‘Line of Duty’ is not over yet. The spectacular show by BBC is back for another instalment. Jed Mercurio’s show is coming back with a bang – a new guest lead.
While there’s a lot that is up in the air, one thing is for sure, ‘Line of Duty’ will be back on screens for a 6th season, in February or March 2021, if all goes well. Read on to know more about what to expect and whom to see on-screen in season 6.
Highlights —
- ‘Line of Duty’: The police drama
- When will season 6 air?
- Who will comprise the cast of the 6th season?
‘Line of Duty’: The police drama
The makers are bringing back ‘Line of Duty’ on fan demand.
The police correction drama will be back in action, on-air in early 2021. Created by Jed Mercurio and produced by World Studios, on 26th June 2012, BBC Two streamed the first season of the series. With a cumulative viewership of 4.1 million viewers, the second season came on-air on 12th February 2014. With the immense critical acclaim and fame that it received, the series was commissioned for another 2 seasons. ‘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.
‘Line of Duty’ was included in a list of the Top 50 and Top 80 BBC Two 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.
The story sees DS 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. In the 6th season, we can expect the AC-12 trying to figure out the corrupt police member under the command of Hastings. Oh and, of course, more of Fleming and Arnott’s personal lives as they struggle with the balance between love, family, and work.
When will season 6 air?
Four weeks into the shoot of season 6 of the drama, the shooting was suspended due to the global pandemic. After 5 months of total lockdown, the cast returned to Belfast for the filming of season 6 of the police drama. The shoot wrapped officially on 23rd November, starring the trio Superintendent Ted Hastings i.e Adrian Dunbar, DI Kate Fleming i.e Vicky McClure, and DS Steve Arnott i.e Martin Compston.
Take a look at the tweet by Jed Mercurio here.
BBC officially confirmed that the show will be back in March 2021. While the show was originally supposed to drop in 2020, just like other shows, ‘Line of Duty’ was also pushed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The showrunner and creator of the show Jed Mercurio said:
“Thanks so much to our brilliant cast and crew who applied rigorous COVID safety measures to deliver ‘Line of Duty 6’ to our wonderful fans. We’re all immensely grateful to World Productions and the BBC for the unswerving support they’ve given us in a time of unprecedented challenges to UK television production.”
The last season that was aired online was season 5 of the show, that revolved completely around uncovering the identity of ‘H’, a corrupt, high-ranking member of the police force. The 6th instalment of the show started airing early in the year but was forced to shut down due to the global pandemic.
There is a lot left for AC-12 to achieve. Though a seventh season is up in the air, a 6th season is definitely a go.
Who will comprise the cast of the 6th season?
Like a bang, Kelly Macdonald (‘Boardwalk Empire’, ‘The Victim’, ‘Giri/Haji’, ‘No Country for Old Men’, ‘Trainspotting’) will be returning on-screen as Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson. A senior officer on the investigation team, she raises the suspicion of AC-12 due to some of her actions. Adding to this, Jed Mercurio, in an interview with “The Guardian”, said,
“She’s probably the most enigmatic guest lead we’ve had. Kelly’s just fantastic”
Not to forget, the regular fan favourites, Ted Hastings, Steve Arnott, and Kate Flemming – played by Adrian Dunbar, Martin Compston, and Vicky McClure respectively – will also be back.
With the intense effect that her character had on the storyline, there’s a fine chance we might see Anna Maxwell Martin return as Patricia Carmichael. Amongst the minor characters who might pop-up again, it could be DS Sam Railston (Aiysha Hart), PC Tatleen Sohota (Taj Atwal), Hastings’ wife Roisin (Andrea Irvine), and DCC Andrea Wise (Elizabeth Rider), among others.
Though the plots and other relevant details of the 6th season are all sealed up, one thing we can bet big on is that ‘Line of Duty’ will never disappoint its fans. Considering Jed’s old habits of killing off the show’s main character, we are not sure who will survive till the end of the season, but there’s one thing for sure – there’s a lot of drama on its way!
