Line of Duty
CRIME DRAMA BBC1 HD, 9pm
AC-12 are closer than ever to cracking the Gail Vella case, but when the authority of Ted (Adrian Dunbar) is undermined, the team are left in a dangerous situation.
With forced retirement looming, TED HASTINGS gets an unwanted blast from the past in Line of Duty...
A DARK SHADOW has been hanging over Superintendent Ted Hastings ever since the last series of BBC1 thriller Line of Duty. The stalwart head of police anti-corruption unit AC-12 found the tables were turned on him and he was interrogated on suspicion of corruption and even conspiracy to murder.
Although he was cleared and left in place as head of the unit, he was still found guilty of discreditable conduct and given a final warning.
His dogged pursuit of bent coppers has also made him enough enemies among his superiors over the years to make it clear that his days in the force are numbered – and last week, he got the devastating news that he had no choice but to retire and that his beloved AC-12 would be subjected to cutbacks.
‘Time is running out for Ted,’ says Adrian Dunbar, 62, who plays the unrelenting cop. ‘He’s up against quite a bit and he is put through the wringer. He’s a dinosaur but his work is everything to him and going there every morning reminds him of who he is. It gives him a sense of self-worth.’
Hastings being Hastings, he’s not going quietly. Before he bows out, he is determined to uncover the truth about the murder of journalist Gail Vella (Andi Osho). This week, as AC-12 looks further into the dodgy police activities Gail was researching before she was killed, more information also comes to light about shady DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), who is leading the Vella investigation.
But as danger mounts for them all, Hastings still wants to pull off the ultimate coup before he goes, by tracking down the elusive ‘H’ or ‘fourth man’
– the notorious, and as yet still anonymous, police figure linked to organised crime.
‘A lot of things have destabilised, which have affected the unit.
But we are still on the search for the network of corrupt coppers,’ says Dunbar. ‘Are we any closer to them? Hopefully!’
RENEWED CONFLICT
Just as Hastings believes he is finally making inroads in his search, however, he is stunned when his former nemesis, frosty Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin), suddenly reappears.
‘He’s a dinosaur
but his work is everything to him’
ADRIAN DUNBAR
The sinister fellow anti-corruption investigator from AC-3 made a memorable debut in the last series when she subjected Hastings to an intense and ruthless grilling during the inquiry into his conduct. Now, she’s back to cause him even more turmoil as she delivers some devastating news about AC-12’S current investigations. Does she have plans to take command of the unit herself?
‘I am not allowed to reveal anything, but suffice to say Pat’s back and she’s ready to bust some balls,’ teases Maxwell Martin, 43.
Whatever the future holds for Hastings, Dunbar says that playing the irascible but single-minded Northern Irish cop has been the role of a lifetime. As well as turning him into one of TV’S most recognisable stars, the series has seen him deliver a multitude of classic Belfast-inspired catchphrases and lines such as ‘Fella’, ‘Mother of God’ and ‘Now we’re sucking diesel.’
‘They’ve taken on a life of their own, haven’t they? I get a lot of “Fellas” said to me when I go to the shops,’ laughs Dunbar. ‘Jed Mercurio [the show’s writer] is always on the lookout for new idioms. I love doing all the
“Mother of God” stuff, because that’s something that my dad used to do. So it’s in memory of him that I get all that in, and my sisters and my brothers all like it. It’s been a real chance to colour the character and give a sense of who Ted is. It’s lovely.’