'Line of Duty' has been commissioned for another two series.

Vicky McClure in Line of Duty

Vicky McClure in Line of Duty

The show's creator Jed Mercurio recently revealed he had enough content to pen the fifth and sixth instalment of the police drama, and it looks like his admission sat well with the BBC as bosses at the broadcaster jumped at the chance to recommission it.

BBC boss Tony Hall said in a statement: "I am very excited to say there's not one but two more series of 'Line of Duty'. So hooray for AC-12!"

And the news will no doubt sit well with Jed as he said earlier this week that he wanted to know before he started penning series five, which was previously given the green light, whether that was going to be the end or not.

He said: "It's not my decision in the end. It's the broadcaster and the fans that are still watching the show, but I love making the show. We all love working together. So at the moment, no-one wants to stop making 'Line of Duty'.

"I'd definitely like to be able to do a sixth series. That means we can approach the fifth series knowing that it's not going to be the last."

However, viewers will have to wait a while before they'll be able to watch the fifth series as they're not planning to start shooting until the end of next year.

He explained: "The plan is we won't shoot 'Line of Duty' series five until next year and that means it won't be on air until 2019. We haven't even decided if the next antagonist will be male or female, we are that far off from puzzling it out."

Although Jed hasn't started working on the script for the fifth instalment yet, the cast have to agree to some strict terms and conditions before they're given their lines.

A source said previously: "The cast's contracts stipulate they can't give away the show's secrets. That is the last thing any would want to do but if they did by accident they would be in breach of contract.

"And the consequences could be serious. They might even face financial penalties."


Tagged in