Line of Duty resumes filming as Jed Mercurio teases "clue" with behind-the-scenes pic
Production on the upcoming series of Line of Duty has restarted, the BBC has announced.
Now we're sucking diesel! Production on Line of Duty's upcoming sixth series has restarted, five months after COVID-19 paused filming.
The BBC announced today that the series has begun filming once again with a behind-the-scenes photo of Line of Duty star Martin Compston (DS Steve Arnott) which gives eagle-eyed fans a clue about the upcoming series, according to creator Jed Mercurio.
The writer took to Twitter to announce the news, writing: "It's great to be back on #LineofDuty duty. Thanks to all our brilliant fans for your patience in the difficult times."
In a follow-up tweet, he added: "When I took this photo I was careful to keep the inmate opposite @martin_compston hidden but you can just about see an out-of-focus image on the camera monitor. Clue: it's not Julia Montague."
Julia Montague is a character from Mercurio's political-thriller Bodyguard, played by Keeley Hawes – the star of Line of Duty's second series. She portrayed Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton, a corrupt cop who was murdered during series three.
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Speaking about returning to filming, Martin Compston said: "It’s been a long few months and it will be a different way of working from when we stopped, but I’m delighted to be back on the case with the Line Of Duty team!
He'll be joined onset by co-stars Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings) and Vicky McClure (DC Kate Fleming) to investigate DCI Joanne Davidson, played by Black Mirror's Kelly Macdonald, regarding her conduct during an unsolved murder case.
McClure also added that she's "really looking forward to getting back to it and seeing the Line of Duty family", while Dunbar said: "Even with the imposition of COVID restrictions I can't hide my excitement at getting the team back together. So many people wondering... what happens next?"
The BBC has revealed the show's production team are "in accordance with all current government guidelines on COVID-19" and adhering to "comprehensive protocols to ensure that the new series is produced in a safe and responsible manner", while in consultation with independent health and safety experts and industry partners.
This production news will come as a relief to fans after Jed Mercurio told RadioTimes.com last month that filming on season six would need to be completed by Christmas to be on BBC One in 2021.
During the same exclusive Q&A, Compston revealed the upcoming series involves a "bombshell" of a plot twist in episode four, which he described last week as "worth the wait" after receiving a script for episode five.
Line of Duty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
