Line of Duty writer reveals the BBC nearly rejected the show because ‘corrupt police were a problematic subject'

Writer Jed Mercurio said his first pitch for the hugely popular drama was initially turned down by the Beeb
Line of Duty was initially rejected by the BBC
BBC
Kimberley Bond29 July 2020

Line of Duty is one of the UK's most celebrated dramas – but it was almost overlooked by the BBC.

The massively successful show follows the police anti-corruption unit AC-12 as they try and crack an expansive corrupt ring of senior officers. The past five seasons are among some of the most-watched and hotly discussed series on television.

While season six is shortly heading back into production following delays brought on by the coronavirus crisis, Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio has revealed the show almost never made it to our screens at all, after his initial pitch was rejected by BBC One.

Speaking about the revelations, Mercurio explained: "Maybe there were reservations that something about police corruption might be problematic for a mainstream audience.

Line of Duty: Series 5 (2019) - In pictures

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"That was something that was passed on to me by the drama department, attempting to be constructive about it and therefore giving us hope that BBC Two might be a better home for us."

He continued to Radio Times: “The fact is that the controllers aren't accountable.

“That particular controller never had to justify her decision. It didn't affect her career that she turned down something that went on to be the biggest BBC One drama currently returning.

Mercurio has revealed the show was rejected by BBC One (John Phillips/Getty Images)
(John Phillips/Getty Images)

"There's selective amnesia about things like that... Every TV commissioner or TV executive who was involved in rejecting Line of Duty now pretends that it didn’t happen."

However, Line of Duty was picked up by BBC Two in 2012, and at the time was the channel’s best-performing drama series in the last decade.

Line of Duty now has prime-time positioning on BBC One, with its nail-biting 90 minute finale last year attracting 12.1 million viewers.

Mercurio’s other recent series, Bodyguard, was also a runaway success, attracting an average of 10.4 million viewers in 2018.

Read Jed Mercurio's full interview in the new issue of Radio Times

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