Line Of Duty’s explosive third series concluded on Thursday with fictional anti-corruption police unit AC-12 putting away bent officers, past and present.
And it’s now been revealed that series four of writer Jed Mercurio’s hit drama will begin filming in August. It is likely to air in 2017.
This run has been a phenomenal success for BBC Two. The gritty cop drama, which stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure and Adrian Dunbar as Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott, Detective Constable Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings respectively, drew a whopping overnight average of 4.1 million viewers for its feature-length finale.
Daniel Mays in BBC Two’s Line Of Duty (Steffan Hill/BBC/World Productions)
Featuring Daniel Mays as Sergeant Danny Waldron and Keeley Hawes as Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton, the BBC drama made by World Productions has frequently averaged more than three million viewers in the overnight ratings.
Last week’s penultimate instalment concluded with the shocking death of DI Denton, a magnificent portrayal by The Durrells’ Keeley, and drew 3.4 million.
Consolidated figures, which include viewing on the night of transmission and people who recorded the show and watched it in the subsequent seven days, have so far seen the BBC Two series well over the five million mark.
Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar in Line Of Duty (Mark Bourdillon/World Productions/BBC)
Kudos to writer Jed for crafting a drama which continues to be so much more than just a story of corrupt or amoral cops. From a seemingly simple premise, we’ve watched over two nail-biting series as those who are sworn to uphold the law invariably break it and lose their moral centre.
Keeley Hawes in Line Of Duty (World Productions/BBC)
Each series has upped the stakes involved and built the tension to an unbearable level, wrong-footing fans and critics alike with more twists than Spaghetti Junction.
Social media was awash with tweets from viewers praising the series for its writing and direction.
#LineOfDuty was breathtakingly brilliant.
— Kathy Burke (@KathyBurke) April 29, 2016
#LineOfDuty that's all @BBCTwo
— Suzi Perry (@suziperry) April 28, 2016
Loved final min wrap up. Not sure who's more sad at saying goodbye to Lindsay, me or @Misskeeleyhawes #LineOfDuty pic.twitter.com/xG69thKVpd
— Mark Jefferies (@mirrorjeffers) April 28, 2016
The general vibe, right now. #LineOfDuty pic.twitter.com/UDfTisP7Bw
— Paul Burley (@mrpaulburley) April 28, 2016
Terrific drama #lineofduty. @martin_compston @Vicky_McClure #craigparkinson and the phenomenal #adriandunbar BRAVO. Jed you nailed it !
— max beesley (@maxbeesley7) April 28, 2016
Big congrats to all involved with the brilliant #LineOfDuty – top writing, acting and directing.
Phew!!— Lorraine (@reallorraine) April 28, 2016
#LineOfDuty S3 is a masterclass in tension, escalation, and plotting. Absolutely electrifying from start to finish. pic.twitter.com/YMYFzipUAg
— Jace Lacob (@televisionary) April 29, 2016
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