Line of Duty ‘to resume filming’ next month

Production restart could be postponed if lockdown measures tighten

BBC One crime drama Line of Duty plans to re-start production in late August, according to a new report.

The series abandoned production on its sixth season back in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources confided to Deadline that World Productions, the company that produce Line of Duty, is aiming to get things going again from the week commencing 24 August, although “nothing is yet set in stone” amid the “fluid” situation surrounding the pandemic.

The series is filmed in Northern Ireland, which, along with the rest of the UK, is starting to open up, having entered lockdown to help limit the spread of the deadly virus.

However, the production restart is contingent on the whims of the ever-changing government guidance, and could be postponed again if there is a “second wave” of Covid-19 cases.

Line of Duty‘s creator Jed Mercurio revealed in May that, prior to production being postponded, there had been a small outbreak on set which was kept under control with testing.

“The problem was when [testing] was abandoned by the Government, we were looking at a situation where we couldn’t apply that,” he told Andrew Marr. “Nobody knows how this is going to unfold and we’ve just got to make sure everybody’s safe. I feel for a lot of the crew, it’s a difficult time when you’re out of work.”

Mercurio continued: “I want to get back as soon as we can, but that’s got to be when it’s safe and we’re not a show that is similar to the soaps where there’s a possibility of bringing the actual subject of corona into the storyline, where that could make it slightly easier for them to adapt to it, whereas it’s currently not in Line Of Duty‘s world.”