Line of Duty

Line of Duty
Genre
Created byJed Mercurio
Written byJed Mercurio
Directed by
Starring
Theme music composerCarly Paradis
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series6
No. of episodes36 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Simon Heath
  • Stephen Wright
  • Jed Mercurio
Producers
  • Jed Mercurio
  • Peter Norris
  • Cait Collins
  • Ken Horn
Production locations
Cinematography
  • Ruairi O'Brien
  • Peter Robertson
  • Anna Valdez Hanks
  • Stephen Murphy
Running time57–88 minutes
Production companyWorld Productions
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release26 June 2012 (2012-06-26) –
28 April 2016 (2016-04-28)
NetworkBBC One
Release26 March 2017 (2017-03-26) –
2 May 2021 (2021-05-02)

Line of Duty is a British police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. On 26 June 2012, BBC Two began to broadcast the first series; it was its best-performing drama series in ten years with a consolidated audience of 4.1 million viewers. Broadcast of the second series began on 12 February 2014; its widespread public and critical acclaim led to the BBC commissioning a further two series. The third series began on 24 March 2016 on BBC Two; the following three series were broadcast on BBC One.

In May 2017, the BBC commissioned a sixth series. Filming began in February 2020 but stopped the following month due to the COVID-19 pandemic; it resumed in September. Filming continued until November 2020. Broadcast of the sixth series began on BBC One on 21 March 2021.

Prior to switching channels from series four onwards, Line of Duty was the most popular drama series broadcast on BBC Two and is a winner of the Royal Television Society Award and Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Drama Series. The Telegraph included it in a list of the Top 50 BBC Two shows of all time and in a list of the 80 best BBC shows of all time. In 2016, the series ranked eighth in The Independent's list of the twenty greatest police shows of all time and third in a Radio Times 2018 poll of the best British crime dramas of all time. In 2021 Line of Duty won the National Television Award for Special Recognition.

Synopsis

Line of Duty follows DS Steve Arnott, an authorised firearms officer who is transferred to Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12) after refusing to agree to cover up an unlawful shooting by his own team. At AC-12 Arnott is partnered with DC Kate Fleming, a highly commended undercover officer with a keen investigative instinct. They work under the supervision of Superintendent Ted Hastings, uncovering corruption within the fictional Central Police. Throughout the series, AC-12 investigate seemingly disparate cases involving seemingly corrupt police officers such as DCI Tony Gates (series one), DI Lindsay Denton (series two), Sergeant Danny Waldron, DI Matthew Cottan, DCI Roseanne Huntley, undercover officer DS John Corbett and DCI Joanne Davidson.

AC-12 realises the pervasive nature of corruption and the police's deep-rooted links to an organised crime group. A long-running story arc revolves around discovering the identity of "H", a corrupt person or persons of senior rank within the police force who are instrumental in running organised crime.

Cast and characters

Main

Name Portrayed by Seasons
1 2 3 4 5 6
Tony Gates Lennie James Main Does not appear
Steve Arnott Martin Compston Main
Kate Fleming Vicky McClure Main
Jackie Laverty Gina McKee Starring Does not appear
Ted Hastings Adrian Dunbar Starring Main
Matthew "Dot" Cottan Craig Parkinson Starring Main Guest Does not appear
Jools Gates Kate Ashfield Starring Does not appear
Derek Hilton Paul Higgins Starring Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Nigel Morton Neil Morrissey Starring Does not appear
Philip Osborne Owen Teale Starring Does not appear Starring
Tommy Hunter Brian McCardie Starring Does not appear
Lindsay Denton Keeley Hawes Does not appear Main Does not appear
Georgia Trotman Jessica Raine Does not appear Main Does not appear
Mike Dryden Mark Bonnar Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Jo Dwyer Liz White Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Lester Hargreaves Tony Pitts Does not appear Starring Does not appear Guest Starring Does not appear
Daniel Waldron Daniel Mays Does not appear Main Does not appear
Gill Biggeloe Polly Walker Does not appear Starring Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Rod Kennedy Will Mellor Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Hari Bains Arsher Ali Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Jackie Brickford Leanne Best Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Terry Reynolds Shaun Parkes Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Sam Railston Aiysha Hart Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Joe Nash Jonas Armstrong Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Maneet Bindra Maya Sondhi Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Patrick Fairbank George Costigan Does not appear Starring Does not appear Starring
Roz Huntley Thandie Newton Does not appear Main Does not appear
Tim Ifield Jason Watkins Does not appear Main Does not appear
Nick Huntley Lee Ingleby Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Jimmy Lakewell Patrick Baladi Does not appear Starring Does not appear Guest
John Corbett Stephen Graham Does not appear Main Does not appear
Patricia Carmichael Anna Maxwell-Martin Does not appear Main
Lisa McQueen Rochenda Sandall Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Jane Cafferty Sian Reese-Williams Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Allison Powell Susan Vidler Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Rohan Sindwhani Ace Bhatti Does not appear Starring
Andrea Wise Elizabeth Rider Does not appear Starring
Roisin Hastings Andrea Irvine Does not appear Recurring Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Tatleen Sohota Taj Atwal Does not appear Starring Does not appear
Joanne Davidson Kelly Macdonald Does not appear Main
Farida Jatri Anneika Rose Does not appear Recurring Does not appear Starring
Ian Buckells Nigel Boyle Recurring Does not appear Recurring Does not appear Starring
Chloë Bishop Shalom Brune-Franklin Does not appear Starring
Chris Lomax Perry Fitzpatrick Does not appear Starring
Nicky Rogerson Christina Chong Does not appear Recurring Does not appear Starring
Steph Corbett Amy De Bhrún Does not appear Recurring Starring
Haran Nadaraja Prasanna Puwanarajah Does not appear Starring
Ryan Pilkington Gregory Piper Recurring Does not appear Recurring Starring
Gail Vella Andi Osho Does not appear Starring
Medical counsellor Steve Oram Does not appear Starring

Recurring

  • Elliot Rosen (series 1) and Tommy Jessop (series 5–6) as Terry Boyle
  • Tomi May as Miroslav Minkowicz (series 1, 5)
  • Heather Craney as DCI Alice Prior (series 1)
  • Lauren O'Rourke as Keely Pilkington (series 1)
  • Marie Critchley as Jane Hargreaves (series 1)
  • Alison Lintott as Rita Bennett (series 1)
  • Claire Keelan as DS Leah Janson (series 1)
  • Faraz Ayub as DC Deepak Kapoor (series 1)
  • Fiona Boylan as PC Karen Larkin (series 1)
  • Neet Mohan as PC Simon Bannerjee (series 1)
  • Darren Morfitt as Sergeant Colin Brackley (series 1)
  • Shaun Mason as Lee (series 1)
  • Maria Connolly as Alison Merchant, corrupt prison officer (series 2, 5, 6)
  • Steve Toussaint as CS Mallick (series 2)
  • Sacha Dhawan as DS Manish Prasad (series 2)
  • Richard Huw as Nick Robson (series 2)
  • David Maybrick as Sergeant Alex Wallis (series 2)
  • Allison McKenzie as DS Jayne Akers (series 2)
  • Antonio Magro as PC Vincent Butler (series 2)
  • Niall Macgregor as Richard Akers (series 2)
  • Michael Nardone as Sergeant O'Neill (series 2)
  • Chetna Pandya as New Jo (series 2)
  • Henry Pettigrew as DC Jeremy Cole (series 2)
  • Charlotte Spencer as Carly Kirk (series 2)
  • Lisa Palfrey as Inspector Tracey McAndrew (series 3)
  • Mandana Jones as Superintendent Summers (series 3)
  • Patrick FitzSymons as DCI Mark Moffatt (series 4–5)
  • Royce Pierreson as DC Jamie Desford (series 4)
  • Claudia Jessie as DC Jodie Taylor (series 4)
  • Mark Stobbart as DS Neil Twyler (series 4)
  • Vineeta Rishi as FC Rupal Pandit (series 4)
  • Gaite Jansen as Hana Reznikova (series 4)
  • Scott Reid as Michael Farmer (series 4)
  • Richard Pepple as Sergeant Kyle Ferringham (series 5)
  • Maanuv Thiara as Vihaan Malhotra (series 5)
  • Laura Elphinstone as DI Michelle Brandyce (series 5)
  • Natalie Gavin as Sergeant Martina "Tina" Tranter (series 5)
  • Peter de Jersey as Hastings's solicitor (series 5)
  • Kwaku Fortune as DS Marks (series 6)
  • Sherise Blackman as PS Ruby Jones (series 6)
  • Tara Divina as PC Lisa Patel (series 6)
  • Sara Dylan as Boyle's solicitor (series 6)
  • Kerri McLean as Deborah Devereux (series 6)
  • James Nesbitt as Marcus Thurwell (series 6)
The Invest NI headquarters in Belfast depicts AC-12's headquarters

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAverage viewership
(in millions)
First airedLast airedNetwork
1526 June 2012 (2012-06-26)24 July 2012 (2012-07-24)BBC Two3.80
2612 February 2014 (2014-02-12)19 March 2014 (2014-03-19)3.43
3624 March 2016 (2016-03-24)28 April 2016 (2016-04-28)5.42
4626 March 2017 (2017-03-26)30 April 2017 (2017-04-30)BBC One9.55
5631 March 2019 (2019-03-31)5 May 2019 (2019-05-05)12.85
6721 March 2021 (2021-03-21)2 May 2021 (2021-05-02)15.39
  1. ^ Series 1-2 based on 7 day data. Series 3-6 based on 28 day data.

Production

Line of Duty was created and written by Jed Mercurio drawing inspiration from the Metropolitan Police anti-corruption unit A10, which was set up in 1971. The first two series were produced by World Productions, on behalf of BBC Two. David Caffrey and Douglas Mackinnon directed series one. Mackinnon directed the first three episodes of series two and Daniel Nettheim directed the remaining three episodes. Mercurio produced series one and acted as executive producer for series two, with Peter Norris taking over as producer for the second series.

Although the police refused to co-operate with the programme's producers, the production team was advised anonymously by serving officers and retired police officers, and made use of anonymous police blogs.

Locations

Series one was filmed in Birmingham, including pub interiors in the Queen's Arms. The following five series were made in Northern Ireland. Although exact locations are never mentioned, maps of Birmingham appear on walls, and telephone numbers use an 0121 area code, again indicating Birmingham. The fictional 01632 phone code is also seen. Various postcodes seen on paper and screen have the Birmingham 'B' or Milton Keynes 'MK' prefix. The police forces referred to are the fictional Central Constabulary and the fictional East Midlands Constabulary. A photo gallery of exterior scenes from series two shows the 4th Street Station on Ormeau Avenue in Belfast. Many locations in Belfast have been used; the offices of Invest Northern Ireland on Bedford Street depict the exterior of AC-12's headquarters.

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2012 Royal Television Society Awards Actor (Male) Lennie James Nominated
Drama Series Line of Duty 1 Nominated
Writer – Drama Jed Mercurio Nominated
Royal Television Society Midlands Awards Best Drama/Fictional Programme Line of Duty 1 Won
Best Acting Performance (Male) Lennie James Won
Best Acting Newcomer Gregory Piper Won
2012 Crime Thriller Awards The TV Dagger Line of Duty 1 Nominated
2013 2013 Broadcast Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Nominated
2013 South Bank Sky Arts Awards TV Drama Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best TV Drama Nominated
2014 2014 Freesat Awards Line of Duty 2 Won
2014 Crime Thriller Awards The TV Dagger Nominated
Best Actress Dagger Keeley Hawes Won
Best Supporting Actress Dagger Vicky McClure Nominated
BAFTA Scotland Best Actor – Television Mark Bonnar Nominated
Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards Best Editing – Drama Andrew McClelland Won
2015 Writers' Guild of Great Britain TV Drama – Long Form Jed Mercurio Nominated
2015 Broadcast Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Line of Duty 2 Nominated
International Programme Sales Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Drama Series Nominated
Best Drama Writer Jed Mercurio Nominated
Royal Television Society Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 2 Won
BAFTA Television Craft Awards Best Writer: Drama Jed Mercurio Nominated
BAFTA Television Awards Best Actress Keeley Hawes Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Vicky McClure Nominated
Best Drama Series Line of Duty 2 Nominated
2015 South Bank Sky Arts Awards TV Drama Nominated
Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards Best Drama Won
2016 TV Choice Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 3 Nominated
BAFTA Scotland Best Director – Television Michael Keillor Nominated
Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Best Drama Line of Duty 3 Nominated
2017 Broadcast Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best TV Drama Series Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Actress Keeley Hawes Won
Royal Television Society Awards Drama Series Line of Duty 3 Nominated
Writer – Drama Jed Mercurio Nominated
BAFTA Television Awards Best Supporting Actor Daniel Mays Nominated
Virgin TV's Must-See Moment Urgent Exit Required Nominated
Celtic Media Festival Best Drama Series Line of Duty 3 Won
Diversity in Media Awards TV Programme of the Year Nominated
TV Moment of the Year Urgent Exit Required Nominated
TV Moment of the Year DCI Roz Huntley Interview Nominated
TV Choice Awards Best Drama Line of Duty 4 Nominated
British Screenwriters' Awards Best Crime Writing on Television Jed Mercurio Won
Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Best Drama Line of Duty 4 Won
2018 Writers' Guild of Great Britain TV Drama – Long Form Jed Mercurio Nominated
National Television Awards Crime Drama Line of Duty 4 Nominated
Irish Film and Television Academy Drama Nominated
Actor in a Leading Role – Drama Adrian Dunbar Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 4 Won
Best Actress Thandie Newton Nominated
Writer's Award Jed Mercurio Won
Royal Television Society Actor (Female) Thandie Newton Nominated
Voice of the Listener & Viewer Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting Best TV Drama Programme Line of Duty 4 Won
BAFTA Television Craft Awards Best Editing: Fiction Andrew McClelland Nominated
BAFTA Television Awards Best Actress Thandie Newton Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Adrian Dunbar Nominated
Best Drama Series Line of Duty 4 Nominated
Virgin TV's Must-See Moment Huntley's Narrow Escape Nominated
Televisual Bulldog Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 4 Won
South Bank Sky Arts Awards TV Drama Nominated
Edinburgh TV Awards Best UK Drama Nominated
2019 TV Choice Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 5 Won
Best Actor Adrian Dunbar Won
Martin Compston Nominated
Best Actress Vicky McClure Nominated
2020 National Television Awards Drama Line of Duty 5 Nominated
Irish Film and Television Academy Actor in a Lead Role in Drama Adrian Dunbar Nominated
2021 Nominated
GQ Men of the Year Awards Television Actor Won
National Television Awards Returning Drama Line of Duty 6 Won
Special Recognition Award Won
Drama Performance Martin Compston Nominated
Adrian Dunbar Nominated
Vicky McClure Nominated
TV Choice Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty 6 Won
Best Actor Martin Compston Won
Adrian Dunbar Nominated
Best Actress Vicky McClure Won
British Academy Scotland Awards Audience Award Martin Compston Nominated
Kelly Macdonald Nominated
Television Actress Nominated
TV Times Awards Favourite Drama Line of Duty 6 Won
Favourite Actor Martin Compston Won
Favourite Actress Vicky McClure Won
I Talk Telly Awards Best Returning Drama Line of Duty 6 Won

Future

Following mixed reactions to the ending of the sixth series, there has been interest in seeing a further series produced. However as of 2024, production of a seventh series remains uncertain. Reports in late 2022 alleged that a three part mini-series had been proposed to air by Christmas 2023, however Mercurio has since stated he had "no news" regarding any development. Adrian Dunbar commented "There's a big appetite for more Line of Duty, it could be three or four episodes, I don't think there's going to be six for some reason. It might be two 90 minutes. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that we will hear something at some point. We all want to get back together, we'd love to go back to Belfast again." Martin Compston has since said that whilst the cast have confirmed their commitment to a potential seventh series, they remain focused on other projects. He also commented "Things are definitely things left open at the end of the series for it to continue…Because, look, people can have their opinions about the finale but this is the most successful drama in BBC history. So that could be a good place to end and walk away…All we've said is that we'd be up for doing [just] one more at some point but none of us have signed on".

Home media

Kew Media (previously known as Content Media) handled international distribution of the series until its collapse in 2020.

DVD

DVD releases for Line of Duty:

Name Release dates No. of episodes Additional Information Ref
Region 2
Line of Duty: Series 1 26 June 2012 5 Two-disc box set including all five episodes from series one.
Line of Duty: Series 2 12 February 2014 6 Two-disc box set including all six episodes from series two
Line of Duty: Series 1 & 2 11 Four-disc box set including all 11 episodes from series one and two
Line of Duty: Series 3 24 March 2016 6 Two-disc box set including all six episodes from series three
Line of Duty: Series 4 8 May 2017 Two-disc box set including all six episodes from series four
Line of Duty: Series 1–4 23 Eight-disc box set including all 23 episodes from series one to four
Line of Duty: Series 5 6 May 2019 6 Two-disc box set including all six episodes from series five
Line of Duty: Series 1–5 29 Ten-disc box set including all 29 episodes from series one to five
Line of Duty: Series 6 31 May 2021 7 Two-disc box set including all seven episodes from series six
Line of Duty: Series 1–6 36 Twelve-disc box set including all 36 episodes from series one to six

Blu-ray

Blu-ray releases for Line of Duty:

Name Release dates Ep # Additional Information
Region B
Line of Duty: Series 1 10 April 2015 5 The two-disc box set includes all five episodes from series one, with a classification age of 16.
Running time: 300 minutes.
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Line of Duty: Series 2 25 September 2015 6 The two-disc box set includes all six episodes from series two, with a classification age of 16.
Running time: 369 minutes.
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Line of Duty: Series 3 20 January 2017 The two-disc box set includes all six episodes from series three, with a classification age of 16.
Running time: 390 minutes.
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Line of Duty got a series six Blu-ray release.

Line of Duty series one to six will be released in a compilation Blu-ray box set.

International broadcast

In Australia, as of 2021, the first five series are available across streaming services such as Britbox, Netflix, Acorn TV and Stan, but series six is exclusive to Britbox.

In the United States, the first series was released on Hulu in August 2012, as an exclusive series, until Acorn TV picked up the streaming rights for its platform in 2018, which included the existing series and exclusive access to series five and later additions. The first three series began airing on AMC on 4 April 2020. However, licence changes in 2021 led to BritBox also obtaining the rights to the series in the United States, along with exclusive rights to series six and any future series.


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