Line of Duty
When elite anti-corruption detectives of AC‑12 set out to expose a hidden network of rogue officers, they must outwit an entrenched system that will stop at nothing to protect its own.
A drama centered on the investigations conducted by AC-12, a controversial police anti-corruption unit.
Seasons & Episodes
- 1.01Episode 1Jun 26, 2012Rate
Steve Arnott is moved to the police anti-corruption unit and quickly focuses his investigation on the city's most respected detective, Tony Gates. As he delves deeper, Arnott becomes uncertain whether Gates is truly the honest officer he seems. A tense and strategic battle ensues as Arnott tries to expose Gates' hidden past.
- 1.02Episode 2Jul 3, 2012Rate
Gates, tricked into helping Jackie hide her crime, wants to cut all connections with her. However, as investigators Arnott and Fleming get closer to uncovering his involvement, he finds himself in an increasingly perilous position.
- 1.03Episode 3Jul 10, 2012Rate
Arnott suspects Gates was involved in Jackie's disappearance, and with Fleming's assistance, the anti-corruption team attempts to uncover Gates' potential role in concealing Jackie's activities.
- 1.04Episode 4Jul 17, 2012Rate
Fleming strains her relationship with Gates in an attempt to uncover evidence of his corruption, while Morton begins to suspect that Fleming may not be as loyal as she appears.
- 1.05Episode 5Jul 24, 2012Rate
As Gates evades capture, the anti-corruption team faces mounting pressure to resolve the case. Arnott struggles with difficult choices regarding his allegiances, while Fleming and Hastings intensify their efforts to apprehend Gates, resulting in a dramatic and emotional outcome.
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Cast & Crew
12 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Writers
1Producers
1Other crew
1Awards & Nominations
2 nominationsBritish Academy Television Award
- Nom2015Best Actress — Keeley Hawes
More awards & festivals (1) — regional academies & film-festival prizes
Award
- Nom2012best newcomer — Gregory Piper
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Spoiler-Safe Guide
medium confidencesource-verified36 main-series episodes confirmed (S1: 5 eps, S2: 6 eps, S3: 6 eps, S4: 6 eps, S5: 6 eps, S6: 7 eps). Series 7 commissioned for 2027, no aired content. All ★★★ events re-fetched this run: S1E5 (Gates suicide, 2 sources), S2E6 (Denton conviction, confirmed), S3E5/S3E6 (Cottan murders Denton / dying declaration, confirmed from Wikipedia S3 + Huffpost recap), S4E6 (Huntley sentence, confirmed), S5E4 (Corbett death, OCG collective, confirmed), S5E6 (Biggeloe reveal, confirmed), S6E5/S6E6 (Fleming shoots Pilkington, confirmed), S6E7 (Buckells as Fourth Man, confirmed). One fabricated claim removed (S4E5 solicitor dying declaration). One off-by-one corrected (Denton reappears S3E2 not S3E3). Confidence downgraded to medium because the S4E5 error was structural (wrong mechanism attributed to wrong character category), indicating the prior pass had at least one unsourced invention.
Showing everything up to nothing yet. 29 later beat(s) hidden.
Key: ★ notable · ★★ major · ★★★ series-defining · ✓ confirmed · ~ estimated · ⚠️ limited sources
Major events
Characters
DS / DI Steve Arnott · Martin Compston · debut [S1E1✓]
AC-12 investigator throughout all six series. Begins as a principled officer who refuses to cover up a botched raid. Attacked and seriously injured in Series 4. Becomes one of the show's moral anchors despite being repeatedly placed in danger by the OCG.
DC / DI Kate Fleming · Vicky McClure · debut [S1E1✓]
Undercover AC-12 officer whose ability to gain the trust of subjects under investigation is a recurring asset. In Series 6 she is placed inside the very operation AC-12 is watching. Her confrontation with Pilkington is one of the series' most intense climaxes.
Superintendent Ted Hastings · Adrian Dunbar · debut [S1E1✓]
The head of AC-12 and the series' most complex authority figure. Relentlessly anti-corruption in his public mission but gradually revealed to have made serious errors of judgment. Series 5 places him under genuine suspicion of being 'H'. The finale of Series 6 sees him make a personal confession.
DCI Tony Gates · Lennie James · debut [S1E1✓]
The corrupt officer at the centre of Series 1. Not a cartoonish villain — he is a dedicated officer who makes serious compromises. His death is deliberately arranged to look like an attempt to stop a suspect, to preserve his family's benefits.
DI Lindsay Denton · Keeley Hawes · debut [S2E1✓]
The lone survivor of the Series 2 convoy ambush. Her guilt is ambiguous for most of Series 2 before the full picture of her coercion and complicity is revealed. She returns in Series 3, now released, with her own agenda — and is ultimately murdered by Cottan.
DS Matthew 'Dot' Cottan · Craig Parkinson · debut [S2E3✓]
The long-running 'Caddy' — a corrupt officer embedded within AC-12 itself, feeding intelligence to the OCG. His death in the Series 3 finale, and the dying declaration he makes, shape the entire mythology of the show's ongoing 'H' arc.
DCI Roz Huntley · Thandiwe Newton · debut [S4E1✓]
The Series 4 subject of investigation. Unlike some of AC-12's targets, Huntley is not a career OCG asset — her corruption stems from a cover-up of a crime she committed under extreme pressure. Her arc ends with a manslaughter conviction.
DS John Corbett · Stephen Graham · debut [S5E1✓]
An undercover officer embedded inside the OCG in Series 5, using the alias John Clayton. His mission is to identify 'H' from the inside. A vigilante streak — rooted in his belief that corrupt police destroyed his family — makes him as dangerous as the criminals he infiltrates. He is executed mid-series.
DCI Joanne Davidson · Kelly Macdonald · debut [S6E1✓]
The Series 6 subject of investigation. Davidson runs the Gail Vella murder inquiry while simultaneously being coerced by the OCG. The revelation of her parentage — she is the daughter of OCG founder Tommy Hunter, conceived through incest — reframes her entire situation as one of a person trapped from birth.
DSU Ian Buckells · Nigel Boyle · debut [S4E1~]
A seemingly bumbling, low-competence superintendent who recurs across multiple series. The shocking revelation of Series 6 is that his apparent incompetence was cover for his role as the 'Fourth Man' — the final 'H' within policing, a long-term OCG facilitator.
Ryan Pilkington · Gregory Piper · debut [S1E2✓]
One of the show's most chilling slow-burn arcs. First appears as a dangerous teenager working for the balaclava gang in Series 1. Resurfaces as a fully embedded OCG member in Series 5 — and then, most disturbingly, as a serving police officer in Series 6.
AI-assisted and cross-checked against multiple references. ✓ = confirmed from a cited source · ~ = season correct but episode unconfirmed · ⚠️ = limited sources. Spotted a mistake? Use the report button on this page.
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