GREAT DRAMA


Line of Duty’s win in the Bulldog best drama series category was confirmation of the enduring appeal of Jed Mercurio’s police corruption thriller. Series five saw off younger shortlisted shows,


such as second placed Killing Eve 2 and third ranked The End of the F***ing World 2. Regulars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and


Adrian Dunbar were joined in series five by guest stars Stephen Graham and Rochenda Sandall, who played pivotal figures in the story about an organised crime group with links to corrupt police officers. At the time of speaking, Mercurio was in post on


series six, the first episode of which went on to be the most watched drama across all channels since the finale of his Bodyguard in 2018. Having begun life in 2012 on BBC2, it switched across to BBC1 for its fourth series in 2017. Last August, BBC1 began playing the whole of Line of Duty from series one,


YOU JUST HAVE TO BE TRUE TO THE STORY YOU ARE TRYING TO TELL.


drawing in new viewers. “We think from our audience data that a considerable chunk of our audiences have only ever watched it on BBC1,” says Mercurio.


The big secret Asked for the secret of the show’s success, Mercurio says it’s difficult to “mind read” how the audience is going to respond to character or story moments. “You just have to be true to the story you are trying to tell and to make it as compelling as possible.” Mercurio begins each season’s writing process


with a concise overview of the plot, and then works in detail episode by episode. Research for Line of Duty has been consistent since series two, he says. “For series one, we didn’t get a great deal of cooperation


from the police. We had to find ways around that and talk to sources, who were willing to give us an insight into anti-corruption operations.” That all changed from series two, when the police could see the show for themselves. “Police officers are now willing to talk to us on the record and off the record in quite a lot of detail. That’s been incredibly helpful to us.”


A long way to go Fans of the show can take comfort from the fact that Mercurio has more up his sleeve. “In terms of the internal dynamics – the story and character arcs – it does feel like it’s something that has a distance to travel,” he says. Mercurio, however, is acutely aware of the need to “keep the support” of the BBC and for the show to do well. “We need to keep getting the


scheduling and the budget, and all of those things. So when series six goes out, that’s all going to be looked at very closely,” says Mercurio. “If the series isn’t performing well, then that will involve a discussion. Hopefully, people who watch will think we’ve made a brilliant series, but you just don’t know when it goes out whether the hunger to see more episodes is still there among the mass audience.” Series six, of course, has been made under what


Mercurio – a former hospital doctor – describes as rigorous Covid-19 safety protocols. “The ambition was always to make the changes invisible. Anyone coming on set would see everybody wearing masks and social distancing being applied. But, hopefully, what they see on screen doesn’t look any different than what we shot before the first shut down.”


Line of Duty 5, BBC1


Special Supplement Spring 2021 televisual.com


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