This month sees the tenth anniversary of Line of Duty‘s debut episode – and with the future of Jed Mercurio’s gripping drama still unknown, there’s never been a better time to celebrate the hit show.
Across six seasons, the show has transformed from a fairly low profile BBC Two series to one of the biggest programmes in the country – and it’s given us all manner of quotable lines, memorable guest stars and shocking moments along the way.
And so, in order to celebrate the landmark anniversary, we’re asking RadioTimes.com readers to pick their favourite moment in the history of the series, from a shortlist of 12 that compiled by our expert team. (It goes without saying that spoilers are ahead.)
The list includes options from all six runs of the series – from the death of Jackie Laverty (Gina McKee) and framing of Tony Gates (Lenny James) in season 1 to Steve Arnott’s (Martin Compston) impressive skills during a shootout in an upturned van in the most recent run.
Of course, given the number of high-profile casualties on the show, it’s no surprise to see a fair few dramatic deaths on the shortlist as well, with characters played by James, Jessica Raine, Daniel Mays, and Stephen Graham all meeting sticky ends.
And there are not one but two moments on the list from the memorable season three finale – Dot’s (Craig Parkinson) dramatic escape from police custody after being unveiled as The Caddy (URGENT EXIT REQUIRED) and his final breaths, tapping out a secret message for Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) as he lay dying.
Line of Duty wouldn’t be Line of Duty without Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) either – and so, naturally, at least one of his legendary catchphrases had to make the cut, with his season 6 offering: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the Wee Donkey” making it onto the list.
In addition, there’s the stand-out season 2 moment when Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes) bottled her neighbour, the season 4 scene when Roz (Thandiwe Newton) woke up just as she was about to be chainsawed and, of course, the moment when Steve is beaten up by a mystery balaclava man – which led to a spectacular fall and longterm back trouble.
You can see all the options below – get voting for your favourite!
Line of Duty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Take a look at more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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