Wikipedia

Line of Duty series 5

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).

Line of Duty
Series 5
DVD cover
ShowrunnerJed Mercurio
Starring
No. of episodes6
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release31 March (2019-03-31) –
5 May 2019 (2019-05-05)
Series chronology
← Previous
Series 4
Next →
Series 6
List of episodes

Cast

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Main cast

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Supporting cast

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Episodes

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See also: List of Line of Duty episodes
Line of Duty series 5 episodes
No.
overall		No. in
series		Title [2][3]Directed byOriginal air date [4]UK viewers
(millions) [5]
241"Episode 1"
"Operation Pear Tree"		John Strickland31 March 2019 (2019-03-31)11.37
An organised crime group (OCG) hijacks a police convoy transporting seized drugs and kills three armed officers; AC-12 suspect that undercover police may be involved. Sergeant Jane Cafferty survives the attack, drawing suspicion. PC Maneet Bindra is interviewed by Superintendent Hastings, DS Steve Arnott and DI Kate Fleming, due to her involvement with her cousin, Vihaan Malhotra, in spying on AC-12 and leaking information to the organised crime group for ACC Derek Hilton. In a further attempt to protect Malhotra, she contacts the organised crime group. Corbett accuses her of infiltration and she is killed. AC-12 discover that the undercover officer (UCO) is DS John Corbett and not, as originally assumed, Lisa McQueen.
252"Episode 2"
"The Head of Medusa"		John Strickland7 April 2019 (2019-04-07)10.30
Lisa McQueen blags her way past a police guard and Cafferty's husband to talk to her in private. Another police leak enables the OCG to carry out a raid led by Corbett on a weapons convoy. Cafferty is found with £5,000 in a brown envelope by Arnott in his attempts to gather information. Corbett convinces him he is "straight". Hastings is approached by Mark Moffatt regarding his failed property investment. Moffatt hands him a big brown envelope. Roisin Hastings insists on their divorce. From photographs, Cafferty identifies who recruited her.
263"Episode 3"
"Code Zero"		John Strickland14 April 2019 (2019-04-14)10.34
Arnott tells Fleming and Hastings of his liaison with Corbett. After their initial shock, they agree to continue with Arnott's proposal. AC-12 identify that the organised crime group are involved in sex trafficking at a block of flats. AC-12 raid the flats and the group's front print shop. Corbett tips Arnott off about a larger-scale raid on the Eastfield police depot and states that a corrupt senior police officer will be there. Arnott is drawn away from the raid by a false ‘Status Zero’ call. Corbett shoots the senior police officer, who arrives with tracker information, and is revealed to be DCS Hargreaves. Corbett, on learning of his death, flees. Using false AC-12 ID, he enters Roisin Hastings's flat.
274"Episode 4"
"The Betrayal"		John Strickland21 April 2019 (2019-04-21)10.46
AC-12 discover that Corbett has links to Northern Ireland. Arnott arranges to meet Corbett, backed up by armed officers. Corbett tells Arnott that he had attacked Hastings's wife Roisin who is now in hospital. Hastings orders Arnott via his wire to shoot Corbett, but he refuses. Corbett reveals the location of a meeting between the OCG and "H" and then escapes. AC-12 and the Cybercrime unit impersonate "H" and make contact with the OCG via a laptop. The OCG transport a group of women to their base to be trafficked. Corbett wants to free the women and believes that McQueen will support him in this. However, the OCG kill Corbett as they realize that he is a mole.
285"Episode 5"
"On Your Own"		Sue Tully28 April 2019 (2019-04-28)11.42
The OCG dump the bodies of Corbett and Jackie Laverty which are later found by police. AC-12's investigation into Operation Pear Tree is suspended. Hastings continues to make contact with the OCG. He persuades McQueen and Miroslav Minkowicz that he can handle the goods from the raid, until armed officers catch up with Hastings. Minkowicz is killed and McQueen is arrested. AC-12 discover that Hastings visited Lee Banks in prison, leading Fleming to raise concerns with senior officers. Hastings is suspended and investigated by DCS Patricia Carmichael, and is subsequently charged with conspiracy to murder Corbett.
296"Episode 6"
"The Intrigue"		Sue Tully5 May 2019 (2019-05-05)12.69

Carmichael and her team continue to interview Hastings. They question him about the £50,000 in banknotes they found in his hotel room. Gill Biggeloe, who sits in on the interview, identifies errors in the police search procedure of Hastings's hotel room. This leads Carmichael's team to interrogate Hastings's communications data for further evidence. Meanwhile, Fleming and Arnott revisit Corbett's widow and DSU Powell. They discover that Biggeloe was involved in selecting Corbett for Operation Pear Tree, and specifically identified Hastings as someone to pursue. Fleming and Arnott present their findings to Hastings. Biggeloe was recruited by the OCG while she was working as a defence solicitor. She texts the OCG for her escape but to no avail. One of Carmichael's team, PS Tina Tranter, attempts to stab Biggeloe but is shot by Arnott.

The epilogue reveals that Operation Pear Tree is now officially closed. Fleming received a commendation for her investigation into Pear Tree. Arnott was commended alongside her after an independent panel cleared him in shooting Tranter. McQueen received immunity in exchange for providing information about the OCG, and now volunteers as a youth worker. Ryan Pilkington is now a student police officer. Biggeloe received immunity and a new identity. Hastings received a final written warning, but continues to lead AC-12. Moffatt, standing trial, claims that the £50,000 found in Hastings's hotel room is only half of the sum that was handed to him. The remaining £50,000 is never found, but Hastings is seen approaching Corbett's widow with an envelope.

Sport Relief special

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A special mini-episode was produced in support of Sport Relief in 2020.[6] 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.[7][8] It was written by the Dawson Brothers[9] and aired on BBC One on 13 March 2020.[10] 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.

Line of Duty Sport Relief special episode
No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1"Line of Duty Sport Relief Special"[7]Dawson Brothers[9]13 March 2020 (2020-03-13)[10]
Arnott, Fleming, and Hastings, believing they finally know who "H" is, interview DC Taylor hoping to find connections to the organised crime group. Taylor maintains his innocence while being poorly defended by David Rickman, an incompetent legal counsellor. Rickman continuously, but unintentionally, makes Taylor appear guiltier. Rickman eventually tries to get AC-12 to let Taylor go by bribing them. Just as Rickman gives Taylor a plausible alibi, Taylor receives a phone call from "H". Taylor is arrested. After everyone else leaves the interrogation room, Rickman admits out loud to being "H". Fleming returns to collect the interview tape, stating that she forgot to press stop on the recording, incriminating Rickman.

Home media

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Line of Duty series 5 home media releases
Name DVD release dates Number of
episodes 		Number of
discs
Region 1 Region 2
Line of Duty - Series 5 26 November 2019[11] 6 May 2019[11] 6 2
Line of Duty - Series 1-5[a] 26 November 2019[12] 6 May 2019[13] 29 10[b]
Line of Duty - Series 1-6 Complete Box Set — 31 May 2021[14] 36 12

Reception

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Viewing figures

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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.[15] The show was reported to have had an average peak of 12.34 to 13.67 million viewers per episode.[16][17]

No. Title Air date Overnight ratings Consolidated ratings Total
viewers
(millions) 		Ref(s)
Viewers
(millions)		 Viewers
(millions)		 Rank
1 Episode 1 31 March 2019 (2019-03-31) 7.80 3.57 1 11.37 [18][5]
2 Episode 2 7 April 2019 (2019-04-07) 7.10 3.20 1 10.30 [19][5]
3 Episode 3 14 April 2019 (2019-04-14) 7.40 2.94 1 10.34 [20][5]
4 Episode 4 21 April 2019 (2019-04-21) 6.40 4.06 1 10.46 [20][5]
5 Episode 5 28 April 2019 (2019-04-28) 8.00 3.42 1 11.42 [21][5]
6 Episode 6 5 May 2019 (2019-05-05) 9.10 3.59 1 12.69 [22][5]

Critical response

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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.[23] 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.[24]

Radio Times drama editor Eleanor Bley Griffiths wrote: "With epic interrogation scenes, surprise betrayals, grisly murders, untold secrets, massive twists... "[25] 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."[26] 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.”[27] 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.”[28]

Accolades

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Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Line of Duty
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref(s).
2019 Edinburgh TV Awards Drama Series Line of Duty Nominated [29]
Rockie Awards Showrunner of the Year Jed Mercurio Won[c] [30]
Royal Television Society Midlands Awards Acting Performance - Female Vicky McClure Won [31]
Writer Jed Mercurio Nominated
Royal Television Society Northern Ireland Awards Best Drama Line of Duty Won [32]
TV Choice Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty Won [33]
Best Actress Vicky McClure Nominated
Best Actor Adrian Dunbar Won
Martin Compston Nominated
2020 British Academy Television Awards Virgin TV's Must-See Moment "John Corbett's Death" Nominated [34][35]
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Actor Stephen Graham Won[d] [36]
Casting Director Guild Awards Best Casting In A Television Drama Kate Rhodes James, Daniel Edwards, and Gordon Cowell Nominated [37]
Celtic Media Festival Awards Drama Series Line of Duty Nominated [38]
Edgar Allen Poe Awards Best Episode in a TV series Jed Mercurio for "Episode 4" Won [39]
Irish Film & Television Awards Actor in a Leading Role Adrian Dunbar Nominated [40]
National Television Awards Outstanding Drama Series Line of Duty Nominated [41]
Televisual Bulldog Awards Best Drama Series Line of Duty Won [42]
Television and Radio Industries Club Awards Crime Programme Line of Duty Won [43]

Notes

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  1. ^ Titled Line of Duty: Series 1-5 Collection in region one
  2. ^ 5 discs in region one
  3. ^ Also for Bodyguard
  4. ^ Also for A Christmas Carol and The Virtues

References

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  3. ^ "Line of Duty - Apple TV". Apple TV+. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ "BBC One - Line of Duty - Episode guide". BBC One. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024. (Episode air dates can be verified by clicking on the respective episode in question.)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Four-screen dashboard BARB". Archived from the original on 2 February 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019. (User must select the appropriate year and week to retrieve the figure for each episode.)
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  7. ^ a b "First Look: Line of Duty Sport Relief Special". BBC. Archived from the original on 23 December 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  8. ^ Link, Thomas (26 February 2020). "Mother of God! Sport Relief will feature a Line of Duty sketch". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b Wynn, Aiden (2020). "Christmas TV: Olivia Colman and Helena Bonham Carter star in BBC Two's Christmas Eve charity pantomime". Stylist. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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  25. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  26. ^ Stacey, Pat (15 April 2019). "Line of Duty review: 'The plot is thickening, like soup that's been left sitting on a hot stove for too long'". The Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
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  29. ^ "Awards - World Productions". World Productions. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
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  34. ^ Kanter, Jake (31 July 2020). "BAFTA TV Awards Winners: Night Of Surprises, As 'Chernobyl' & 'The End Of The F***ing World' Take Two Prizes Each". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
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