Line of Duty is a British police procedural and serial drama television series created and written by Jed Mercurio for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). [1] [2] Mercurio originally pitched the programme to BBC One, but was turned down and directed towards BBC Two, [3] which commissioned the series nine months later. [4] It premiered on 26 June 2012 with a five-episode first series which concluded on 24 July. [5] [6] The programme performed well and quickly earned a commission for a second series. [7] The six-episode second series aired from 2 February to 19 March 2014. [8] Although viewing figures were slightly lower than the first, [9] BBC Two commissioned a third and fourth series of the programme. [10] The third began broadcasting on 24 March 2016 and finished six weeks later on 28 April. [11] Series three surpassed viewership of the first series and was the most viewed series on BBC Two in over ten years, [12] leading to the commissioning of a fifth series. [13]
Around this time, a restructuring of BBC television networks occurred causing BBC One and BBC Two to now be controlled by the same person. [14] The decision was made to promote Line of Duty to BBC One for the fourth series onwards. [15] Series four aired from 26 March to 30 April 2017 [16] [17] followed by the fifth from 31 March to 5 May 2019. [18] [19] Following the fourth, the programme was also commissioned for series six. [20] A special mini-episode written by the Dawson Brothers aired on 13 March 2020 in support of Sport Relief. [21] [22] An additional episode was produced for the sixth and final series of the show; [23] the series began airing on 21 March 2021 with its finale being broadcast on 2 May. [24] [25] Viewing figures increased significantly over the course of the series, [26] leading to record breaking broadcasts [27] and causing Line of Duty to become the highest-rated drama since modern records began in 2002. [28] The series has been nominated for several awards, [29] also gaining a cult following [30] and becoming the subject of critical acclaim. [31] [32] [33] [34]
The series primarily follows the actions of Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12), a task force located within the fictional Central Police Constabulary. [35] AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings, portrayed by Adrian Dunbar. [36] Martin Compston and Vicky McClure also starred in all six series as AC-12 officers Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming. [37] Each series features an additional actor who portrays a police officer that is being investigated by AC-12. [38] These roles were performed by Lennie James, [39] Keely Hawes, [40] Daniel Mays, [41] Thandie Newton, [42] Stephen Graham, [43] and Kelly Macdonald. [44] Other starring cast members include Craig Parkinson, [45] Jessica Raine, [46] Jason Watkins, [47] and Anna Maxwell Martin. [48] Over the course of the programme, an overarching storyline develops that connects numerous characters to an organised crime group which is found to be in a large conspiracy with high-ranking officers of the police department. [49] Produced by World Productions, [50] the series was primarily filmed in Belfast although filming for the first series took place in Birmingham. [51] It was distributed internationally by Content Media Group, which was eventually purchased by Kew Media Distribution, [52] and ultimately ITV Studios following Kew Media's collapse. [53]
During the course of the programme, 36 episodes of Line of Duty aired over six series, between 26 June 2012 and 2 May 2021. [54]
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Average viewership (in millions) [55] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||
1 | 5 | 26 June 2012 | 24 July 2012 | BBC Two | 3.80 | |
2 | 6 | 12 February 2014 | 19 March 2014 | 3.43 | ||
3 | 6 | 24 March 2016 | 28 April 2016 | 4.81 | ||
4 | 6 | 26 March 2017 | 30 April 2017 | BBC One | 8.24 | |
5 | 6 | 31 March 2019 | 5 May 2019 | 11.10 | ||
Sport Relief special | 13 March 2020 | — | ||||
6 | 7 | 21 March 2021 | 2 May 2021 | 13.67 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title [56] | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [57] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "Episode 1" "A Disastrous Affair" | David Caffrey | 26 June 2012 | 3.76 |
2 | 2 | "Episode 2" "The Assault" | David Caffrey | 3 July 2012 | 3.84 |
3 | 3 | "Episode 3" "In the Trap" | David Caffrey | 10 July 2012 | 3.80 |
4 | 4 | "Episode 4" "Terror" | Douglas Mackinnon | 17 July 2012 | 3.87 |
5 | 5 | "Episode 5" "The Probation" | Douglas Mackinnon | 24 July 2012 | 3.72 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title [58] | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [59] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 | 1 | "Episode 1" "The Ambush" | Douglas Mackinnon | 12 February 2014 | 2.74 |
7 | 2 | "Episode 2" "Carly" | Douglas Mackinnon | 19 February 2014 | 3.21 |
8 | 3 | "Episode 3" "Behind Bars" | Douglas Mackinnon | 26 February 2014 | 3.34 |
9 | 4 | "Episode 4" "Blood Money" | Daniel Nettheim | 5 March 2014 | 3.46 |
10 | 5 | "Episode 5" "Last Words" | Daniel Nettheim | 12 March 2014 | 3.73 |
11 | 6 | "Episode 6" "The Caddy" | Daniel Nettheim | 19 March 2014 | 4.12 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title [60] | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [61] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | 1 | "Episode 1" "Monsters" | Michael Keillor | 24 March 2016 | 3.31 |
13 | 2 | "Episode 2" "The Process" | Michael Keillor | 31 March 2016 | 5.11 |
14 | 3 | "Episode 3" "Snake Pit" | Michael Keillor | 7 April 2016 | 4.97 |
15 | 4 | "Episode 4" "Negative Pressure" | John Strickland | 14 April 2016 | 4.82 |
16 | 5 | "Episode 5" "The List" | John Strickland | 21 April 2016 | 5.09 |
17 | 6 | "Episode 6" "Breach" | John Strickland | 28 April 2016 | 5.58 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title [62] | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [63] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 | 1 | "Episode 1" "In the Shadow of Truth" | Jed Mercurio | 26 March 2017 | 7.40 |
19 | 2 | "Episode 2" "Who Sows the Wind" | Jed Mercurio | 2 April 2017 | 7.26 |
20 | 3 | "Episode 3" "In the Trap" | John Strickland | 9 April 2017 | 7.37 |
21 | 4 | "Episode 4" "Moral Superiority" | John Strickland | 16 April 2017 | 8.48 |
22 | 5 | "Episode 5" "Lying Nest" | John Strickland | 23 April 2017 | 9.03 |
23 | 6 | "Episode 6" "Royal Hunting Ground" | John Strickland | 30 April 2017 | 9.92 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title [64] [65] | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [66] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | 1 | "Episode 1" "Operation Pear Tree" | John Strickland | 31 March 2019 | 11.37 |
25 | 2 | "Episode 2" "The Head of Medusa" | John Strickland | 7 April 2019 | 10.30 |
26 | 3 | "Episode 3" "Code Zero" | John Strickland | 14 April 2019 | 10.34 |
27 | 4 | "Episode 4" "The Betrayal" | John Strickland | 21 April 2019 | 10.46 |
28 | 5 | "Episode 5" "On Your Own" | Sue Tully | 28 April 2019 | 11.42 |
29 | 6 | "Episode 6" "The Intrigue" | Sue Tully | 5 May 2019 | 12.69 |
No. | Title | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Line of Duty Sport Relief Special" [67] | Dawson Brothers [22] | 13 March 2020 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [68] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Daniel Nettheim | 21 March 2021 | 13.49 |
31 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Daniel Nettheim | 28 March 2021 | 12.45 |
32 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Gareth Bryn | 4 April 2021 | 12.58 |
33 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Gareth Bryn | 11 April 2021 | 12.77 |
34 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Jennie Darnell | 18 April 2021 | 13.72 |
35 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Jennie Darnell | 25 April 2021 | 14.89 |
36 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Jennie Darnell | 2 May 2021 | 15.79 |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Series | Episode number | Average | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
1 | 3.76 | 3.84 | 3.80 | 3.87 | 3.72 | – | 3.80 | ||
2 | 2.74 | 3.21 | 3.34 | 3.46 | 3.73 | 4.12 | – | 3.43 | |
3 | 3.31 | 5.11 | 4.97 | 4.82 | 5.09 | 5.58 | – | 4.81 | |
4 | 7.40 | 7.26 | 7.37 | 8.48 | 9.03 | 9.92 | – | 8.24 | |
5 | 11.37 | 10.30 | 10.34 | 10.46 | 11.42 | 12.69 | – | 11.10 | |
6 | 13.49 | 12.45 | 12.58 | 12.77 | 13.72 | 14.89 | 15.79 | 13.67 |
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Line of Duty is a British police procedural and serial drama created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It first began broadcasting on BBC Two on 26 June 2012. The programme performed well and was quickly commissioned for additional series that aired in 2014 and 2016. After becoming the highest-rated series on BBC Two in 10 years, Line of Duty was promoted to BBC One beginning with the fourth series in 2017 and fifth in 2019, securing commissions through a sixth series, which concluded on 2 May 2021, after the programme had aired a total of 36 episodes.
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The first series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty was broadcast on BBC Two between 26 June and 24 July 2012.
The second series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty was broadcast on BBC Two between 12 February and 19 March 2014.
The third series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty, was broadcast on BBC Two between 24 March and 28 April 2016.
The fourth series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty was broadcast on BBC One between 26 March and 30 April 2017. It is the first series to air on the network after the first three were broadcast on BBC Two.
The fifth series of Line of Duty, consisting of six episodes, began broadcasting on 31 March 2019 on BBC One. The series follows the actions of Superintendent Ted Hastings, DI Kate Fleming and DS Steve Arnott as they investigate an Organised Crime Group with links to missing undercover officer DS John Corbett. Anna Maxwell Martin stars in episodes five and six as DCS Patricia Carmichael. Supporting characters include underboss Lisa McQueen and the special counsel to the police and crime commissioner Gill Biggeloe.
The sixth series of Line of Duty, consisting of seven episodes, began broadcasting on BBC One on 21 March 2021. The story follows the actions of AC-12, led by Superintendent Ted Hastings and DI Steve Arnott, as they investigate DCI Joanne Davidson and her team, including former AC-12 officer DI Kate Fleming.
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