BBC One patrol series makes a record with the largest audience. Sunday’s return figures show that it was a hit with a massive number of viewers.
The overnight record of the opening episode of Line of Duty series six is 9.6 million viewers.
The last record of the current series was 9.1 million viewers. It was the recorded number of viewers on the finale of series five that was released in 2019. The record of the series has been surpassed by the first episode of series six.
The episode also got an enormous appreciation from the critics. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian says that the episode was “just as good, if not better than ever”. She gives four out of five stars to the opening of series six and writes that it was as strong as ever.
Anita Singh of The Telegraph also gives four stars to the episode. She writes that the show has more similarity with the early years of the show to offer the audience this year. The opening scene of series six with a call is inspired by series two. The call informs about something urgent. She adds that Keeley Hawes season was probably the best of all the seasons.
The police drama by Jed Mercurio first got on the air in 2012 and captures a good audience. This drama is inspired by the function of the AC-12 anti-corruption unit.
The audience is happy to see Vicky McClure (DI Kate Fleming), Martin Compston (DS Steve Arnott) and Adrian Dunbar (Superintendent Ted Hastings) in the series of this year. Kelly Macdonald joined them as DCI Joanne Davidson. The character is the lead in the investigation of the killing of a TV journalist.
Anita Singh adds that the credit of popularity and viewership of the drama goes to the performance of the guest stars of the series such as Hawes and Graham. She is not sure about the success of Kelly Macdonald’s characters as a hit. The role of DCI Joanne Davidson is still a mystery and it seems that Mercurio has given an interesting role to Kelly Macdonald.
Ed Cumming of The Independent gives five out of five stars to the first episode. He writes that the answer is yes to the question if the episode was any good. He calls the opener “never jangling”. The first episode of season six has hit the screen with the best about Line of Duty. It has tense action.
Ed Cumming also welcomes the addition of Macdonald. He shows up formerly in Gosford Park, Trainspotting and Giri. The role of Macdonald will target the sympathies of the viewers as it is blended with sweetness and guile.
Katie Rosseinsky of The Evening Standard says that the opening was a “nerve-shredding set-piece” with the addition of Macdonald that will make the drama more interesting.
Fans are also excited about series six.
