List of Line of Duty episodes

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 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 this time, a restructuring of BBC television networks occurred causing BBC One and BBC Two to now be controlled by the same person.^[14] 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 been nominated for several awards,^[29] also gaining a cult following^[30] and becoming the subject of critical acclaim.^{[31][32][33][34]}

The series primarily follows the actions of Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12), a task force located within the fictional Central Police Constabulary.^[35] AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings, portrayed by Adrian Dunbar.^[36] Martin Compston and Vicky McClure also starred in all six series as AC-12 officers Steve Arnott and Kate Fleming.^[37] Each series features an additional actor who portrays a police officer that is being investigated by AC-12.^[38] These roles were performed by Lennie James,^[39] Keely Hawes,^[40] Daniel Mays,^[41] Thandie Newton,^[42] Stephen Graham,^[43] and Kelly Macdonald.^[44] Other starring cast members include Craig Parkinson,^[45] Jessica Raine,^[46] Jason Watkins,^[47] and Anna Maxwell Martin.^[48] Over the course of the programme, 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.^[49] Produced by World Productions,^[50] the series was primarily filmed in Belfast although filming for the first series took place in Birmingham.^[51] It was distributed internationally by Content Media Group, which was eventually purchased by Kew Media Distribution,^[52] and ultimately ITV Studios following Kew Media's collapse.^[53]

During the course of the series, 36 episodes of Line of Duty aired, between 26 June 2012 and 2 May 2021.^[54]