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Line of Duty
Genre	British police drama Crime Detective fiction Thriller
Created by	Jed Mercurio
Written by	Jed Mercurio
Directed by	David Caffrey Douglas Mackinnon Daniel Nettheim Michael Keillor John Strickland Jed Mercurio Sue Tully
Starring	Martin Compston Vicky McClure Adrian Dunbar Craig Parkinson Lennie James Keeley Hawes Daniel Mays Thandie Newton Stephen Graham
Theme music composer	Carly Paradis
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	29 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Stephen Wright (BBC) Simon Heath (World Productions) Jed Mercurio (Series 2–5)
Producers	Jed Mercurio (Series 1) Peter Norris (Series 2–3) Cait Collins (Series 4)
Production locations	Birmingham (Series 1) Belfast (Series 2–5)
Cinematography	Ruairi O'Brien (Series 1–2) Peter Robertson (Series 3) Anna Valdez Hanks (Series 4) Stephen Murphy (Series 4)
Running time	57 minutes
Production company	World Productions
Original release
Network	BBC Two (2012–2016) BBC One (2017–)
Release	26 June 2012 (2012-06-26) – present

Line of Duty is a British BBC police procedural television series created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Productions. The first series premiered on 26 June 2012 and became BBC Two's best-performing drama series in ten years with a consolidated audience of 4.1 million viewers. The second series broadcast began on 12 February 2014; its widespread public and critical acclaim led to the BBC commissioning a further two series. The third series broadcast began on 24 March 2016, and the fourth on 26 March 2017 on BBC One. The fifth series was completed at the end of 2018 and broadcast began on BBC One on 31 March 2019. In May 2017, the BBC commissioned a sixth series. COVID-19 has caused filming to pause.

Line of Duty is 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. It was included 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. The series ranked eighth in The Independent's list of the twenty greatest police shows of all time and third in a Radio Times poll of the best British crime dramas of all time.

Synopsis

Line of Duty follows D.S. Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), an authorised firearms officer who was 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 D.C. Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), a highly-commended undercover officer with a keen investigative instinct. They work under the supervision of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), who is one of several Senior Investigating Officers (along with D.C.S. Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) of AC-3 and those of AC-9) responsible for uncovering corruption within the police force. Throughout the series, AC-12 investigate seemingly disparate cases involving seemingly-corrupt police officers such as D.C.I. Tony Gates (Lennie James), D.I. Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes), Sergeant Danny Waldron (Daniel Mays), D.C.I. Roseanne Huntley (Thandie Newton), and undercover officer D.S. John Corbett (Stephen Graham). AC-12 realise the pervasive nature of corruption and the police's deep-rooted links to an organised crime group.

Cast

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled List of Line of Duty characters. (Discuss) (April 2019)

• Martin Compston as Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, a detective sergeant assigned to AC-12, the anti-corruption unit within Central Police. Previously, he served as a counter-terrorism officer. He transferred after he refused to collude with his colleagues following the fatal shooting of an innocent man.
• Vicky McClure as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming, an undercover specialist. A consummate professional, Fleming is willing to investigate officers inside and outside AC-12. Initially a detective constable, she is promoted to detective sergeant at the end of the third series and to detective inspector following the fourth. Fleming is married with a son.
• Adrian Dunbar as Superintendent Ted Hastings, the senior investigating officer of AC-12. He recruited Arnott, Fleming and Cottan. Once a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, it is revealed that Hastings is a Freemason.
• Craig Parkinson as Detective Inspector Matthew "Dot" Cottan (series 1, 2 & 3), an AC-12 officer, initially introduced as a Sergeant on Tony Gates's TO-20 team. At the beginning of series 2, he is promoted to detective inspector and transferred to AC-9. He is seconded to AC-12 by Hastings. Cottan is revealed to be "The Caddy", working as a fixer for the organised crime group. He is killed at the close of the third series having escaped from AC-12 custody.
• Lennie James as Detective Chief Inspector Anthony "Tony" Gates (series 1), the head of the serious crime unit TO-20, Tony Gates is renowned for returning the best crime figures of any unit in Central Police. It is this reputation, however, that leads AC-12 to his team. Suspected of corruption, Gates faces an internal affairs investigation that adds further complications to his troubled home-life.
• Keeley Hawes as Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton (series 2 & 3), a silver commander who organises a convoy to transport a protected witness which is ambushed, resulting in the deaths of all the other police officers. As the only police survivor, Denton is arrested, charged with conspiracy to commit murder. She attempts to convince AC-12 of her innocence and regain her reputation, but eventually receives a life sentence. In series 3, Denton is granted an appeal, and is acquitted on the basis of an improper sexual relationship Arnott had with her while she was being investigated. She discovers crucial evidence pertaining to the Danny Waldron murder investigation and historical child sex abuse but after refusing to accept a bribe to conceal that evidence, she is murdered by "The Caddy".
• Daniel Mays as Sergeant Danny Waldron (series 3) is an Authorised Firearms Officer (A.F.O.). His armed response unit is investigated by AC-12, as a matter of routine following the shooting of a suspect. A deeper investigation is initiated when Arnott and Fleming discover the shooting may have been unlawful. Waldron is shot and killed by a colleague; his death results in an investigation into historic child sex abuse.
• Thandie Newton as Detective Chief Inspector Roseanne "Roz" Huntley (series 4), the senior investigating officer of Operation Trapdoor, and at the centre of an AC-12 investigation for mishandling evidence.
• Stephen Graham as Detective Sergeant John Corbett (series 5), Corbett is an undercover police officer who has been uncontactable for several months. He first appears as John Clayton, the gangleader of an organised crime group which hijacked a police convoy transporting seized drugs.
• Anna Maxwell Martin as Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael (series 5), the senior investigating officer of AC-3, who is drafted in to review AC-12's handling of the Corbett investigation.

Supporting cast

It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled List of Line of Duty characters. (Discuss) (April 2019)

• Brian McCardie as Tommy Hunter (series 1 & 2)
• Neil Morrissey as D.C. Nigel Morton (series 1, 2 & 3)
• Nigel Boyle as D.I./D.C.I. Ian Buckells (series 1 & 4)
• Paul Higgins as C.Su./A.C.C. Derek Hilton (series 1 & 4)
• Patrick FitzSymons as D.C.I. Mark Moffatt (series 4 & 5)
• Elliot Rosen (series 1) and Tommy Jessop (series 5) as Terry Boyle
• Tomi May as Miroslav Minkowicz (series 1 & 5)
• Gregory Piper as Ryan Pilkington (series 1 & 5)
• Tony Pitts as D.C.S. Lester Hargreaves (series 2, 4 & 5)
• Andrea Irvine as Roisin Hastings (series 2 & 5)
• Maya Sondhi as P.C. Maneet Bindra (series 3, 4 & 5)
• Aiysha Hart as D.S. Sam Railston (series 3, 4 & 5)
• Polly Walker as Gill Biggeloe, special counsel to the police and crime commissioner (series 3 & 5)

Series 1

• Gina McKee as Jackie Laverty
• Kate Ashfield as Jools Gates
• Heather Craney as D.C.I. Alice Prior
• Lauren O'Rourke as Keely Pilkington
• Marie Critchley as Jane Hargreaves
• Alison Lintott as Rita Bennett
• Claire Keelan as D.S. Leah Janson
• Faraz Ayub as D.C. Deepak Kapoor
• Owen Teale as Chief Inspector Philip Osborne
• Fiona Boylan as P.C. Karen Larkin
• Neet Mohan as P.C. Simon Bannerjee
• Darren Morfitt as Sergeant Colin Brackley
• Shaun Mason as Lee

Series 2

• Mark Bonnar as D.C.C. Mike Dryden
• Christina Chong as D.S. Nicola Rogerson
• Steve Toussaint as C.Su. Mallick
• Sacha Dhawan as D.S. Manish Prasad
• Richard Huw as Nick Ronson
• David Maybrick as Sergeant Alex Wallis
• Allison McKenzie as D.S. Jayne Akers
• Antonio Magro as P.C. Vincent Butler
• Niall Macgregor as Richard Akers
• Michael Nardone as Sergeant O'Neill
• Chetna Pandya as New Jo
• Henry Pettigrew as D.C. Jeremy Cole
• Jessica Raine as D.C. Georgia Trotman
• Charlotte Spencer as Carly Kirk
• Liz White as Jo Dwyer

Series 3

• Arsher Ali as P.C. Harinderpal "Hari" Bains
• Leanne Best as P.C. Jackie Brickford
• Will Mellor as P.C. Rod Kennedy
• Lisa Palfrey as Inspector Tracey McAndrew
• Shaun Parkes as C.Su. Terry Reynolds
• George Costigan as C.Su. Patrick Fairbank
• Mandana Jones as Superintendent Summers
• Jonas Armstrong as Joe Nash

Series 4

• Royce Pierreson as D.C. Jamie Desford
• Jason Watkins as F.C. Tim Ifield
• Claudia Jessie as D.C. Jodie Taylor
• Mark Stobbart as D.S. Neil Twyler
• Anneika Rose as P.C. Farida Jatri
• Vineeta Rishi as F.C. Rupal Pandit
• Lee Ingleby as Nick Huntley
• Gaite Jansen as Hana Reznikova
• Scott Reid as Michael Farmer
• Patrick Baladi as Jimmy Lakewell

Series 5

• Rochenda Sandall as Lisa McQueen
• Alastair Natkiel as Lee Banks
• Taj Atwal as P.C. Tatleen Sohota
• Susan Vidler as D.Su. Alison Powell
• Ace Bhatti as Police and Crime Commissioner Rohan Sindwhani
• Elizabeth Rider as Deputy Chief Constable Andrea Wise
• Sian Reese-Williams as Sergeant Jane Cafferty
• Richard Pepple as Sergeant Kyle Ferringham
• Maanuv Thiara as Vihaan Malhotra
• Laura Elphinstone as D.I. Michelle Brandyce
• Natalie Gavin as Sergeant Martina "Tina" Tranter

Episodes

Production

Line of Duty was created and written by Jed Mercurio. 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 series two.

Inspiration

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. Series two, three, four and five were made in Northern Ireland by BBC Northern Ireland. The exact location is never mentioned, although 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.

Awards and nominations

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Home media

Home media releases

Kew Media (previously known as Content Media) handles international distribution of the series.

Online

iTunes releases for Line of Duty

Blinkbox releases for Line of Duty

BBC Store releases for Line of Duty

DVD

DVD releases for Line of Duty

Blu-ray

Blu-ray releases for Line of Duty

United States release

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 starting 4 April 2020.

References

1. Kanter, Jake; Kanter, Jake (9 June 2020). "'Line Of Duty': ITV Studios to sell Season 6 following Kew Media's collapse". Deadline. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
2. Sperling, Daniel (25 July 2012). "'Line of Duty' renewed for second series by BBC". DigitalSpy. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
3. Sweeney, Mark (8 April 2014). "Line of Duty set to return for third and fourth series". Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014.
4. "Express.co.uk". 28 April 2016.
5. "Line of Duty back for a sixth series". BBC News. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
6. "Line of Duty series six officially gets underway as cast reunite". Radio Times.
7. "When is Line of Duty series 6 released? Cast, news and more". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
8. Plunkett, John (28 April 2016). "Line of Duty outranks Wolf Hall to take BBC2 ratings crown". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2016.
9. "RTS Programme Awards 2015". 17 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 April 2016.
10. Dowell, Ben (16 March 2018). "The Crown star Claire Foy among the winners at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards". Radio Times.
11. Hogan, Michael; et al. (18 April 2014). "The Top 50 BBC Two shows of all-time". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016.
12. Tate, Gabriel; et al. (2 November 2016). "The 80 Best BBC Shows of All Time". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016.
13. Ross, Graeme (12 November 2016). "The 20 Greatest TV Cop Shows of All Time". The Independent. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017.
14. Brown, David (3 July 2018). "Inspector Morse named the greatest British crime drama of all time". Radio Times.
15. Multiple references,
    • For series 1–4, see: "Weekly top 30 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) Barb". Broadcasters Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2024. (User must select the proper channel and then select the appropriate year, month, and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
    • For series 5–6, see: "Most viewed programmes Barb". Broadcasters Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024. (User must select the appropriate year and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
16. Jed Mercurio (26 June 2012). "Line of Duty – a police drama that swaps reassurance for reality". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
17. "Line of Duty". Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
18. "Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery". BBC. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
19. Amazon.com: Line of Duty Series 5: Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Stephen Graham, John Strickland, Sue Tully: Movies & TV
20. Lodderhose, Diana (3 February 2017). "Kew Media Group". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
21. "Line of Duty – Series One (iTunes)". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
22. "Line of Duty – Series Two (iTunes)". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
23. "Line of Duty – Series 1&2 (iTunes)". Apple Inc. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
24. "Line of Duty – Series (Blinkbox)". blinkbox Entertainment Limited. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
25. "Line of Duty – Series 2 (Blinkbox)". blinkbox Entertainment Limited. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
26. "Line of Duty – Series One [DVD]". BBC Worldwide LTD. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
27. "Line of Duty – Series Two [DVD]". BBC Worldwide LTD. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2014.
28. "Line of Duty – Series 1&2 [DVD]". BBC Worldwide LTD. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
29. "Line of Duty – Series One [Blu-ray]". BBC Worldwide LTD. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
30. "Line of Duty – Series Two [Blu-ray]". BBC Worldwide. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
31. "Line of Duty – Series 3 [Blu-ray]". BBC Worldwide. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
32. Thomas, June (24 August 2012), "The Global Network", Slate, archived from the original on 2 February 2013, retrieved 28 January 2013
33. "Acorn TV Nabs Exclusive U.S. Rights To BBC One's 'Line Of Duty'". TVWise. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
34. "AMC To Air the First Three Seasons of Acorn TV's Acclaimed Series Line Of Duty Saturday Nights Beginning April 4 at 10pm/9C". AMC Networks. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
35. Levine, Nick (2 April 2020). "10 Reasons Why 'Line of Duty' is Your New Favorite Crime Series". BBC America. Retrieved 8 April 2020.

External links

• Line of Duty at BBC Online
• Line of Duty at IMDb
• Line of Duty at epguides.com
• Template:Tv.com show
• Line of Duty, scripts at BBC TV Drama archive

• 2012 British television series debuts
• 2010s British drama television series
• BBC television dramas
• British crime drama television series
• English-language television shows
• Television shows set in England
• British thriller television series
• 2010s British crime television series
• Television shows filmed in the United Kingdom
• Police corruption in fiction