Cressida Dick says 'Line of Duty' is "rather ridiculous" and the level of police corruption in the show is "utterly unimaginable".
Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar
The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service has praised actress Vicky McClure for her portrayal of Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC crime drama, but suggested the programme's depiction of corruption in the force isn't entirely realistic.
Appearing on ITV's 'Good Morning Britain', she said: "I met Vicky McClure ... she is a brilliant strong woman, playing a strong part. It's great to see strong women in the police in the drama.
"As you point out, the police force that she works in is astonishingly, appallingly corrupt in a way that is utterly unimaginable.
"The idea of most of what I understand of what happens in that programme is absolutely way beyond the bounds...
"We find, on balance, the fact that people are interested in the drama - whether they are rather extreme or even on some occasions, rather ridiculous - is getting people interested and thinking about policing, caring about policing and wanting to be involved in policing, that's really important."
Earlier this month, it was revealed 'Line of Duty' was the UK's most watched programme of the year even before the season five finale had aired.
Writer and creator Jed Mercurio - who is also the creative mind behind hit series 'Bodyguard' - recently confirmed he is still in talks with the BBC about the future of both shows.
He previously said: "We're currently in talks with the BBC about the future of both series. So at this point it's not possible to say what will happen next.
"But it's impossible to work on the two of them simultaneously, so it would have to be sequential."
He has made it clear he would love 'Line of Duty' to return for a seventh series after a sixth was already commissioned.
He added: "We're looking forward to a conversation with the BBC once series five has aired ... about whether there is an appetite from fans to have more, or whether there's a feeling the show is coming towards its natural arc.
"That conversation will be very specific, which is whether series six will be the last, or whether the BBC would be prepared to commission a seventh so we can approach series six knowing it's not the last."
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