attract someone of Thandie Newton’s calibre to the show. It’s great to have her on board.”

Adrian Dunbar adds: “I am thrilled and excited about the new series, as we get the team together for another heart-stopping journey with AC-12. It’s going to be great seeing old friends and making some new ones.”

Creator, writer and Executive Producer Jed Mercurio says: “Thanks so much to the fans who've made Line of Duty such a success. Thanks to the BBC for all their support in making the series. 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. We're all looking forward to tormenting the nation with ever more diabolical plot twists!”

The award-winning series moved to BBC One after its huge success since launching on BBC Two in 2012. This third series was the highest-rating BBC Two drama series ever since current measuring system began in 2002, with a series consolidated average of 5.1 million. The exhilarating 90-minute finale consolidated at 5.6 million.

Filming starts in Belfast next month. Produced by Cait Collins, Alex Winckler will direct episodes one to three and John Strickland episodes four to six. The executive producers are Jed Mercurio and Simon Heath for World Productions, and Stephen Wright for BBC Northern Ireland. With support from Northern Ireland Screen.