Line of Duty: Everything that happened in series two

Following the huge success of the first series of Line of Duty, which premiered on BBC Two in June 2012, the show was swiftly renewed for a second instalment just two months later, with filming for the six episodes beginning in April 2013.

More than a decade after the second series aired, fans are still captivated by its gripping storyline, which featured Keeley Hawes as DI Lindsay Denton. Now a seventh series has been confirmed, interest in the show is stronger than ever. Here, we take an in-depth look back at series two. Be warned — SPOILERS AHEAD.

What happened in Line of Duty season two?

In true Line of Duty fashion, series two begins with a fast-paced episode, where a police convoy escorting a protected witness is ambushed, killing three police officers in the process. The only survivor from the ambush was DI Lindsay Denton, the detective in charge of arranging and managing the route of the convey.

Due to the circumstances of Denton's survival, AC-12 begin to investigate the murders, with Superintendent Hastings leading the investigation alongside DS Steve Arnott and DC Kate Fleming. However, after discovering one of the murdered officers was a former colleague, DC Fleming steps down from the investigation, with DC Georgia Trotman being promoted to join the team.

Instead of working direct with AC-12 on the investigation, DC Fleming is deployed as an undercover officer called Kate Foster in DI Denton's team, and it doesn't take long for her to witness Denton making a suspicious call from a public phone box, which is later traced to be to the hospital where the witness is being treated.

Passing on the intel, DS Arnott and DC Trotman speed to the hospital, but they are soon met by an attacker who is disguised as a nurse. In brutal scenes, DS Arnott is knocked unconscious, the witness is murdered, and DC Trotman is thrown out of the high window, resulting in her death.

Whilst helping DI Denton investigate the disappearance of 15-year-old Carly Kirk, DC Fleming pushes too hard and blows her cover, resulting in AC-12 to formally arrest DI Denton for 'conspiracy to murder'. During the tense interview, DI Denton is quick to expose her own findings of AC-12 officers, revealing Superintendent Hastings’s financial vulnerabilities, DC Fleming's affair with DS Akers' husband, and DS Arnott’s unofficial meetings with nurse Claire Tindall.

Following the interview with AC-12, DI Denton is denied bail and sent to prison, where she is bullied by the prison officers and fellow inmates, resulting in some brutal burns to her hands and human excrement inserted into her food.

Deputy Chief Constable Mike Dryden's driving offence attracts unwanted attention from the press, resulting in him striking a deal with a local journalist to name DI Denton as the officer under investigation.

During episode three, it's revealed that DS “Dot” Cottan from series one has joined AC-12, and he soon discovers that DS Akers received a large payment shortly before her death during the convoy attack, leading him to think she was the real mole. Following more investigations, the team also learn that gang leader Tommy Hunter was the witness killed at the hospital.

Whilst DI Denton is still in prison, DC Fleming discovers a body, with the team thinking it could be missing teenager Carly. When DC Fleming goes to visit DI Denton in prison, she accuses her ex-lover DCC Dryden of 'setting her up', with DC Fleming seemingly finding evidence to support her claims.

Following the claims, AC-12 pull in DCC Dryden for questioning about his traffic offence, and whilst he's dismissive, DC Arnott reveals DI Denton has accused him of knowing about the convoy route, something the team intent to investigate future.

Meanwhile, as Major Violent Crime (MVC) officer Lester Hargreaves brings in Jayne's husband Richard for questioning after finding £20,000 cash hidden under floor boards, he reveals his wife had a flash drive full of incriminating recordings of Tommy Hunter, which leads AC-12 on a mission to identify 'The Caddy' named in the recordings, whilst Hargreaves and Cotton also witness evidence that suggests that Tommy had a grievance against DCC Dryden.

Due to the ill health of her mother, DI Denton is granted permission to visit her, but on her return to the prison, her transport is ambushed and she's abducted by two policemen, DC Jeremy Cole and DS Manish Prasad, the man Carly's parents identified as her boyfriend.

As DI Denton wakes up in a lock-up under questioning by DC Cole and DC Prasad, things get heated and DC Prasad proceeds to murder his colleague. DI Denton then takes control of the situation, crushing DC Prasad with a car and making him admit during a 'dying declaration' that she was set up by DCC Dryden, and that the pair were working for him. Fleeing the scene after getting the recording, DI Denton heads back to the care home, where she learns her mother has passed away following a stroke. DS Arnott locates DI Denton at the home, where she's later granted bail.

Unbeknown to DI Denton, DC Prasad survived from his injures and is now demanding immunity in order to talk.

As the series draws to a close, DS Cottan meets up with former colleague DC Nigel Morton, in an attempt to get information out of him surrounding DCC Dryden. Following a chat, DS Cottan learns that DCC Dryden raped Carly, leading him to be arrested and questioned by AC-12. During questioning DCC Dryden admitted to his brief affair with DI Denton, accusing her of being 'vindictive' when he brought it to an end.

During the final episode of series two, DC Prasad decides to speak, claiming DCC Dryden set up the ambush in order to silence Tommy, as he was blackmailing him about sexually assaulting Carly.

DS Arnott appears to befriend DI Denton, attending her mother's funeral and visiting her at home, something which unsettles DC Fleming, but he soon admits he's attempting to work undercover and still believes DI Denton is guilty.

In flashback scenes set before the ambush, DI Denton follows DCC Dryden to a reception, where she notices Carly flirting with him. She then follows Carly and DCC Dryden, witnessing Hunter assault Carly after she leaves DCC Dryden’s car. Later, DI Denton approaches Hunter, but DS Akers steps in. That evening, DS Akers visits DI Denton at home, asking for her help in saving Carly by turning Hunter over to his criminal contacts. With the promise of a payoff, DS Akers convinces DI Denton to take part in the handover, which also involves DS Cottan. To protect DS Cottan’s identity, both DS Akers and Hunter are killed, leaving Denton to take the blame.

In conclusion, DI Denton ended up being found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, but not of conspiracy to murder, after her conviction for conspiracy to murder was later overturned on appeal. DI Denton was later released after serving time, whilst DCC Dryden received a suspended sentence for perverting the course of justice for the driving offence, resulting in him resigning from the police force.

Check out the Line of Duty series two trailer below:

When did it air?

The second series first hit our screens on 12th February 2014, airing for six weeks until 19th March 2014.

What channel was it on?

Just like the first series, series two also aired on BBC Two.

How many episodes?

Series two is made up of six episodes.

How many viewers?

The second series had an average of 3.43 million viewers.

Who was in the cast of the second season?

Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar returned as DS Steve Arnott, DC Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings for the second series, with Craig Parkinson also returning as DS Matthew "Dot" Cottan.

New faces for the second series included Keeley Hawes (Bodyguard), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife) and Mark Bonnar (The Rig).

Check out the cast list for series two of Line of Duty below:

Martin Compston as DS Steve Arnott

Vicky McClure as DC Kate Fleming

Adrian Dunbar as Superintendent Ted Hastings

Keeley Hawes as DI Lindsay Denton

Jessica Raine as DC Georgia Trotman

Craig Parkinson as DS Matthew "Dot" Cottan

Neil Morrissey as DC Nigel Morton

Mark Bonnar as Deputy Chief Constable Mike Dryden

Brian McCardie as Tommy Hunter

Liz White as Jo Dwyer

Tony Pitts as DCS Lester Hargreaves

Christina Chong as DS Nicola Rogerson

Allison McKenzie as DS Jayne Akers

David Maybrick as Sergeant Alex Wallis

Antonio Magro as PC Vincent Butler

Sacha Dhawan as DS Manish Prasad

Henry Pettigrew as DC Jeremy Cole

Charlotte Spencer as Carly Kirk

Andrea Irvine as Roisin Hastings

You can find an overview of the Line of Duty cast right here.

Can I watch it?

As well as being available for customers of streaming service Netflix, you can watch Line of Duty for free on BBC iPlayer now.

Who wrote it?

Jed Mercurio continued his role as writer and creator for series two, as well as executive producer.

Speaking about the process of writing series two, Jed told the BBC: "I would write episode by episode and would try to avoid revealing too much about how the later story develops. This approach allows the series to be constructed along the model of how the audience will watch it. I was concerned that too rigid an adherence to defined plot points in later episodes would restrict the dramatic potential of the preceding ones.

"In general, I delivered a two-page outline of the episode, Simon, Priscilla and I would discuss improvements, and then I’d write the episode. Sometimes I found it necessary to depart from the outline, if things didn’t work, or they seemed too dull on the page. Once an episode was in good shape, usually after a couple of drafts, I’d move on to the next.

"As we neared production, the drafting process got more intense, with input from all departments, the cast and the directors. Episode 6 went through about 10 drafts!"

Check out which other TV shows Jed Mercurio has worked on.

Where was it filmed?

Although the first series of Line of Duty was filmed in Birmingham, England, the second series move to Belfast in Northern Ireland.

The Invest Northern Ireland building was used as the exterior for the AC‑12 offices, and Belfast Central Library was used for the police headquarters. According to Northern Ireland Screen, other notable locations included Short Strand, Tedford’s Restaurant, Invest NI, McElhattons Bar, St Anne’s Cathedral, Royal Courts of Justice, Belfast Met, Union Bar, Tomb Street Car Park, Holywood Arches Health Centre, and even Bangor's Windsor Hotel and Balloo South Industrial Estate.

Check out the Line of Duty filming locations in Belfast below:

Now read:

Your ultimate guide to Line of Duty

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