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 the 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]
Contents
- Series overview
- Episodes
- Series 1 (2012)
- Series 2 (2014)
- Series 3 (2016)
- Series 4 (2017)
- Series 5 (2019)
- Sport Relief special (2020)
- Series 6 (2021)
- Viewing figures
- References
- External links
Around the time of the commissioning of the new series, a restructuring of BBC television networks occurred, causing ownership over BBC One and BBC Two to become consolidated under Charlotte Moore. [14] Following these changes, 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 since been the subject of critical acclaim, [29] receiving nominations for several awards [30] and gaining a large cult following. [31]
The series primarily follows the actions of Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12), a task force located within the fictional Central Police Constabulary. [32] AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings, portrayed by Adrian Dunbar. [33] Martin Compston and Vicky McClure also starred in all six series as AC-12 officers Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming, respectively. [34] Each series features an additional actor who portrays a police officer that is being investigated by AC-12. [35] These roles were performed by Lennie James, [36] Keely Hawes, [37] Daniel Mays, [38] Thandie Newton, [39] Stephen Graham, [40] and Kelly Macdonald. [41] Other starring cast members include Craig Parkinson, [42] Jessica Raine, [43] Jason Watkins, [44] and Anna Maxwell Martin. [45] Over the course of the programme, an overarching storyline develops that connects numerous characters to an organised crime group which is found to be involved in a large conspiracy with high-ranking officers of the police department. [46] Produced by World Productions, [47] the series was primarily filmed in Belfast although filming for the first series took place in Birmingham. [48] It was distributed internationally by Content Media Group, which was eventually purchased by Kew Media Distribution, [49] and ultimately ITV Studios following Kew Media's collapse. [50]
During the course of the programme, 36 episodes of Line of Duty aired over six series, between 26 June 2012 and 2 May 2021. [51]
