Guv!

It must be a new season. There’s a new cop show in town. Last year there was an abundance of them, with Idris Elba barking orders on one side and Charlie Creed-Miles lurking in his trenchcoat on another day. It was as if everyone had suddenly realised that with the demise of The Bill there might be an opening for a new police-based soap style drama with a series-long story arc. The Wire got everyone buzzing and showed those execs how good crime could be, even without a moustachioed Belgian detective, and a different side of the genre was born. And then things died down a little bit.

“Either he’s a super copper or something is rotten in the state of Denamrk”

Hello Line Of Fire. A brand new series of five episodes, launching its story arc over CID and internal affairs, but kicking off briefly from counter terrorism. Starring Lennie James as Detective Chief Inspector Antony Gates, he has his own squad in CID, he’s just won Officer Of The Year and his crime clear up figures are off the chart. He’s a boy! He’s a lad! He’s got a gorgeous wife, two lovely kids and he’s having an affair with Gina McKee’s independent businesswoman, Jackie, on the side. Get in my son! Which is why Superintendent Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) of internal affairs is suspicious of him. Either he’s a super copper or something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

DS Steve Arnott is new to internal affairs having been transferred there after refusing to cover up on a major boys in blue error in the anti-terrorist squad (you’ll see it in the first five minutes so I’m not spoiling any plot twists there). He’s our everyman. You know the sort. He’s got a conscience but doesn’t have a vendetta and just wants to get on with some proper policework (doughnuts not included). So can he decide whether DCI Gates is a worthy subject for investigation? Oh, and then there’s the twist that I won’t reveal involving the girlfriend, a favour and a shovel to maybe start digging a hole for your career. Only maybe mind you.

It’s a good set-up with plenty to get involved in from the off, yet avoiding that danger of throwing every detail at episode one for a huge setting of the scene that can be ultimately overwhelming. Yes, we know these people, even the cake-scoffing not-quite-a-police-officer admin assistant in the next office from Gates’ Boys With Grrrr. Speaking of which, the morally ambiguous under pressure DC Kate Fleming also looks like an interesting character – fed up with having to leave ‘unsolvable’ grass roots cases but not above showing a bit of raw ambition.

The question remains, will this have legs? Will it run for more than one series, be the new Prime Suspect, or will it prove to be another self-contained story arc? An X Factor or an X Factor top ten finalist? This is a good start and a fine cast, but whether it gets the surveillance it’s aiming for is still under investigation.

Line Of Duty, BBC2, Tuesday 26 June 2012