Line of Duty is a British police procedural and serial drama consisting of six series that was created by Jed Mercurio and broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The first three series spanned a total of 17 episodes and aired on BBC Two between 2012 and 2016. The remaining three series comprised 19 episodes and aired on BBC One from 2017 to 2021. Produced by World Productions, the series was primarily filmed in Belfast although filming for the first series took place in Birmingham. Mercurio wrote all 36 episodes and serves as an executive producer alongside Simon Heath and Stephen Wright. It was distributed internationally Content Media Group which was eventually purchased by Kew Media Distribution and later ITV Studios following Kew Media's collapse.
The series primarily follows the actions of Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12), a task force located within the fictional Central Police Constabulary. AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings, portrayed by Adrian Dunbar, who appeared in the first series and was promoted to the main cast beginning with the second series. Martin Compston and Vicky McClure also starred in all six series as AC-12 officers Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming. Each series features an additional actor as part of the main cast who portrays a police officer that is being investigated by AC-12. These roles were performed by Lennie James in series one, Keely Hawes in series two, Daniel Mays in the third series, Thandie Newton in series four, Stephen Graham in series five, and Kelly Macdonald in the sixth and final series. Craig Parkinson was an additional member of the second and third series cast, while Hawes' role extended into the third. Parkinson also appeared in the first series prior to being promoted. The characters of Parkinson and Hawes were both killed off at the end of series three; Parkinson however, appeared as a guest star in one episode of each of the two following series in flashback scenes. Jessica Raine starred in a single episode of the second series and Jason Watkins appeared in two episodes of the fourth series; both were credited with the other principal cast members. Additionally, Anna Maxwell Martin was also featured as part of the starring cast in the fifth and sixth series, but only appeared in the latter portion of each series. Over the course of the series, 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.
Viewing figures increased significantly over the course of the series, leading to record-breaking broadcasts and causing it to become the subject of critical acclaim as well as gaining a cult following. Line of Duty has been nominated for a total of 115 awards, winning 27 of them. A large portion of the nominations resulted from British Academy of Film and Television Arts and Royal Television Society-related awards, which are collectively responsible for 42 of them. A third of the series' successful awards were won at the TV Choice and Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. Dunbar and McClure tie for the most nominations received by cast members, each holding seven, followed by Compston with five and Hawes with three. McClure and Hawes have the most wins by a cast member with two each. Individual series and the programme as a whole secured a total of 46 nominations. The largest portion were acquired by the sixth series while the fifth and sixth series gained the most wins in this aspect. Four awards out of 12 nominations were given to Mercurio for his writing on the series. Internationally, Line of Duty has also picked up a win from the American Edgar Allan Poe Awards and a nomination in the Australian Directors' Guild Awards.
Awards and nominations + Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Association of Motion Picture Sound Awards 2018 Excellence in Sound for a Television Drama , Paul Maynes, Bea O'Sullivan, and Ian Wilkinson Australian Directors' Guild Awards 2021 Best Direction in a Television Miniseries for "Episode 1" British Academy Cymru Awards 2022 Director – Fiction British Academy Scotland Awards 2014 Best Television Actor 2016 Best Director Film/Television 2021 Best Television Actress Audience Award British Academy Television Awards 2015 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 2 Best Leading Actress Best Supporting Actress 2017 Virgin TV's Must-See Moment Best Supporting Actor 2018 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 4 Best Leading Actress Best Supporting Actor Virgin TV's Must-See Moment 2020 Virgin TV's Must-See Moment British Academy Television Craft Awards 2015 Best Writer – Drama 2018 Best Editing: Fiction for "Episode 4" 2022 Best Editing: Fiction Original Music Best Sound: Fiction , Ronan Hill, Paul Maynes, and Ian Wilkinson British Screenwriters' Awards 2017 Best Crime Writing on Television Broadcast Magazine Awards 2013 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 1 2015 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 2 Best Independent Production Company World Productions International Programme Sales Kew Media Distribution 2017 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 3 Broadcasting Press Guild Awards 2013 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 1 Best Writer 2015 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 2 Best Actress Best Writer 2017 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 4 Best Actress 2018 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 4 Best Actress Best Writer 2020 Best Actor 2022 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 6 Casting Director Guild Awards 2020 Best Casting in a Television Drama , Daniel Edwards, and Kate Rhodes-James Celtic Media Festival Awards 2017 Drama Series Line of Duty series 3 2020 Drama Series Line of Duty series 5 2022 Drama Series Line of Duty series 6 Crime Thriller Awards 2012 TV Dagger Line of Duty series 1 2014 TV Dagger Line of Duty series 2 Best Actress Best Supporting Actress DIVA Awards 2022 Media Moment of the Year Line of Duty series 6 Diversity in Media Awards 2017 TV Moment of the Year Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2020 Best Episode in a TV series for "Episode 4" Edinburgh TV Awards 2018 Best UK Drama Line of Duty series 4 2019 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 5 Freesat Awards 2014 Best TV Drama Line of Duty series 2 Irish Film & Television Awards 2018 Best Drama Line of Duty series 4 Best Actor in a Leading Role 2020 Best Actor in a Leading Role 2021 Best Drama Line of Duty series 6 Best Actor in a Leading Role National Television Awards 2018 Best Crime Drama Line of Duty series 4 2020 Outstanding Drama Series Line of Duty series 5 2021 Best Returning Drama Line of Duty series 6 Special Recognition Line of Duty series 6 Best Drama Performance Rockie Awards 2019 Showrunner of the Year Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards 2014 Editing Royal Television Society Midlands Awards 2012 Best Drama Line of Duty series 1 Best Male Actor Best Newcoming Actor 2019 Best Female Actress Best Writer Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards 2015 Best Drama Line of Duty series 2 2016 Best Drama Line of Duty series 3 2017 Best Drama Line of Duty series 4 Original Music Score 2019 Best Drama Line of Duty series 5 2022 Best Drama Line of Duty series 6 Original Music Royal Television Society Programme Awards 2013 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 1 Best Male Actor Best Writer 2015 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 2 2017 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 3 Best Drama Writer 2018 Best Female Actress Royal Television Society Scotland Awards 2017 Television Director of the Year Satellite Awards 2022 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 6 Best Actress in a Drama Series South Bank Sky Arts Award 2013 TV Drama Line of Duty series 1 2015 TV Drama Line of Duty series 2 2018 TV Drama Line of Duty series 4 Television and Radio Industries Club Awards 2020 Crime Programme Line of Duty series 5 Televisual Bulldog Awards 2015 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 2 Best Editing 2018 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 4 Best Writer 2020 Best Drama Series Line of Duty series 5 TV Choice Awards 2016 Best Drama Line of Duty series 3 2019 Best Drama Line of Duty series 5 Best Actress Best Actor 2021 Best Drama Line of Duty series 6 Best Actor Best Actress TVTimes Awards 2021 Favourite Drama Line of Duty series 6 Favourite Actor Favourite Actress Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards 2015 Best Long Form TV Drama 2018 Best Long Form TV Drama
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References
External links
Awards for Line of Duty at World Productions