TV SERIES · 2012– · UK
Line of Duty
- Created by
- Jed Mercurio
- Network
- BBC One, BBC Two
- Seasons
- 7
- Episodes
- 42
- Studio
- World Productions, BBC Drama Productions
104 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
A drama about the investigations of AC-12, a controversial police anticorruption unit.
104 Interesting Facts About Line of Duty
Interesting Facts (35)
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In the United Kingdom, an Identity Code, or IC, is assigned to identify people who have not had the opportunity to identify themselves: * IC1 - Nordic or indigenous British, Nordic, German, etc. * IC2 - Mediterranean or Southern European, e.g. Spanish, Italian or Greek. * IC3 - Black or Sub-Saharan African or Afro-Caribbean. * IC4 - Desi or South Asian. * IC5 - Far Eastern, e.g. Chinese, Korean, Japanese or South-East Asian. * IC6 - West Asian or North African. * IC7 - Unknown.
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The fate of every AC-12 anti-corruption target: * Series One: Tony Gates - death by suicide. * Series Two: Lindsay Denton - killed in Series Three. * Series Three: Danny Waldron - killed by one of his own team. * Series Four: Roz Huntley - imprisoned. * Series Five: John Corbett - killed by a criminal gang. * Series Six: Jo Davidson - placed in witness protection.
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In his youth Martin Compston was an eager footballer and also played professionally in Scotland for a short time. He played in Aberdeen FC's youth team and also played for his hometown club Greenock Morton. After finding fame on Line of Duty, he was invited to play in the Soccer Aid (2006) World 11 team in aid of Sports Relief.
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After the third series the show moved from BBC2 to BBC1. For viewers outside the United Kingdom, BBC1 is considered less forward-thinking. BBC1 hosts more major content than the less mainstream BBC2. So the move points to the quality of the series in that it appeals to a broader mainstream audience than BBC2 content. If something does well on BBC2, the channels usually change.
- #017
The main fictional police force used in the series is Central Police, which is mentioned and seen in the series alongside the equally fictional East Midlands Constabulary. The fact that East Midlands is the neighbouring force suggests that Central Police is a version of West Midlands Police.
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Abbreviations for police roles: Police ranks: * DC = Detective Constable. * DS = Detective Sergeant. * DI = Detective Inspector. * DCI = Detective Chief Inspector. * DSU = Detective Superintendent. * DCS = Detective Chief Superintendent. * ACC = Assistant Chief Constable. * DCC = Deputy Chief Constable. * CC = Chief Constable. Other police roles: * TFC = Tactical Firearms Commander: A TFC provides guidance on appropriate use in terms of different tactical options, including the deployment of AFOs. * AFO = Authorised Firearms Officer: A police officer selected, trained, accredited and authorised by their supervisor to carry firearms operationally. * SFC = Strategic Firearms Commander: The police officer who sets the working strategy during an armed operation and advises on the deployment of AFOs until the SFC arrives at the scene. * CSE = Crime Scene Examiner. A forensic officer trained to photograph evidence and identify traces left at a crime scene. * FI = Forensic Investigator: The person who collects and preserves physical evidence at the scene to take it to the laboratory for analysis. * FLO = Family Liaison Officer: Works closely with people affected by serious crimes, such as the families of murder victims. * FME = Forensic Medical Examiner: A qualified doctor used by UK police to treat injuries, take blood samples or confirm and document a sudden death. * PCSO = Police Community Support Officer. * SIO = Senior Investigating Officer. * UCO = Undercover Officer: A police officer who often wears plain clothes or behaves in a criminal manner in order to "fit in" and avoid being identified as law enforcement.
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Production Story (31)
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In the first season, following a viewer's complaint, the media regulator Ofcom ruled that the BBC had breached Rule 1.28 of its 2012 rules. Specifically, it stated that due care had not been shown for the physical and emotional welfare and dignity of persons under 18, as 13-year-old actor Gregory Piper (Ryan Pilkington) appeared in scenes involving 'particularly violent and sexually explicit language.' Ofcom found that the production had not appointed an independent expert (such as a child psychiatrist) and had not followed the BBC Editorial Policy Unit's best practice recommendations. However, the regulator also noted that no actual harm, distress or anxiety had been caused to the child actor.
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During the filming of one episode, a rain machine was being used. On the adjacent set, the film The Magnificent Eleven (2013) was being shot. Josh O'Connor, who played Andy in the film, accidentally wandered onto the series' set during a break and was surprised to find himself under the rain machine and get soaked.
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According to the documentary Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (2021), the character of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) was inspired by Sir Robert Mark, who became Commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police in 1972 and established AC10, the first anti-corruption unit.
- #051
James Nesbitt initially tried to mislead viewers by lying about the role of DCI Marcus Thurwell. He said he was sorry that he never got to appear in the series. When seen on set, he claimed he was only filming a scene for Bloodlands (2021); in fact, the executive producer of that production, which was filmed in the same area, was Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio.
- #052
In his youth, Martin Compston was an eager footballer and even played professional football briefly in Scotland. He played for the youth team of Aberdeen FC and for his hometown team Greenock Morton. After gaining fame with Line of Duty, he was called up to the World 11 Soccer Aid (2006) team organised for the benefit of Sports Relief.
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Simon Millar played four different characters over the course of the series: a mourner in season 2, episode 1 (The Ambush, 2014) (uncredited), a passer-by in season 2, episode 2 (Carly, 2014) (uncredited), a cameraman in season 3, episode 3 (Snake Pit, 2016) (uncredited), DC Daniel Brightway in season 4, episode 1 (In the Shadow of the Truth, 2017) (uncredited), DC Daniel Brightway in season 4, episode 2 (Who Sows the Wind, 2017), DC Daniel Brightway in season 4, episode 3 (In the Trap, 2017), DC Daniel Brightway in season 4, episode 4 (Moral Superiority, 2017) (uncredited), and DC Daniel Brightway in season 4, episode 5 (Lying Nest, 2017) (uncredited).
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In the first season, following a viewer complaint, the media regulator Ofcom ruled that the BBC had breached Rule 1.28 in 2012. Specifically, it stated that due care was not taken for the physical and emotional well-being and dignity of those under 18, as 13-year-old actor Gregory Piper (Ryan Pilkington) appeared in scenes involving 'particularly violent and sexually explicit language.' Ofcom found that the production had not appointed an independent expert (such as a child psychiatrist) and had not followed the BBC Editorial Policy Unit's best practice advice. However, the regulator also noted that no actual harm, distress or anxiety was caused to the child actor.
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Bestselling author Stephen King, a huge fan of the series, loved the Irish expressions used by Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). One of them was "Now we're sucking diesel!", said when someone unexpectedly lands in a good situation through their own effort, and another was a colourful phrase such as "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey!"
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Police Abbreviations and Their Meanings: Units such as AC-3, AC-9 and AC-12 represent Anti-Corruption Units in different cities. ANPR is the system that automatically reads vehicle number plates and compares them against a database. ARU and ARV are armed response units and vehicles. "Blue-on-blue" means a police officer being accidentally shot by a colleague. CHIS is a covert human intelligence source. "Cuckooing" is when drug dealers take over a vulnerable person's home. Other abbreviations include CID, CPS, DIR, ETA, GBH, GPD, IOPC, MoPI, MISPER, MIT, OCG, PACE, RIPA, RTC, RUC, VPN and more.
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In the United Kingdom, an Identity Code (IC) is assigned to people who have not had the opportunity to self-define their identity: IC1 Northern European origin (Scandinavian, German, etc.), IC2 Mediterranean or Southern European (Spanish, Italian, Greek), IC3 Black or Sub-Saharan African or Afro-Caribbean, IC4 South Asian (Desi), IC5 Far Eastern (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian), IC6 Western Asian or North African, and IC7 means unknown.
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The fates of AC-12's anti-corruption targets: In the First Season Tony Gates committed suicide, in the Second Season Lindsay Denton was killed in the Third Season, in the Third Season Danny Waldron was killed by one of his own team, in the Fourth Season Roz Huntley went to prison, in the Fifth Season John Corbett was killed by a criminal gang, and in the Sixth Season Jo Davidson was placed in the Witness Protection Programme.
Behind the Scenes (11)
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James Nesbitt initially lied about his role as DCI Marcus Thurwell to surprise viewers. He said he was sorry that he never got to appear in the series. When he was seen during filming, he said he was shooting a scene for Bloodlands (2021), which was filmed in the same area and executive produced by Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio.
- #068
A rain machine was used during the filming of one episode on set. On the neighbouring set, people were filming The Magnificent Eleven (2013). Josh O'Connor, who played the character Andy in the film, happened to wander onto the series set while on a break and, finding himself under the machine, was suddenly soaked and taken by surprise.
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During the filming of one episode, a rain machine was being used. On the neighbouring set, the film The Magnificent Eleven (2013) was being shot. Josh O'Connor, who played Andy in the film, accidentally walked onto the series' set during a break and was surprised to find himself under the rain machine and get soaked.
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Characters & Cast (25)
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According to the documentary Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty (2021), the character of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) was inspired by Sir Robert Mark, who became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in London in 1972 and founded AC10, the first anti-corruption unit.
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James Nesbitt initially lied about his role as DCI Marcus Thurwell in an attempt to mislead viewers. He said he was sorry not to have had any role in the series at all. When he was seen on set, he claimed he was only shooting a scene for Bloodlands (2021); in fact, the executive producer of that production, which was filmed in the same area, was Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio.
- #081
In his youth, Martin Compston was an eager footballer and even played professional football in Scotland for a short time. He played for Aberdeen FC's youth team and for his hometown club Greenock Morton. After finding fame with Line of Duty, he was called up to the World 11 Soccer Aid (2006) team in aid of Sports Relief.
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Simon Millar played four different characters across the series: in season 2, episode 1 (The Ambush, 2014) a mourner (uncredited), in season 2, episode 2 (Carly, 2014) a passer-by (uncredited), in season 3, episode 3 (Snake Pit, 2016) a cameraman (uncredited), in season 4, episode 1 (In the Shadow of the Truth, 2017) DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited), in season 4, episode 2 (Who Sows the Wind, 2017) DC Daniel Brightway, in season 4, episode 3 (In the Trap, 2017) DC Daniel Brightway, in season 4, episode 4 (Moral Superiority, 2017) DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited), in season 4, episode 5 (Lying Nest, 2017) DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited).
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Bestselling author Stephen King, a huge fan of the series, loved the Irish idioms used by Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar). One of them was the colorful phrase "Now we're sucking diesel!" — said when someone lands in a good situation by their own effort and a stroke of luck — and another was "Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey!"
- #094
Police Abbreviations and Their Meanings: Units such as AC-3, AC-9 and AC-12 represent Anti-Corruption Units in different cities. ANPR is the system that automatically reads vehicle license plates and compares them against a database. ARU and ARV are armed response units and vehicles. "Blue-on-blue" means a police officer accidentally shot by a colleague. CHIS is a covert human intelligence source. "Cuckooing" is when drug dealers take over a vulnerable person's home. Other abbreviations include CID, CPS, DIR, ETA, GBH, GPD, IOPC, MoPI, MISPER, MIT, OCG, PACE, RIPA, RTC, RUC, VPN and more.
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In the United Kingdom, Identity Codes (IC) are assigned to people who have not had the opportunity to self-define their identity: IC1 Northern European origin (Scandinavian, German, etc.), IC2 Mediterranean or Southern European (Spanish, Italian, Greek), IC3 Black or Sub-Saharan African or Afro-Caribbean, IC4 South Asian (Desi), IC5 Far Eastern (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Southeast Asian), IC6 Western Asian or North African, and IC7 means unknown.
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The fates of AC-12's anti-corruption targets: In the first season Tony Gates committed suicide, in the second season Lindsay Denton was killed in the third season, in the third season Danny Waldron was killed by one of his own team, in the fourth season Roz Huntley went to prison, in the fifth season John Corbett was killed by a criminal gang, and in the sixth season Jo Davidson was placed in the Witness Protection Program.
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Police ranks: DC (Detective Constable), DS (Detective Sergeant), DI (Detective Inspector), DCI (Detective Chief Inspector), DSU (Detective Superintendent), DCS (Detective Chief Superintendent), ACC (Assistant Chief Constable), DCC (Deputy Chief Constable), CC (Chief Constable). Other roles: TFC (Tactical Firearms Commander), AFO (Authorised Firearms Officer), SFC (Strategic Firearms Commander), CSE (Crime Scene Examiner), FI (Forensic Investigator), FLO (Family Liaison Officer), FME (Forensic Medical Examiner), PCSO (Police Community Support Officer), SIO (Senior Investigating Officer), UCO (Undercover Officer).
Deeper Meaning (2)
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Police abbreviations and their meanings: * AC-3 = Anti-Corruption Unit 3, an anti-corruption unit from a neighbouring city. * AC-9 = Anti-Corruption Unit 9, another anti-corruption unit from a neighbouring city. * AC-12 = Anti-Corruption Unit 12, the main anti-corruption unit featured in the series. * ANPR = Automatic Number Plate Recognition: when a car passes an ANPR camera its plate is read and instantly checked against a database of vehicles of interest. * ARU = Armed Response Unit. * ARV = Armed Response Vehicle: ARVs are crewed by Authorised Firearms Officers to respond to incidents believed to involve firearms or other high-risk situations. * Blue on blue = the accidental shooting or wounding of a police officer by a colleague. * CHIS = Covert Human Intelligence Source: a person who establishes or maintains a personal or other relationship with another person for a covert purpose. * Cuckooing = the crime in which drug dealers take over a vulnerable person's home to use as a base. * CID = Criminal Investigation Department. * CPS = Crown Prosecution Service. * DIR = Digital Interview Recorder: a digital device used to record police interviews. * Dry cell = a room with no plumbing in which prisoners are placed to prevent the destruction of evidence. * ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival. * GBH = Grievous Bodily Harm. * GPD = General Purpose Dog. * Gaffer = a British colloquial term for "boss", "foreman" or "old man". * IC = Identity Codes. * IOPC = Independent Office for Police Conduct: since 8 January 2018, a non-departmental public body for England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints against forces in England and Wales. * I.P. Address = Internet Protocol Address: a numerical label assigned to every device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. * MoPI = Management of Police Information. * MISPER = Missing Person. * MIT = Murder Investigation Team. * Obs = Observations. * OCG = Organised Crime Group: serious crimes planned, coordinated and carried out by people working together on a continuing basis, often taking different roles depending on their skills and expertise. * Osman Warning = a death-threat or murder-risk warning given by police when they become aware of a real and immediate threat to someone's life. * PACE = Police and Criminal Evidence Act: a code of practice created in 1984 that regulates police powers and protects public rights. * Production Order = requires a specified person to deliver material to a police officer. * REG-15 = Regulation 15: a notification informing an officer that a complaint has been made or that a conduct matter requiring investigation by the professional standards department has come to light. * RIPA = Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000: an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regulating the surveillance and investigation powers of public bodies and covering the interception of communications. * RT = Radio Transmission. * RTC = Road Traffic Collision. * RUC = Royal Ulster Constabulary. * Sitrep = Situation Report. * TA = Time of Arrival. * TL = Time of Leaving. * VPN = Virtual Private Network: an extension of a private network across shared or public networks such as the Internet.
- #104
Simon Millar played four different characters throughout the series: * Episode 2.1 The Ambush (2014) - Mourner (uncredited). * Episode 2.2 Carly (2014) - Passer By (uncredited). * Episode 3.3 Snake Pit (2016) - Cameraman (uncredited). * Episode 4.1 In the Shadow of the Truth (2017) - DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited). * Episode 4.2 Who Sows the Wind (2017) - DC Daniel Brightway. * Episode 4.3 In the Trap (2017) - DC Daniel Brightway. * Episode 4.4 Moral Superiority (2017) - DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited). * Episode 4.5 Lying Nest (2017) - DC Daniel Brightway (uncredited).
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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