Line of Duty
B OX S E T
Right from the outset, Jed Mercurio’s outstandingly good crime drama set the bar very high for the genre, and continues to do so.
The master of the twisting, keep-youguessing narrative and the tense on-theedge-of-your-seat set piece, Mercurio is in total command of his material as he skilfully weaves multiple plotlines through the overarching story of a team of police officers rooting out corruption in the force under the leadership of Superintendent Ted Hastings (a towering performance from Adrian Dunbar). Hastings is well-meaning yet flawed, avuncular but not one to suffer fools gladly (“for the love of God!”), and like all Mercurio’s creations, is a rounded, relatable and believable character. The working partnership between detectives Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and
Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and their – sometimes severely tested – friendship is at the heart of each series. There have been five so far. A sixth is in the pipeline, hopefully to be aired towards the end of this year, but in the meantime you can catch up or rewatch all the previous ones on BBC iPlayer. Some of the lengthy interrogation scenes are like mini-plays in themselves. They demand a huge amount from the actors – who include a first-class rosta of guest stars such as Keeley Hawes, Daniel Mays, Thandie Newton and Stephen Graham – all of whom rise magnificently to the challenge every time. Well worth revisiting.