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List of Line of Duty episodes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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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] Keeley 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]
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Series overview
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Episodes
Series 1 (2012)
Series 2 (2014)
Series 3 (2016)
Series 4 (2017)
Series 5 (2019)
Sport Relief special (2020)
Series 6 (2021)
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Viewing figures
Line of Duty : UK viewers per episode (millions)
Audience measurement performed by Broadcasters' Audience Research Board[52]
References
External links
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