Line of Duty series 5 explained

Series Number:5
Bgcolour:
  1. 295C85
Showrunner:Jed Mercurio
Network:BBC One
Num Episodes:6
Prev Season:Series 4
Next Season:Series 6
Episode List:List of Line of Duty episodes

The fifth series of Line of Duty, consisting of six episodes, began broadcasting on 31 March 2019 on BBC One.[1] The series follows the actions of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) as they investigate an Organised Crime Group with links to missing undercover officer DS John Corbett (Stephen Graham). Anna Maxwell Martin stars in episodes five and six as DCS Patricia Carmichael. Supporting characters include underboss Lisa McQueen (Rochenda Sandall) and the special counsel to the police and crime commissioner Gill Biggeloe (Polly Walker).

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Episodes

See also: List of Line of Duty episodes.

Sport Relief special

A special mini-episode was produced in support of Sport Relief in 2020.[2] The special was promoted as a "deleted scene" from the fifth series and starred Compston, McClure, and Dunbar along with Jason Isaacs as DC Taylor and Lee Mack as David Rickman.[3] It was written by the Dawson Brothers and aired on BBC One on 13 March 2020. The plot includes elements of the main programme, but the events of the supplemental episode do not fall within the continuity of Line of Duty.

Home media

NameDVD release datesNumber of
episodes		Number of
discs
Region 1Region 2
Line of Duty - Series 526 November 2019[4] 6 May 201962
Line of Duty - Series 1-526 November 2019[5] 6 May 2019[6] 2910
Line of Duty - Series 1-6 Complete Box Set31 May 2021[7] 3612

Reception

Viewing figures

Series 5 saw a major increase in viewing ratings from previous series. By the May 2019 series finale, it was the BBC’s most watched programme of year.[8] The show was reported to have had an average peak of 12.34 to 13.67 million viewers per episode.[9] [10]

Critical response

Despite less positive reviews than the previous series, series 5 was still ranked highly among critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes holds an approval rating for series 5 at 90%, with an average rating of 8.40/10, based on 29 reviews.[11] The website's critics consensus reads: “Line of Duty's sterling ensemble all maintain a stiff upper lip, but audiences' limbs will be quavering throughout this tense fifth season that dives deep into moral murk.” On the review aggregator website Metacritic, the series has a score of 88 out of 100 based on 5 critics.[12]

Radio Times drama editor Eleanor Bley Griffiths wrote: "With epic interrogation scenes, surprise betrayals, grisly murders, untold secrets, massive twists... "[13] Pat Stacey of The Irish Independent wrote: "Episode by episode, the plot is thickening, like soup that's been left sitting on a hot stove for too long."[14] Rachel Cooke of the New Statesman was less complimentary in her review, suggesting that Mercurio struggled to give the audience a logical resolution – leading her to call series five “Jed Mercurio’s ropiest bit of work ever sent our way.”[15] Brian Donaldson of The List had solid praise for the actors, but felt the series's plot was somewhat vague; he was critical of the script, stating: “The writing leaves many of them discussing the gravest of matters as though they're reading the contents on the back of a shampoo sachet.”[16]

Accolades

See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Line of Duty.

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2019Edinburgh TV AwardsDrama SeriesLine of Duty[17]
Rockie AwardsShowrunner of the YearJed Mercurio[18]
Royal Television Society Midlands AwardsActing Performance - FemaleVicky McClure[19]
WriterJed Mercurio
Royal Television Society Northern Ireland AwardsBest DramaLine of Duty[20]
TV Choice AwardsBest Drama SeriesLine of Duty[21]
Best ActressVicky McClure
Best ActorAdrian Dunbar
Martin Compston
2020British Academy Television AwardsVirgin TV's Must-See Moment"John Corbett's Death"[22] [23]
Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest ActorStephen Graham[24]
Casting Director Guild AwardsBest Casting In A Television DramaKate Rhodes James, Daniel Edwards, and Gordon Cowell[25]
Celtic Media Festival AwardsDrama SeriesLine of Duty[26]
Edgar Allen Poe AwardsBest Episode in a TV seriesJed Mercurio for "Episode 4"[27]
Irish Film & Television AwardsActor in a Leading RoleAdrian Dunbar[28]
National Television AwardsOutstanding Drama SeriesLine of Duty[29]
Televisual Bulldog AwardsBest Drama SeriesLine of Duty[30]
Television and Radio Industries Club AwardsCrime ProgrammeLine of Duty[31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: List of Line BBC1 air date time and cast.
  2. Web site: Line of Duty one-off episode for Sport Relief finally 'reveals the real H'. Harp. Justin. 13 March 2020. 10 May 2024. Digital Spy. 1 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230401203624/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a31492235/line-of-duty-sport-relief-h-identity/. live.
  3. Web site: Mother of God! Sport Relief will feature a Line of Duty sketch. Link. Thomas. 26 February 2020. 3 June 2024. Radio Times. 24 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210924125901/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sport-relief-line-of-duty-sketch/. live.
  4. Web site: Line of Duty Series 4 DVD. 26 November 2019. 1 May 2024. Amazon.
  5. Web site: Line of Duty: Series 1-5 Collection. 26 November 2019. 12 January 2024. Amazon. 15 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240115201320/https://www.amazon.com/Line-Duty-Collection-Adrian-Dunbar/dp/B07X93ZRRK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3B13C34FE8VUM&keywords=line+of+duty+season+1+dvd&qid=1705044386&sprefix=line+of+duty+season+1+dv%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-2. live.
  6. Web site: Line of Duty - Series 1-5. 6 May 2019. 19 January 2024. Amazon. 19 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240119083555/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Line-Duty-1-5-Box-Set/dp/B07MWR4481/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2GXQLPDA1KCHT&keywords=line+of+duty+series+2&qid=1705652601&sprefix=%2Caps%2C207&sr=8-6. live.
  7. Web site: Line of Duty - Series 1-6 Complete Box Set [DVD]]. 31 May 2021. 12 January 2024. Amazon. 14 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240114133013/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Line-Duty-1-6-Complete-Box/dp/B08XXXCF7T/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3DJ3QXDSBUKYJ&keywords=line+of+duty+series+1+dvd&qid=1705045057&sprefix=line+of+duty+series+1+dvd%2Caps%2C529&sr=8-2. live.
  8. Web site: Line of Duty season finale is UK's most watched TV show of 2019. The Guardian. January 9, 2020.
  9. Web site: Line of Duty finale draws biggest audience of 2019 so far. BBC News. January 9, 2020. November 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191119113104/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-48174967. live.
  10. Web site: TV Ratings. The Guardian. January 9, 2020.
  11. Web site: LINE OF DUTY: SERIES 05 (2019). Rotten Tomatoes. 8 January 2020. 13 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190513185249/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/line_of_duty/s05. live.
  12. Web site: Line Of Duty: Season 5. Metacritic. 8 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/. 19 August 2013. dead.
  13. Line of Duty spoiler-free review: a triumphant return – with a menacing new villain and plenty of twists and turns. Radio Times. 31 March 2019. 23 June 2021. 13 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190513194546/https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-03-31/line-of-duty-series-5-spoiler-free-review/. live.
  14. News: Line of Duty review: 'The plot is thickening, like soup that's been left sitting on a hot stove for too long'. Stacey, Pat. The Irish Independent. 15 April 2019. 23 June 2021. 24 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210624225236/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/tv-reviews/line-of-duty-review-the-plot-is-thickening-like-soup-thats-been-left-sitting-on-a-hot-stove-for-too-long-38015397.html. live.
  15. Web site: The finale proves it – Line of Duty has gone from gripping to preposterous. NewStatesman. 9 January 2020. 13 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190513194558/https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/tv-radio/2019/05/line-of-duty-finale-review-jed-murcurio-preposterous-morse-code. live.
  16. Web site: TV review: Line of Duty Series 5, BBC One. The List. 9 January 2020. 24 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200924051604/https://www.list.co.uk/article/107632-tv-review-line-of-duty-series-5-bbc-one/. live.
  17. Web site: Awards - World Productions. 24 March 2024. World Productions. 9 January 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240109151635/https://www.world-productions.com/awards. live.
  18. Web site: 2019 Rockie Awards - Banff World Media Festival 2019. 25 March 2024. Banff World Media Festival. 7 June 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230607094734/https://banffmediafestival.playbackonline.ca/2019/rockie_awards/. live.
  19. Web site: RTS Midlands Awards 2019. 24 March 2024. Royal Television Society. 7 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220707072151/https://rts.org.uk/article/winners-rts-midlands-awards-announced. live.
  20. Web site: RTS NI Reveals Winners. 8 November 2019. 24 March 2024. Northern Ireland Screen. 8 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200808063503/https://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/news/general/rts-ni-reveals-winners-2019-programme-awards/. live.
  21. Web site: Your 2019 Winners. 9 September 2019. 24 March 2024. TV Choice Magazine. 7 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231207202353/https://www.tvchoicemagazine.co.uk/awards/winners/ceremony-2019/. live.
  22. Web site: BAFTA TV Awards Winners: Night Of Surprises, As ‘Chernobyl’ & ‘The End Of The F***ing World’ Take Two Prizes Each. Kanter. Jake. 31 July 2020. 24 March 2024. Deadline Hollywood. 1 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200801220354/https://deadline.com/2020/07/bafta-tv-awards-winners-watch-1202996917/. live.
  23. Web site: Bafta TV awards 2020: full list of winners. 31 July 2020. 24 March 2024. The Guardian. 6 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230406073803/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/jul/31/bafta-tv-awards-2020-full-list-of-winners. live.
  24. Web site: 2020. 25 March 2024. Broadcasting Press Guild. 12 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230812132649/http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/2020-awards/. live.
  25. Web site: 2020 CDG Award Winners and Nominees. 24 March 2024. The Casting Directors' Guild. 1 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231201000346/https://www.thecdg.co.uk/cdg-awards-2020/. live.
  26. Web site: Celtic Media Festival Reveals Award Nominees for 2020. 12 March 2020. 24 March 2024. Northern Ireland Screen. 27 March 2024. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20240327020320/https://northernirelandscreen.co.uk/news/general/celtic-media-festival-reveals-award-nominees-2020/. live.
  27. Web site: All Winners - Edgar Awards Info & Database. 25 March 2024. Edgar Allen Poe Awards. 19 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230319155928/https://edgarawards.com/all-winners/. live.
  28. Web site: IFTA Film & Drama Nominees 2020. 25 March 2024. Irish Film & Television Academy. 20 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020222206/https://www.ifta.ie/awards/nominees_2020/index.html. live.
  29. Web site: National Television Awards 2020: all the categories and nominations. Cremona. Patrick. 28 January 2020. 24 March 2024. Radio Times. 2 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231202015913/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/national-television-awards-categories-nominations/. live.
  30. Web site: The Televisual Bulldog Awards: Winners Announced. 25 September 2020. 24 March 2020. Televisual. 26 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201026050617/https://www.televisual.com/news/the-televisual-bulldog-awards-winners-announced/. live.
  31. Web site: TRIC Awards Winners in Full. 10 March 2020. 24 March 2024. The Irish News. 27 March 2024. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20240327020305/https://www.irishnews.com/magazine/entertainment/2020/03/10/news/tric-awards-winners-in-full-1864201/. live.

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