Adrian Dunbar on Fermanagh, Unity and the Catchphrase That Followed Him Home: 'I Never Expected Any of This'
Adrian Dunbar, the Enniskillen-born actor whose portrayal of Superintendent Ted Hastings in Line of Duty made him one of the most recognisable faces in British and Irish television, has spoken candidly about his relationship with his home county of Fermanagh, his nuanced views on Irish unity, and the new catchphrase from his latest project that has taken social media by storm — in a wide-ranging interview that reveals a man who remains deeply connected to the community that shaped him, even as his career has taken him far from the shores of Lough Erne.
Background
Adrian Dunbar grew up in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, in the 1960s and 1970s — a formative period in a town that would later be scarred by the Remembrance Sunday bombing of 1987, one of the most devastating atrocities of the Troubles. He trained as an actor in Dublin before building a career that took him to London and eventually to the international stage, but he has consistently spoken about the importance of his Fermanagh roots to his sense of identity and to his approach to his craft.
Line of Duty, the BBC police procedural in which Dunbar played the irascible but principled Superintendent Ted Hastings, became one of the most watched television dramas in the history of British broadcasting, with the series finale in 2021 attracting more than 12 million viewers. Hastings's catchphrases — "Mother of God," "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey," and the immortal "Now we are where we are" — became part of the cultural vocabulary of the British Isles, and Dunbar's performance was widely praised as one of the defining television performances of his generation.
Since Line of Duty concluded, Dunbar has continued to work extensively in television and film, taking on a range of roles that have demonstrated the breadth of his talent beyond the Hastings character. His latest project, which has generated the new catchphrase that has been circulating on social media, has introduced him to a new generation of viewers while maintaining the loyalty of the audience that followed him through six series of Line of Duty.
Key Developments
In the interview, published in BBC NI's weekend magazine, Dunbar speaks with characteristic directness about his relationship with Fermanagh and with Northern Ireland more broadly. He describes returning to Enniskillen as a grounding experience — a reminder of where he came from and of the values that were instilled in him by his family and community. "There's something about Fermanagh that never leaves you," he says. "The landscape, the people, the particular way of looking at the world — it's in you whether you want it to be or not."
On the question of Irish unity, Dunbar is characteristically thoughtful and nuanced. He expresses support for the principle of a united Ireland but is careful to acknowledge the complexity of the question and the importance of ensuring that any constitutional change is genuinely inclusive of all traditions on the island. "I grew up in a community where people had very different views about what they were and where they belonged," he says. "Any conversation about unity has to start from a place of genuine respect for all of those views, not just the ones that are convenient."
The new catchphrase — which Dunbar declines to reveal in full, saying that viewers should discover it for themselves — has been described by social media users as "very Ted Hastings but completely different," a characterisation that Dunbar finds amusing. "I never expected any of this," he says of the cultural phenomenon that Line of Duty became. "You do the work, you try to do it as well as you can, and then the audience decides what it means to them. That's the magic of it."
Why It Matters
Adrian Dunbar's cultural significance extends well beyond his individual performances. He is one of a generation of Northern Irish actors — alongside James Nesbitt, Ciarán Hinds, and Liam Neeson — who have achieved international success while maintaining a strong connection to their home communities and to the particular experience of growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Their success has been important not just for the individuals involved but for the broader cultural confidence of Northern Ireland, demonstrating that the region's talent is capable of competing at the highest levels of the international entertainment industry.
His willingness to speak publicly about Irish unity — a subject that many public figures in Northern Ireland approach with extreme caution — is also significant. The conversation about constitutional change has intensified in recent years, and the voices of cultural figures who can speak to the complexity of the question from personal experience are valuable contributions to a debate that is often dominated by political rhetoric.
Local Impact
In Enniskillen, Dunbar's continued success and his consistent acknowledgement of his Fermanagh roots are a source of considerable local pride. The town, which has worked hard to rebuild its identity and its confidence in the decades since the 1987 bombing, has found in Dunbar a cultural ambassador who represents the best of what the community has produced. The Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has recognised his contribution to the region's cultural profile, and local schools have used his career as an example of what is possible for young people from the area. The Ardhowen Theatre in Enniskillen, where Dunbar has performed on several occasions, has indicated that it hopes to host him for a special event in the coming year.
What's Next
Dunbar's latest project is expected to air on BBC One in the autumn, with a transmission date to be confirmed. He has indicated that he has several other projects in development, including a film that draws on his experience of growing up in Fermanagh during the Troubles — a project that he describes as "the most personal thing I've ever worked on." He will also be attending the Emmy Awards ceremony on 14 September, where A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms — a production that, like Line of Duty, has benefited from Northern Ireland's creative talent — is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.
