Line of Duty season 6 may be rewritten due to COVID-19 pandemic

18 May 2020, 14:23 | Updated: 18 May 2020, 14:43

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The hit police drama's creator and writer Jed Mercurio has revealed he's considering rewriting it the show to reflect the pandemic.

Jed Mercurio has admitted that Line of Duty season six may have to be rewritten due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shooting might not resume until next year.

Production on the upcoming season of the show had to be shut down after just four weeks of filming, due to the ongoing global health crisis, and its writer and creator revealed they ight have to scrap what they have already filmed and start over again.

Asked on The Andrew Marr Show if they have thought about rewriting parts of the show to reflect the pandemic, Mercurio explained: "We're all considering that. We shot for four weeks in a pre-lockdown, pre-COVID world, and all that material would have to be re-shot if we were going to change things, so it's something that would have huge cost implications, but we are discussing it."

Line of Duty. Picture: Press/BBC/Line Of Duty

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Vicky McClure, also took part in the interview on the politics show where she was asked if she was raring to get back.

"I am, yeah" admitted the actress, who plays DI Kate Fleming. "Even if it means re-shooting what we've already shot. Yeah, course. I'm quite bored, I think, like a lot of people are, but we just can't rush it. You know, nobody knows how this is gonna unfold and we've just got to make sure everybody's safe."

Mercurio also revealed they had a small outbreak of COVID-19 on set, which they were able to keep under control with testing, and added that a return to filming before next year is unlikely unless testing facilities are made widely available.

He mused: "To be honest with you there's a lot we can do within the industry, but until wider society has the public health infrastructure of test, trace and isolate in place it's going to be very hard for anyone."

Asked if that policy could mean a return for the film and TV industries, he said: "I think it would be one very important element of it and the reason for that is that we can't make productions in a bubble. The cast and crew would go home, they'd come into contact with other people, they'll be interacting with the rest of society..."