DEBORAH CROMBIE: We are having such fun on Jungle Red with sneak peeks at not one, but two, new British crime dramas on Britbox. As I write British mysteries, you can imagine how much I love British crime shows, and today I get to talk about LINE OF DUTY, which is maybe the best British cop series ever.
I'm embarrassed to admit that I was a latecomer. I'd heard about it, of course, but a series run had never coincided with my trips to the UK. But thanks to Britbox my hubby and I started watching last year and we totally binged all five seasons. It was so compelling and we just couldn't wait to see what happened next. Then, lockdown happened. Filming on Season 6 was stopped, and we did lots of teeth-gnashing. Would we ever know the truth??
But now Season 6 is here, starting tonight, with episode 1!
So what's it all about? LINE OF DUTY follows the cases of AC 12, the anti-corruption unit of a fictional police force in Central England. (The show is actually mostly filmed in Belfast.) Martin Compston plays DS Steve Arnott, a firearms officer who is transferred to AC 12 after refusing to agree to the cover-up of an unlawful shooting by his own team. He's partnered with DC Kate Fleming, played by the wonderful Vicky McClure, and their team is supervised by Superintendent Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar. They investigate corruption within the force, and as the series progresses, the links of corrupt officers to organized crime, and the identity of the mysterious kingpin, H.
Talent abounds, and previous seasons' top-notch guest stars have included Lennie James, Thandie Newton, Keely Hawes, Daniel Mays, and Stephen Graham. In Season 6 Kelly MacDonald takes center stage as possibly corrupt DCI Jo Davidson.
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Check out this trailer!
Just WOW! The tension! The twists and turns! I can't wait to dive in!
Everyone in the cast is terrific, but I have a wee bit of a fan girl thing going for the Scottish actor Martin Compston, who plays the English officer Steve Arnott.
Here's a fun little snippet of Martin's recent segment on the Scottish talk show LORRAINE.
So Scottish, compared to his English character. It always amazes me that actors can change their accents so convincingly. Also, it's really nice to see Martin smile, as his character, Steve, doesn't get much opportunity!
REDS and readers, are you LINE OF DUTY fans? How do you feel about the one-episode-a-week format? It does give us lots of time to speculate on the latest developments!
And, lastly, is it YAY or NAY on THE BEARD?
