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It feels like the whole world and their Nan discovered the Line of Duty bug.
A bit like the Friends Reunion Show, it sure feels like it’s the last month anyone talked about. It may just be boredom, but the proof lies in the statistics: the show’s popularity nearly doubled in the last year. Figures show that the first episode of the sixth series broke BBC records with an all-time high of 9.56 million.
As the sixth season of the hit BBC crime thriller draws to a close, we’ve turned into our own detectives and delved deeper into the show’s history. Do you want to find out what is really going on behind the scenes? Continue reading.
* Warning * Contains spoilers!
8 Facts About Line Of Duty We Bet You Didn’t Know
1. Can you recognize Jed Mercurio?
Did you know already? Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio made a secret cameo in one of the episodes. So can you recognize him? Spoiler alert: probably not.
In 2020, Mercurio tweeted that he was the one who drove the gray Golf ahead of Lennie James and Gina Mckee. His tweet said, “Nobody on set knew the route we were given, so Lennie followed me through the streets of Birmingham as they filmed the scene in the car behind it.”
Who knows – maybe Mercurio will make more appearances in future episodes. For now, we’ll be paying close attention to who might be behind the wheel …
2. Nobody knew that Martin Compston was Scottish
Scottish actor Martin Compston, who plays Steve Arnott on the series, is a fan of Method Acting, which lets you stay in character even after the cameras stop rolling.
For all of the filming of Line of Duty, it was reported that he spoke with a London accent. When they recorded the sixth season, Martin is said to have surprised the entire crew with his Scottish native speaker.
3. Lockdown weight gain for DI Arnott
When the UK – and the world beyond – was first hit by coronavirus in early 2020, Martin Compston returned to his home in Vegas.
During the lockdown, he himself said he “ate too much and drank too much,” meaning his legendary DI Arnott vests no longer fitted when he was filming again.
“It was a really tough day, I broke out of it all,” he said. Vicky McClure, who plays Kate Fleming on the series, teased that Martin ‘needed an exercise bike for his apartment and get it [only eat] Soup for two weeks’.
4. A screwed up audition led to a great success
Vicky McClure, aka Kate, has revealed that she was sure she wouldn’t be on the show after her audition.
McClure told GQ, “I remember my audition was a shock. I hadn’t learned my lines and I missed my mouth when I drank some water and it all ran over my head. “
McClure was still cast as Detective Kate Flemming – we suspect her audition was one to be remembered …
5. Another EastEnders nickname?
DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan originally had a nickname referring to another classic EastEnders star.
Fun fact: Craig Parkinson, who plays Matthew Cottan on the show, was supposed to be named Matthew ‘Babs’ Windsor, named after soap opera legend Barbra Windsor.
Which one do you prefer? Personally, we are surprised that Matthew ‘Phil’ Mitchell was not included.
6. Plus sudden name changes
After filming of Season 1 was completed, the production team made a decision to change the name of Lennie James, who plays Tony Gates, to Tony Gates.
His original character name was never revealed, nor was it why the crew felt it was important to change at the last minute. If you look closely at previous episodes, you can actually spot camera cuts when Gates’ name is mentioned. Interesting…
7. Real family members were also on the show
Martin Compston’s real wife appeared on the show, but unlike Jed Mercurio, she can actually be recognized.
Tianna Chanel Flynn made her cameo as Tina Watts. Unfortunately, you’ve only seen her photo on a dating profile – but that means Martin’s dog is also in appearance next to her.
In addition to Tianna, Vicky McClure’s nephew Kai appears as the son of her character DI Fleming. That’s a cool aunt.
8. Rejection, rejection, rejection
That is interesting. It has been widely reported that when writer Jed Mercurio first presented his idea for Line of Duty to the BBC, he met with disapproval. He waited nine months before BBC 2 recorded it for a season.
Six seasons later, it’s one of the biggest crime thrillers the BBC has ever aired. Sounds to us like JK Rowling’s Harry Potter story that proves one thing and only one thing – never give up your dreams.
Tune in to the Line of Duty Finale this Sunday at 9 p.m. Reporting by Rosie Grant.
