Line of Duty: Your ultimate guide to the thrilling BBC series
The show is returning for a seventh series!
Since it first landed our TV screens way back in 2012, hit BBC show Line of Duty has had us on the edge of our seats for six incredible series - despite the fact that the show was initially rejected.
Written by Jed Mercurio, the much-loved show amassed a legion of loyal fans, with the season six finale drawing in an amazing 12.8 million viewers. In November 2025, BBC bosses confirmed the show will be returning for a seventh series, so here's everything you could possibly need to know about popular police drama Line of Duty...
How many series?
There's so far six series of Line of Duty, with a seventh set to land in 2026.
Is there going to be another series of Line of Duty?
Yes, yes, yes! In news we'd all been waiting for, the BBC announced on Tuesday 18th November that Line of Duty will be returning for a seventh series.
Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston will all reprise their roles, with filming due to begin in Belfast in Spring 2026.
Find out everything you need to know about Line of Duty series seven right here.
When did Line of Duty come out?
Series one: 26th June 2012 to 24th July 2012
Series two: 12th February 2014 to 19th March 2014
Series three: 24th March 2016 to 28th April 2016
Series four: 26th March 2017 to 30th April 2017
Series five: 31st March 2019 to 5th May 2019
Series six: 21st March 2021 to 2nd May 2021
Series seven: Expected in 2026
When was Line of Duty last on TV?
After filming was postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, production resumed in September 2020 and series six hit our screens on Sunday 21st March 2021.
The last episode aired on 2nd May 2021.
What happened in Line of Duty?
Line of Duty: Everything that happened in series one
Line of Duty: Everything that happened in series two
Line of Duty: Everything that happened in series three
Line of Duty: Everything that happened in series four
What channel was Line of Duty on?
Line of Duty originally aired on BBC Two. Creator Jed Mercurio revealed in July 2020 that BBC One initially rejected Line of Duty when it was first pitched, hence why it aired on BBC Two originally.
The show was moved to BBC One for the fourth series.
How can I watch Line of Duty?
All six series of Line of Duty can be watched on BBC iPlayer.
How many episodes in Line of Duty?
Series one-five of Line of Duty are all made up of six individual episodes. However, series six was made up of seven episodes, making it the longest ever series of the show.
Where is Line of Duty set?
Although most of Line of Duty was filmed in Northern Ireland, it's understood the show is actually set in Birmingham, with maps of the city appearing on walls and telephone numbers using an 0121 area code.
Despite this, it's never been confirmed what the exact location is supposed to be.
Where is Line of Duty filmed?
The first series of Line of Duty was filmed in Birmingham, with series two-four moving to Northern Ireland.
Series five was also filmed in Northern Ireland, with residents in County Down sharing pictures of the crew at work in Dundonald. Line Of Duty series six was also filmed in Belfast.
Filming will return to Belfast for series seven in 2026.
Check out all of the Line of Duty filming locations right here.
Is Line of Duty a true story?
No, Line of Duty is a fictional TV series, however, viewers have previously been left confused after bosses decided to merge both fact and fiction throughout the early series.
At one stage, the show used a picture of Jimmy Savile, which became a massive talking point with fans. Despite a lot of backlash, advisers to the BBC defended the move, with a child abuse charity admitting they thought it was important to discuss the issues around taboo subjects.
At the time, Peter Saunders, founder of the NAPAC charity said: “It’s a fleeting moment, it’s not a large, in your face, long-lasting image of Savile. I’ve watched the first five episodes including this one and it is incredibly powerful. I don’t find it gratuitous – it’s a serious look at just how these b------- get away with it.
"Line of Duty is a very serious comment on police cover-ups, society’s cover-ups and the power of celebrity. I think all forms of media used responsibly and appropriately can contribute to the very serious conversation about this issue of vile child abuse and how it exists."
Who wrote Line of Duty?
Line of Duty was created and written by British television writer Jed Mercurio. The writer, who was born in 1966, has been ranked among the UK television's leading writers, creating edge-of-your-seat dramas like Line of Duty and Bodyguard.
Jed has been nominated and went on to win a number of prestigious awards for his work over the years, including British Screenwriters' Awards, Televisual Bulldog Awards and many more.
Check out all of Jed Mercurio's biggest shows below:
Cardiac Arrest (1994-1996)
Written under the pseudonym John MacUre, Cardiac Arrest was Jed's first television drama, released in 1994 whilst he was still a doctor. The show, which followed the lives of junior doctors working in a hospital, had three series between 1994-1996, with Jed taking inspiration from his own time working within a hospital.
Bodies (2004-2006)
Jed's next big high-profile series arrived in the form of another medical drama in 2004, titled Bodies. The series was based on Jed's 2002 novel of the same name. The show, which first aired on BBC Three, follows a registrar called Rob Lake (Max Beesley), as he starts in a new post in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, under the guidance of consultant Roger Hurley (Patrick Baladi).
The show ran for three series between 2004-2006, starring the likes of Neve McIntosh, Keith Allen, Susan Lynch, Tamzin Malleson and Preeya Kalidas.
Line of Duty (2012-Present)
Perhaps Jed's biggest and most-loved show to date! Line of Duty is a thrilling crime drama which stars the likes of Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston working in the Anti-Corruption (AC-12) unit of the police. First landing in 2012, the series was so popular it went on to land five further series, with 36 episodes in total, starring some huge names such as Stephen Graham, Neil Morrissey, Keeley Hawes, Daniel Mays, Will Mellor and Thandie Newton.
Despite Jed saying series six would be the last in 2021, on 18th November 2025, Jed and the BBC confirmed Line of Duty will be returning for a seventh series, with filming beginning in Spring 2026.
CR:IT:IC:AL (2015)
CR:IT:IC:AL, or Critical as it's also known, was another medical drama written by Jed. Airing on Sky One in 2015, the drama was set in a fictional major trauma centre, following a team of doctors and nurses as they are forced to make life-changing decisions in order to save their patients. Starring Lennie James and Catherine Walker, the drama was axed after just one series.
Bodyguard (2018)
One of the biggest dramas to grace our screens in 2018 was Jed's six-part series Bodyguard! Featuring Richard Madden as PS David Budd and Keeley Hawes as Home Secretary Julia Montague, the high-octane drama had viewers on the edge of their seats as PS Budd attempted to protect the Home Secretary, whilst getting set up for a bomb attack on the Capital.
Despite the series finale of Bodyguard gaining a whopping 17 million viewers, BBC bosses and Jed are yet to renew the show for a second series, leaving fans gutted. Speaking in 2023, main actor Richard Madden said: "I don't know if there's a space for it, but we've always left the door open... I'm not really sure where I take that character, but as the years go by, I think that's what might make it interesting... to pick up with David Budd, you know maybe 6-7 years later and see what's happened in his life since."
Bloodlands (2021)
Jed acted as a producer on BBC One drama Bloodlands in 2021. The series, which was filmed and set in Northern Ireland followed police officer DCI Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt) investigate crimes while trying to hide a dark secret from his past. The show was quickly renewed for a second series, which aired in 2022, but its since been axed.
Trigger Point (2022-Present)
Another popular show that is produced by Jed's company HTM Television is Trigger Point. Starring Vicky McClure has EXPO officer Lana Washington, the first series hit our screens in 2022 and was met with immediate praise from fans and critics. The series was quickly renewed for a second series, which aired in early 2024, and now we know a third AND fourth series is coming! Filming for series three took place earlier in 2025, with series four production now in full swing.
DI Ray (2022-2024)
Jed worked on police drama series DI Ray as an Executive Producer as part of his HTM Productions company. Parminder Nagra stars as main character Detective Inspector Rachita Ray and has so far enjoyed two successful series. Series one aired in 2022, with the second instalment arriving in 2024. There's so far been no official announcement about a third series.
Payback (2023)
Jed worked as the Executive Producer on 2023 ITV drama Payback, starring Morven Christie and Peter Mullan. Beginning in 2023, the six-part series follows a character called Lexie Noble, played by Morven Christie, as she becomes entangled in a perilous police operation to topple a notorious crime lord, Cal Morris, played by Peter Mullan.
The show was met with positive reviews, gaining a score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers also choosing to binge all six episodes in one sitting. Despite this, there's been no word on a second series.
Speaking about his input into the scrips, Jed said: "Well, I'm an executive producer on the project so I give feedback and guidance as part of the usual editorial process but all the physical writing was Debbie's - in the way that if I write a show like Line of Duty people are giving me feedback and I then make changes to the script. So that's how it worked; Debbie was doing all the writing, we had a brilliant editorial team and I was one part of that."
Breathtaking (2024)
Jed worked alongside real-life NHS doctor Rachel Clarke in order to create hard-hitting drama Breathtaking in 2024. The three-part series, which was adapted for television by Jed and Rachel, shows the challenges NHS staff had during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and features Joanne Froggart as the main character.
Jed Mercurio commented during filming: "Everyone at HTM Television has felt privileged to dramatise Rachel Clarke's hauntingly illuminating memoir of health workers struggling to cope with the extraordinary challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. I'm honoured to have collaborated with Rachel and Prasanna on this important drama, and thrilled to be working with a cast led by Joanne Froggatt and crew led by director Craig Viveiros."
Who is ‘H’ in Line of Duty?
If you were an avid watcher of the series, you’ll remember the elusive crime lord, otherwise known as ‘H’, who appeared in every series and whose identity was finally revealed in the last ever episode.
Every series, the team tried to find out who ‘H’ really was - but the only thing we really knew for a while was that ‘H’ was running criminal activities and causing chaos in the West Midlands.
We’d been teased and dragged in desperation through five series of who ‘H’ could possibly be. In series two, it could have been Tommy Hunter but he got killed off. It might have been DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cotton in series three but he got bumped off too. Then, series four teased us with having names of characters with the letter ‘H’, including ACC Hilton but then he died too.
Then, series five had viewers convinced 'H' was in fact AC-12 boss Ted Hastings, but the story took another dramatic in the series finale. DCI Ian Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle, was revealed to be the mysterious character of 'H'.
Whilst viewers had waited years to finally see who 'H' was, Jed Mercurio actually revealed that he dropped a major clue to in the very first series of the show. Jed told the Obsessed With Line of Duty podcast that the fact that Buckells allowed Matthew 'Dot' Cottan to speak with criminal Tommy Hunter in the back of a van was a sign that he was a dodgy officer.
He said: "It was always really important to me that it was someone who had been in season one, someone who had been there the whole time. We did introduce some characters late, so Thurwell came in late, we went back to Fairbank, who'd appeared in season three, we had the Chief Constable, who had obviously been there since season one.
"But then I don't think he would have been a satisfying candidate because he had been absent for so long, it would feel like we'd just feel like we'd just brought him back in to pin it on me. It was really about the heritage of the series, going all the way back to season one, where Dot Cottan says, 'Oh, can I just have a quick word with Tommy Hunter in the back of the van?' and Buckells goes, 'Yeah, alright'. Okay, like, really, is that what you should be doing? Of course not."
Then in August 2022, Adrian Dunbar revealed that Buckells might not be 'H' after all. Speaking to the Radio Times, he said: "He’s not H. We just got the guy we could actually pin a charge on. We didn’t get H, we got Buckells, the patsy."
Adrian then explained that he thinks 'H' is 'probably' Chief Constable Philip Osbourne, adding: "Unless there’s another twist and someone’s pulling his strings".
What do the abbreviations in Line of Duty mean?
OCG - Organised Crime Group: Serious crime planned, coordinated and conducted by people working together on a continuing basis, mostly acting in different roles depending on their skills and expertise.
PACE - Police and Criminal Evidence Act: Established in 1984, a code of practice that regulates police powers and protects public rights.
REG 15 - Regulation 15 notice: A notice that advises an officer that a complaint has been made or a conduct matter has come to light that warrants investigation by professional standards department.
RIPA - Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000: An act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, which regulates the powers of the public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, and covers the interception of communications.
RTC - Road Traffic Collision
ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition: Technology is used to detect, deter and disrupt criminality at a local, force, regional and national level.
AC-12 - Anti-Corruption Unit 12: A dedicated unit that holds responsibility for investigating corruption within the police force.
CHIS - Covert Human Intelligence Source: A person who establishes or maintains a personal or other relationship with another person for the covert purpose.
AFO - Authorised Firearms Officer: A police office, who has been selected, trained, accredited and authorised by their chief officer to carry a firearm operationally.
ARVs - Armed Response Vehicles: ARVs are crewed by Authorised Firearms Officers to respond to incidents believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations.
DIR - Digital Interview Recording: Digital device used to record police interviews.
IOPC - Independent Office for Police Conduct: A non-departmental public body in England and Wales which, since 8 January 2018, is responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against forces in England and Wales.
FI - Forensic Investigator: The FI gathers and preserves physical evidence at a crime scene to take to a lab where they examine what they or other law enforcement personal have found.
I.P. Address - Internet Protocol Address: A numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
SFC - Strategic Firearms Commander: The SFC has overall strategic command of firearms operations, with responsibility and accountability for directions given.
UCO - Undercover Operative: A method use by law enforcement and intelligence agencies. They wear civilian clothes that fit in to avoid detection.
TFC - Tactical Firearms Officer: A TFC provides guidance on the appropriate use in respect of different tactical options involving the deployment of AFOs.
VPN - Virtual Private Network: The extension of a private network that includes links across shared or public networks, such as the Internet.
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Line of Duty acronyms explained - including CHIS and DIR
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Line of Duty officially announced for new series