
Line of Duty viewing figures: How many people watched each series of the show
The new series is up nearly 12million from series one
Right now, it seems as though everyone in the whole of the UK is hooked on Line of Duty. Group chats across the nation implode at 9pm on a Sunday and living rooms fill with intensity as we get our fix of AC-12. So you might be wondering what the actual viewing figures for Line of Duty are, seeing as it’s the show that has us all talking. Your answers are here.
The following figures are from the first episodes of each series, and the viewing stats are taken from the first month of the episode airing on BBC. The difference between the first episode of series one compared to the newest series six is an increase of nearly 12million people – proving that a lot of us have caught onto the art of catching bent coppers late, and have been binge watching the old seasons to catch up.
Here’s the full break down of the Line of Duty viewing figures from the start of the show until now.
Series one – 3.76million viewers
Series one was all about the trials and tribulations of DCI Gates. It aired in 2012 and had five episodes in total. The first episode was watched by 3.78million people.
Series two – 2.74million viewers
Series two saw a bit of a dip in the taste for Line of Duty. The average viewership was down from the first series, and over a million less people tuned into the first episode, with 2.74million viewers. This series saw DI Lindsay Denton as the focus of AC-12’s latest anti-corruption investigation.

via BBC
Series three – 3.54million viewers
Series three was back up from the second, but the first episode still wasn’t as instantly popular as the first season’s. This time episode one had 3.54million viewers, but the average viewership for each episode in the whole series, a month after they were first aired, was 5.42million. Series three had a lot going on at AC-12, with Danny Waldron being investigated and his case getting all mixed in with that of The Caddy and Tommy Hunter.
Series four – 9.21million viewers
Series four saw a huge jump in popularity for the show, as it moved over to BBC One over BBC Two. The average viewership for the series was 9.55million, and 9.21million people tuned in for episode one within the first month of it going on air. In this series, Thandiwe Newton’s DCI Roz Huntley was the main target of AC-12’s investigation into bent coppers and the series had an appearance from the actress who played Eloise in Bridgerton.Â

via BBC
Series five – 13.2million viewers
In series five it seemed like everything revolved around the mysterious “H”. Alongside that we had the drama of is-he-bent-or-is-he-so-undercover-it-hurts with John Corbett to keep our brains busy. For this series, the average viewership in the first month of each episode going live was 12.85million. The first episode had 13.2million viewers.
Series six – 15.2million viewers
Series six has definitely been the show’s most successful to date. According to the BBC, the opening episode of series six was watched by 9.6million viewers in the first night alone, which surpassed the show’s previous overnight record of 9.1million for the finale of series five in 2019. Since then, the number of people who tuned into episode one of series has surpassed 15million, breaking even more records for the show. This series we’ve been focusing on the unsolved murder of Gail Vella, and DCI Joanne Davidson has been under AC-12’s spotlight.
Line of Duty season six continues on Sunday on BBC One at 9pm. Previous episodes are available to catch up on, via iPlayer.
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