It's had us on the edge of our seats since the pilot episode aired in 2012, and now, as Jed Mercurio's hit BBC show Line Of Duty gears up for its fifth season, we couldn't be more excited to see what anti-corruption unit AC-12 have in store for us in 2019.
Thankfully, BBC One answered our prayers, and the newest season of Line of Duty began airing on Sunday 31st March. Here's everything you could possibly need to know about the hit police drama ahead of its return this weekend.
When does the new season of Line of Duty start?
Season 5 of Line Of Duty began Sunday 31st March, and will air each Sunday on BBC One for the duration.
The show's creator, Jed Mercurio said in September 2018, "With Line of Duty we’re shooting series five now, and series six has been commissioned which we’re gonna shoot hopefully in the next couple of years.
“So yeah Line of Duty should be on air, series five early in 2019."
What has happened in season five of Line of Duty so far?
Need a recap of Line of Duty season five so far? We've got your back.
Is there a Line of Duty series five trailer?
Yes! After months of waiting, the BBC finally released the first teaser trailer for Line of Duty season five in early March.
The exciting trailer shows the AC-12 officers working on a case which involves a hijack leaving three members of the police force dead, with DS Kate Fleming revealing to her team that the hijack involved a police insider.
Watch the trailer below:
Line of Duty spoilers?
Ahead of the series airing on Sunday 31st March, actor Adrian Dunbar, better known as Superintendent Ted Hastings on the show, let slip a few cheeky secrets about the new series.
Speaking to Lorraine Kelly about the last episode, Adrian said, "At the end of the last episode of course there was this indication that maybe something was happening with Hastings," before going onto reveal that "it's not looking good for Ted. He does come under scrutiny in the new series."
Is Line of Duty based on a true story?
No, Line of Duty is a fictional TV series, however, viewers have previously been left confused after bosses decided to merge both fact and fiction throughout the early series.
At one stage, the show used a picture of Jimmy Savile, which became a massive talking point with fans. Despite a lot of backlash, advisers to the BBC defended the move, with a child abuse charity admitting they thought it was important to discuss the issues around taboo subjects.
At the time, Peter Saunders, founder of the NAPAC charity said, “It’s a fleeting moment, it’s not a large, in your face, long-lasting image of Savile. I’ve watched the first five episodes including this one and it is incredibly powerful. I don’t find it gratuitous – it’s a serious look at just how these b------- get away with it.
"Line of Duty is a very serious comment on police cover-ups, society’s cover-ups and the power of celebrity. I think all forms of media used responsibly and appropriately can contribute to the very serious conversation about this issue of vile child abuse and how it exists."
Where is Line of Duty set?
The first series of Line of Duty was set in Birmingham, with series two-four moving to Northern Ireland.
The location of filming for series five hasn't yet been revealed, but fans understand it to be in Belfast after actress Vicky McClure posted a photo to her social media accounts.
Who are the creators of Line of Duty?
Line of Duty was created and written by British television writer Jed Mercurio. The writer, who was born in 1966, has been ranked among the UK television's leading writers, creating edge-of-your-seat dramas like Line of Duty and Bodyguard.
Jed has been nominated and went on to win a number of prestigious awards for his work over the years, including British Screenwriters' Awards, Televisual Bulldog Awards and many more.
What happened in the season 4 finale of Line of Duty?
Well, what didn’t happen! We found out that the ‘Balaclava Man’ was actually not just one person, but a group of people employed by organised crime groups to make the AC-12 squad’s lives hell by causing chaos in the West Midlands.
ACC Hilton, one of the Police leaders, was murdered by some mysterious criminals (typical), following him running away after being told he was about to be arrested for being a corrupt cop.
Roz Huntley, the dodgy cop (there’s a theme here), was sentenced to 10 years for manslaughter and perverting the course of justice after killing Timothy Ifield. AND it also left one HUGE unanswered question:
Is Ted Hastings actually ‘H’? In the finale, he said “I’m satisfied H was ACC Hilton” but was this just a cover up and a red herring for us viewers?
Cast of Line of Duty
Only a small number of actors have appeared in all four series of Line of Duty, these include Martin Compston (Steve Arnott), Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming) and Adrian Dunbar (Ted Hastings), all of which are returning for series five in 2019.
Other famous faces to grace the Line of Duty cast over the years including Keeley Hawes, who played the role of Linsday Denton, Thandie Newton, who played the role of DCI Roz Huntley, and Daniel Mays, who played the role of Danny Waldron.
Vicky McClure as Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming in Line of Duty
Vicky McClure plays Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming in Line of Duty, an undercover specialist who isn't against investigating her own colleagues for wrongdoing.
Vicky is probably best known for her role in the This Is England film and TV series as Lorraine 'Lol' Jenkins, having won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress as well as a TV Choice Award. She has also appeared in Broadchurch and had a main role in The Replacement in 2017.
Martin Compston as Steve Arnott in Line of Duty
Martin used to be a professional footballer, playing for Greenock Morton and made appearances in the 2001-02 season. After small parts in Casualty and The Royal as well as roles in small films, Martin landed the role of Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott in 2012.
He also starred in Victoria as Dr. Robert Traill for one episode, and played the Earl of Bothwell in the 2018 film Mary Queen of Scots with Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan.
Keeley Hawes as Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty
Keeley Hawes, who most recently played the role of Home Secretary Julia Montague in 2018 drama Bodyguard, was one of the main characters in Line of Duty in series 2 and 3.
Keeley played the role of Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton, and she became the only officer to survive when a protected witness convoy was ambushed. After suspicions about DI Denton rose with AC-12, the officer was forced to plead her innocence.
In series 3, DI Denton was granted an appeal, but she was later murdered by 'The Caddy' after she discovered crucial evidence about the Danny Waldron murder in series 1.
Thandie Newton as DCI Roz Huntley in Line of Duty series 4
Actress Thandie Newton played the role of DCI Roz Huntley in series 4, with her character being the senior investigating officer of 'Operation Trapdoor'. The divisive detective was certainly a major part of the last season, and ended up being sent to prison for 10 years for manslaughter.
Thandie is a huge star, and got her big break starring in Mission Impossible II opposite Tom Cruise in 2000. After starring in Crash, she had parts in The Pursuit of Happyness and Run Fatboy Run, and now has a main role in Westworld as Maeve Millay.
Stephen Graham as John Corbett (Balaclava Man) in Line of Duty series 5
Stephen Graham will join series 5 of Line of Duty as John Corbett aka Balaclava Man. The BBC have described his character, ’Known to have links with corrupt police officers and suspected to be under direct command of the shadowy figure known only as ‘H’, Corbett and McQueen become persons of interest to AC-12 following an explosive chain of events.'
On joining Line Of Duty, Stephen Graham says, “It’s an honour to have been asked to be part of the Line Of Duty team. I’m especially looking forward to working with Martin Compston and Vicky McClure again.”
Vicky McClure said, “I’m over the moon Stephen is on board, he’s a good friend and one of the finest actors. I’m already excited for the twists and turns to hit the screens.
Who is ‘H’ on Line of Duty?
If you’ve been an avid watcher of the series so far, you’ll remember the elusive crime lord, otherwise known as ‘H’, who has appeared in every series but whose identity still remains a secret. It’s painful for us as viewers - never mind the AC-12 squad!
Every series, the team try to find out who ‘H’ really is - but the only thing we really know is that ‘H’ is running criminal activities and causing chaos in the West Midlands.
We’ve been teased and dragged in desperation through all five series of who ‘H’ could possibly be. In series 2, it could have been Tommy Hunter but he got killed off. It might have been DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cotton in series 3 but he got bumped off too. Then, series 4 teased us with having names of characters with the letter ‘H’, including ACC Hilton but then he - you guessed it - died.
So does this mean that ‘H’ might be the one character that has appeared in every single series – Hastings, the AC-12 boss? Well, Hilton did say before he died that he was investigating him as ‘H’... But surely not?
We guess we’ll just have to wait for series 5 to begin when, no doubt, some new nasty villains will appear to be potential suspects for the ever-mysterious ‘H’...
Is Line of Duty on Netflix?
Yes! If you have a Netflix account, luckily for you, all four series of Line of Duty are available to watch right now.
See which other shows you need to watch on Netflix in 2019:
Netflix 2019 shows - stacked
1 of 8Nightflyers
Based on a short book, set in the future, Nightflyers follows a crew of explorers on a journey on the most advanced ship in the galaxy, The Nightflyer. As they near their destination, they discover their ship might actually be taking them towards deadly and unspeakable horrors!
2 of 8Star Trek: Discovery Season 2
Star Trek: Discovery is back for another series! The first season of Star Trek: Discovery featured a new ship, new characters, and new missions, while staying true to the original franchise.
3 of 8The Umbrella Academy
Based on a popular, award-winning comics and graphic novels, The Umbrella Academy follows forty-three babies who are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women. Seven of the children are adopted by Sir Reginald Hargreeves, a billionaire industrialist, however as teenagers the family becomes fractured.
4 of 8The Rain Season 2
The first season of The Rain was released in 2018 and has been so successful it's back once again in 2019. The Rain is set six years after a brutal virus carried by the rain wipes out almost all humans in Scandinavia. However, two Danish siblings have survived and emerge from the safety of their bunker to find all remnants of civilisation gone.
5 of 8Our Planet
Our Planet was filmed over four years, and combines the spectacular photography of Planet Earth with an unprecedented look at the planet's remaining wilderness areas and their animal inhabitants.
6 of 8ELITE Season 2
ELITE returns for another season in 2019. Following the children at Las Encinas, the best and most exclusive school in Spain, in the first season viewers got to see what happened when three working class kids were admitted to the elite school after their academy was destroyed by an earthquake.
7 of 8Disenchantment Season 2
From the creator of The Simpsons, Disenchantment returns for a second season. This adult animated comedy fantasy series was super popular earlier this year and returns for Netflix in 2019.
8 of 8Stranger Things 3
Another popular Netflix series that we can watch is Stranger Things 3.
How can I re-watch Line of Duty?
The full series of Line of Duty can be watched on BBC iPlayer.
Series 1-4 are available on DVD boxset at Amazon for £20.
You can also watch the popular series on Amazon Prime for a fee.
Series five of Line of Duty airs on BBC One every Sunday.
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