BBC releases first look images as Line of Duty series 6 begins filming

Line of Duty
(Image credit: ITV)

Jed Mercurio's hit thriller is returning soon...

Set a year and a half after the events of series 5, Line of Duty will pick up with a brand new case for AC-12 soon. And this time the BBC1 thriller will focus on a mysterious Detective Chief Inspector...

DCI Joanne Davidson will be played by Boardwalk Empire and Trainspotting star Kelly Macdonald. The BBC has described her as an "enigmatic senior investigating officer on an unsolved murder case".

Welcoming her to the series, creator Jed Mercurio said, “DCI Joanne Davidson will prove the most enigmatic adversary AC-12 have ever faced.”

The character of Joanne Davidson joins series favourites Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), where she quickly becomes a new suspect.

Line of Duty season 6

The Line of Duty series 6 cast including newest member Kelly Macdonald, who will take centre stage

A first look snap sees Arnott briefing AC-12 on DCI Davidson, we wonder what Steve's telling them all?

Line of Duty season 6

Arnott and Hastings can be seen in one of the first look photos (Image credit: World Productions)

In a new tweet, Jed wrote, "First day of filming #LineofDuty6 @BBCOne @worldprods. It's great to be back on the hunt for bent coppers. Rest assured our camera crew will do better than my amateur snaps."

Line of Duty season 6 first take

Take one! Filming has finally kicked off on season six of Line of Duty (Image credit: World Productions)

Fans will also see some brand new faces this series. Our Girl star Shalom Brune-Franklin, This is England's Perry Fitzpatrick, and Doctor Foster star Prasanna Puwanarajah are all joining the cast. So plenty to look forward to.

The sixth series of Line of Duty is due to premiere on BBC1 later this year, but an official release date has not yet been confirmed by the broadcaster.

Line of Duty series 1 - 5 is available on demand via BBC iPlayer.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress