Line of Duty-Season 1

Set in the fictional police anti-corruption unit AC-12, Line of Duty is a cat-and-mouse thriller that takes a probing look into modern policing and corruption. A multi-stranded investigation over five hour-long episodes, the drama features an all-star cast including Lennie James, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Neil Morrissey and Gina McKee. Run by zealous Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), AC-12’s target is the gifted, charismatic Detective Chief Inspector Tony Gates (Lennie James), whose unit returns the best crime figures on the force. Gates appears to be an exemplary police officer and hard-working family man. But Hastings is convinced Gates’ results are too good to be true. Determined to expose Gates as a fraud or worse, Hastings recruits Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) to the unit. Arnott took an ethical stand against colleagues who wanted to conspire in the cover-up of a botched counter-terrorism operation. Ostracised as a result, Arnott is seen by Hastings as the perfect candidate for anti-corruption work. Meanwhile, fascinated by Gates but for apparently different reasons, an ambitious young Detective Constable, Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), inveigles herself onto his unit, teaming up with Gates’ loyal lieutenants, Detective Sergeant Matthew “Dot” Cottan (Craig Parkinson) and Detective Constable Nigel Morton (Neil Morrissey). And, as if being under investigation isn’t enough of a complication for Gates, he’s also trying to hide an affair with an old flame (Gina McKee). Every time Gates seems cornered, he finds a way to turn the tables. But all the while he’s digging a bigger hole for himself, plunging irrevocably into a moral abyss. And each day the stakes get higher. Soon it isn’t just careers on the line – it’s lives.