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]
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]
^"Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2024. (User must select "BBC2" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month, and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
^"Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2024. (User must select "BBC2" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month, and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
^"Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2024. (User must select "BBC2" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month, and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
^"Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014. (User must select "BBC1" in the Channel field and then select the appropriate year, month, and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
^"Four-screen dashboard BARB". Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019. (User must select the appropriate year and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
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