Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio says the show was initially REJECTED by TV bosses
Madness!
Last updated 28th Jul 2020
Line of Duty has become one of the BBC's biggest shows since it first aired all the way back in 2012. Documenting the life and times of the fictional police unit AC-12, fans have been kept enthralled by the events following main characters D.S. Steve Arnott, D.C. Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings.
The first five series of the show have been hugely popular, so it's no surprise that Line of Duty's sixth season was commissioned over three years ago - although production has been put on hold due to the global pandemic.
However, creator and writer Jed Mercurio has revealed that the show was rejected by the BBC when it was first pitched... Speaking to Radio Times, Jed admitted that whilst the show finally found a home on BBC Two, it was first pitched to BBC One - and they didn't want it.
He said, "Maybe there were reservations that something about police corruption might be problematic for a mainstream audience.
"That was something that was passed on to me by the drama department, attempting to be constructive about it and therefore giving us hope that BBC Two might be a better home for us."
The show will air on BBC One from now on, thanks to its huge success so far - but Jed added, "There's selective amnesia about things like that... Every TV commissioner or TV executive who was involved in rejecting Line of Duty now pretends that it didn’t happen."
Scroll through to see what all those police acronyms REALLY mean in Line of Duty:
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.
The sixth season of the show has been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after production was halted as show bosses were initially planning to air the sixth season later in 2020. However, if all goes well, the show could be back filming in August 2020!