Line of Duty series 4


The fourth series of the British police procedural television programme Line of Duty was broadcast on BBC One between 26 March and 30 April 2017. It is the first series to air on the network after the first three were broadcast on BBC Two.
The series follows the fictional Anti-Corruption Unit 12. AC-12 is led by Superintendent Ted Hastings, who is assisted by his team of DS Steve Arnott and DS Kate Fleming. They are also aided by PC Maneet Bindra as well as DC Jamie Desford, who is briefly assigned to the team. The unit investigates DCI Roz Huntley ; she is suspected of arresting the wrong person after ignoring forensic evidence presented by Forensic Coordinator Tim Ifield. Over the course of the investigation she implicates her husband Nick and his lawyer Jimmy Lakewell. Supporting characters include ACC Derek Hilton and DS Sam Railston.
The series was commissioned along with the third after the success of the second. Line of Duty was created by Jed Mercurio, who executive produces the series alongside Simon Heath and Stephen Wright. Cait Collins produced it. Filming took place in late 2016 with Mercurio directing two episodes and John Strickland directing four. Anna Valdez Hanks and Stephen Murphy provided cinematography. The series was nominated 21 awards, six of which were won. It also received significantly higher viewing figures than previous series and mostly positive reviews from critics, leading to the commissioning of series six. The fifth series returned to BBC One in 2019.

Cast and characters

Main

Starring

Recurring

Guest

Episodes


Production

On 8 April 2014, the BBC confirmed that Line of Duty would return for a third and fourth series. Following the success of the third series, a fifth was commissioned, at which time it was reported that future editions of the programme would move from BBC Two to BBC One. Although BBC One originally passed on the series when creator Jed Mercurio pitched it to the network, the decision to move the show came after high viewing figures and a restructuring of the networks. Mercurio wrote the series and executive produced it alongside Simon Heath for World Productions and Stephen Wright for Northern Ireland Screen. The fourth series was produced by Cait Collins.
Actors Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar returned to the series. Thandie Newton joined the series as Detective Chief Inspector Roz Huntley, the latest police officer to be investigated by AC-12. Additionally, Jason Watkins was cast to portray Forensic Coordinator Tim Ifield. Aiysha Hart, Maya Sondhi, Lee Ingleby, Patrick Baladi, Royce Pierreson, and Tony Pitts also appear. Despite being killed off in the previous series, Craig Parkinson filmed new footage of his character's dying declaration.
Mercurio directed the first two episodes of the series while John Strickland returned to direct the final four episodes. Anna Valdez Hanks served as the cinematographer for episodes 1–3, and Stephen Murphy took over for the remaining three episodes. Filming on the series occurred in Belfast from 29 August to 16 December 2016. It consisted of six hour-long episodes. Five days after broadcast transmission concluded, Line of Duty was commissioned for a sixth series.

Release

Broadcast and streaming

The series was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One from 26 March 2017 and concluded six weeks later on 30 April. In the United States, it was added to Hulu on 1 May 2017. It can also be streamed there on Acorn TV and BritBox. In Canada and Australia the series streams on Netflix.

Reception

Critical response

Den of Geeks Louisa Mellor commended the amount of action in the series-opening episode stating that there was a "car accident, an abduction, an escape attempt, a police chase, a firebomb explosion and a rescue" all before the opening credits. Sam Wollaston, writing for The Guardian, considered the action to be over-the-top and suggested there were plot holes writing that "Perhaps that's what happens when writer and director are the same person. There is no one around to say: hang on a minute, are you sure?" Rachel Cooke of The New Statesman wrote that the second episode was "as well built as any in the last series" but feared that Line of Duty would become a "pastiche of itself" as Mercurio attempted to top himself.
Once the series concluded, Sarah Hughes, also with The Guardian, said she enjoyed the fulfilling end to the series and noted how it addressed real-world problems by saying "Tim Ifield and Huntley were victims of their own knowledge in that, as experienced police officers, both believed a plea of self-defence wouldn't save them and chose instead to try and cover up their crimes." Newton's character was, however, praised by critics who noted the complexity of Huntley's actions and the motivations behind them. The Irish Independent writer John Boland opined that the series "came to a nail-bitingly exciting end, or rather to three nail-bitingly exciting ends, two of them unforeseeable by even the most imaginative of viewers." The Guardian ranked the series number two on their "50 best TV shows of 2017" list. Digital Spy, however, considered the fourth series to be the worst out of the programme's six.

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2017British Screenwriters' AwardsBest Crime Writing on Television Jed MercurioWon
2017Diversity in Media AwardsTV Moment of the Year"DCI Roz Huntley Interview"
2017Royal [Television Society Northern Ireland Awards]Best DramaLine of DutyWon
2017Royal Television Society Northern Ireland AwardsOriginal Music ScoreCarly Paradis
2018Association of Motion Picture Sound AwardsExcellence in Sound for a Television DramaBea O'Sullivan, Paul Maynes, Ian Wilkinson, and Pietro Dalmasso
2018British Academy Television AwardsBest Drama SeriesLine of Duty
2018British Academy Television AwardsBest Leading ActressThandie Newton
2018British Academy Television AwardsBest Supporting ActorAdrian Dunbar
2018British Academy Television AwardsVirgin TV's Must-See Moment"Huntley's Narrow Escape"
2018British Academy Television Craft AwardsBest Editing: FictionAndrew John McClelland for "Episode 4"
2018Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest Drama SeriesLine of DutyWon
2018Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest ActressThandie Newton
2018Broadcasting Press Guild AwardsBest WriterJed MercurioWon
2018Edinburgh TV AwardsBest UK DramaLine of Duty
201815th [Irish Film & Television Awards|Irish Film & Television Awards]Best DramaLine of Duty
2018Irish Film & Television AwardsBest Actor in a Leading RoleAdrian Dunbar
2018National Television AwardsBest Crime DramaLine of Duty
2018Royal Television Society Programme AwardsBest ActressThandie Newton
2018South Bank Sky Arts AwardTV DramaLine of Duty
2018Televisual Bulldog AwardsBest Drama SeriesLine of DutyWon
2018Televisual Bulldog AwardsBest WriterJed MercurioWon
2018Writers' Guild of Great Britain AwardsBest Long Form TV DramaJed Mercurio