We’re all baffled by Line Of Duty!
HOW relieved I was to read Christopher Stevens’s scathing review of Line Of Duty (Mail). Like him, I had looked forward to the new TV series, but was so disappointed. The opening scenes were incomprehensible and I had to keep looking up the acronyms to try to make any sense of it. Apart from the three main actors, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston, a lot of the acting was wooden. Kelly Macdonald is woefully miscast as a detective chief inspector. Her straight-armed, plodding walk and quiet voice make her character unbelievable. I hope this series is a slow burner and will improve. If not, many of the 9.6 million viewers who tuned in for the first episode will be turning off.
Mrs J. WEBSTER, Stafford. PITY the likes of me, brought up on Dixon Of Dock Green, where the pace was bicycle slow, as was the dialogue. I find the plot of Line Of Duty almost impossible to follow, thanks to a confusion of endless acronyms, flashbacks, brutal (often random) violence, crash-bang-wallop action, endless mobile phone calls and lost computer files. I just wish I could take shorthand. Worse, there’s no character that I really like, except for the big Irish fella and he could be a villain. I’ve seen it all before, but done better. It can’t compare with the ITV police drama Unforgotten, which is in a class of its own, particularly the acting. This is my message to the writers, producers and directors of Line Of Duty: please slow down for the benefit of those of us who are slow on the uptake, but quick on the remote control off button.
DOUG JENNINGS, Mickleton, Glos. I FAIL to see why Line Of Duty gets rave reviews because there’s no continuity, context or flow. I’d need to go to a seance to have it explained. Liberal, metropolitan drivel.
ROB SHARP, Worthing, W. Sussex.
WHY is Line Of Duty so popular? I’d rather watch repeats of The Bill, which had much more interesting characters.
ROGER VINCE, Upper Brynamman, Carms. FOR those disappointed with Line Of Duty, may I recommend Spiral, available on BBC iPlayer. In French with subtitles, the plots and subplots, corruption and sleaze about a team of detectives taking on organised crime make it one of the most watchable series I’ve seen in a long time.