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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Entertainment
Simon Wilson

Line of Duty - the best moments so far

It is the most anticipated TV event of 2019 so far - the return of AC-12, the mysterious Balaclava Man (or should that be Men?) and another chance to ask your other half "So what does reciprocity actually mean?"

Line of Duty is back and that's great news for fans of edge-of-your-seat thrills with more twists than that Goose Fair ride you wish you'd not been on.

Of course, it's of special interest to us Nottinghamians with our Bafta-winning, arm-folding, proper Notts actress Vicky McClure doing us proud as DS Kate Fleming. She's back alongside Martin Compston as DS Steve Arnott and Adrian Dunbar as AC-12 boss Supt. Ted Hastings.

For the first time she'll be joined by This Is England co-star Stephen Graham as a member of an organised crime group.

As the new series kicks off, set two years on from the last, we look at some of our favourite moments from this epic cop drama so far.

Every time Hasting says 'reciprocity'

Now listen to me fella: Adrian Dunbar as Supt. Ted Hastings (BBC)

 

It might be the Northern Irish accent but it's most likely that everyone watching had never heard the term before.

So what the hell does it mean?

"The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit" - according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

There are additional definitions but we'll leave it there so as not to complicate the matter. OK fella?

THREE Nottingham actors!?

Lennie James was born in Nottingham but moved to London as a toddler. (BBC)

 

We all know Vicky McClure is one of us but there are two other locals in the first four series.

The opening series was a soft one in comparison to what was to come but taking centre stage as the bent copper in the sightlines of AC-12 was  Nottingham-born actor Lennie James as DCI Tony Gates, a superstar copper who has just been made Officer of the Year.

Despite that he's a rule-breaker. And helps cover up a drunk-driving hit-and-run by his wealthy knock-off Jackie Laverty (Gina McKee).

PC Ash Patel (Arsher Ali) (BBC)

And then in Series 3, Arsher Ali pops up as one of the three officers suspected of killing one of his own (see below).

 

They threw her out of the window! (LOD2)

Can we just talk about this? Jessica Raine as DC Georgia Trotman (BBC)

 

She'd not been in it five minutes when DC Georgia Trotman (Jessica Raine) in pursuit of a suspect in a hospital is grabbed and pushed through an open window - it wasn't on the ground floor.

#TeamDenton (LOD2)

Dodgy Denton: Keeley Hawes (BBC)

 

You know - you think you know- that DI Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes) is dodgy but when she's beaten up by police officers, has to deal with a noisy neighbour and the death of her mother, you can't help but feel sympathy for her.

Still, at least she wasn't blown up like she was in Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio's subsequent TV hit, Bodyguard.

Who is Nadia in BBC drama Bodyguard? All you need to know about Nottingham actress Anjli Mohindra 

Well he didn't last long (LOD3)

Daniel Mays in Line of Duty (BBC)

 

Daniel Mays was excellent as newcomer Danny Waldron and being a familiar TV face one expected him to stay the course.... at least until the end of the series.

After murdering a suspect in cold blood - we find out why by the end of the series - Waldron ends up being shot dead by one of his bullied colleagues.  

Denton is murdered (LOD3)

Is that a gun in your pocket? Oh it is: Keeley Hawkes as DI Lindsay Denton (BBC)

Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan shoots her in the face whilst the pair were in his car.

No-one could have seen that one coming, particularly as Keeley Hawes' character DI Lindsay Denton a) was such an integral part of the series  and b) had made a surprising return from the previous series just two weeks before.

A tooled-up Vicky runs and runs and runs (LOD3)

Run Vicky Run - Nottingham's Vicky McClure as DS Kate Fleming in Line of Duty 3 (BBC)

The final episode of Series 3. Dot aka The Caddy is being questioned about his involvement in Denton's death - among other things - when he's broken out of custody and goes on the run with Kate in pursuit. It was exhausting to watch, particularly as the toddy actress was carrying a bulky bit of kit.

Dot is dead (LOD3)

I've got this one love: 'Dot' Cottan (Craig Parkinson) takes a bullet (BBC)

 

Of course, Kate catches up with Dot but has a gun pulled on her by one of his dodgy mates in a car. Dot jumps in front of her -  a moment of redemption we think. Dead Dot. The Caddy is gone.     

She's not quite dead! (LOD4)

Jason Watkins as Tim Ifield (BBC)

 

Forensic Coordinator Tim Ifield i(Jason Watkins) is rightly suspicious about DCI Roz Huntley (Thandie Newton) and when she turns up at his flat to confront him about his accusations, she falls, bangs her head and he thinks she's dead.

Isn't he a forensics expert?

Anyway, he tools up to cut her body into pieces. As you would.

Line of Duty series 5 begins on BBC One on Sunday at 9pm.

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