Adrian Dunbar joked that he can’t escape the ‘b****y acronyms’ as he hosted Have I Got News For You for the first time on Friday.
The Line of Duty star, 62, ensured to take inspiration from his beloved TV character Superintendent Ted Hastings as he chatted about Covid vaccines and restrictions easing across the UK on the show.
Catching viewers up on the week’s events, Adrian started listing abbreviations such as AZ, MHRA and PHE – a stark chance from his usual use of CHIS, OCG and DIR.
Can’t get away from them! Adrian Dunbar joked that he can’t escape the ‘b****y acronyms’ as he hosted Have I Got News For You for the first time on Friday
Adrian said: ‘One vaccine development this week is that AZ has been backed by the MHRA, an EMA using data from the ONS and the PHE to support the JCV…
‘I mean… hang on… I only said yes to this show to get away from b****y acronyms!’
Adrian seemed to be referring to the recent decision of the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to not recommend age restrictions for the AstraZeneca vaccine’s (AZ) use as it would be ‘extremely rare’ to cause blood clots.
By 31 March 20.2million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine had been given in the UK meaning the overall risk of these blood clots is around 4 people in a million, reports the government’s website.
Icon: The Line of Duty star, 62, ensured to take inspiration from his beloved TV character Superintendent Ted Hastings as he chatted about Covid and restrictions easing across the UK
Other acronyms used by the TV star in his funny speech included AZ (AstraZeneca), EMA (European Medicines Agency). While ONS means Office for National Statistics and PHE stands for Public Health England.
Line of Duty is famous for its acronym heavy scripts with many viewers struggling to keep up with all the letters thrown at them in each action-packed episode.
Some favourites of Hastings include organised crime group (OCG), the digital interview recording (DIR) and a new one from series six which left some viewers thinking they’d heard something cruder, covert human intelligence source (CHIS).
Adrian’s character is also the head of AC-12, the Anti-Corruption unit, and he’s often heard asking for information on the SIO, senior investigating officer.
Adrian said: ‘One vaccine development this week is that AZ has been backed by the MHRA, an EMA using data from the ONS and the PHE to support the JCV…’
Joining Adrian as panellists for the second episode of the show’s 61st series are comedian Katherine Ryan and The Sunday Times’ Political Editor Tim Shipman.
Alongside regular team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, the new series continues to record in studio with a virtual audience.
Adrian’s HIGNFY hosting gig comes after his co-star Martin Compston warned Line Of Duty fans they will ‘need therapy’ by the end of Sunday night’s episode.
Got to keep up: Line of Duty is famous for its acronym heavy scripts with many viewers struggling to keep up with all the letters thrown at them in each action-packed episode
Last Sunday’s fourth episode of the current sixth series ended in a dramatic cliff-hanger as it was revealed DCI Jo Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) is related to a mystery person in the police database.
Martin – who portrays DI Steve Arnott – has teased viewers that is nothing compared to episode five’s finale.
Martin took to Instagram to share a picture of Steve running in full police gear, and captioned it: ‘In all seriousness though if you thought Ep 4 ended on a cliffhanger, you’ll need therapy by the end of Ep5!’
The tension’s mounting: Adrian’s co-star Martin Compston warned Line Of Duty fans they will ‘need therapy’ by the end of Sunday night’s episode
Tease: Martin – who portrays DI Steve Arnott – has teased viewers that is nothing compared to episode five’s finale
He also joked that he was on his way to buy some more waistcoats – a wardrobe staple for the character – after non-essential shops reopened this week.
The actor, 36, added: ‘Episode 5 kicks off as stores re-open and there’s a sale on waistcoats!’
Last week’s drama-filled episode left viewers scrambling to guess who Jo Davidson’s DNA match was after traces were found at her former lover Farida Jatri’s home.
Have I Got News For You continues on BBC One on Friday at the usual time of 9pm, with Line of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar guest hosting the programme for the first time.
Star-studded: Joining Adrian as panellists for the second episode of the show’s 61st series are comedian Katherine Ryan and The Sunday Times’ Political Editor Tim Shipman