Jed Mercurio, the brains behind the sublime Line of Duty, has revealed that he was approached to write an episode of Doctor Who – but obviously this never came into being.
And sadly enough, it’s not looking likely either! Jed says:
“I know Steven Moffat pretty well and we talked about it a long time ago, but it wasn’t something that ever really materialised as a proper idea. I know Chris Chibnall very well and good luck to him, but it’s not in my plans [to work on Doctor Who].”
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, really. Moffat is known to be a fan of Line of Duty, openly praising both the drama and Mercurio, and anyone who has seen the show will understand the high-esteem the BBC2 show is held in.
It remains a massive shame that Jed won’t be working on Doctor Who, but again, not a shock: thanks to Series 3’s acclaim (the finale was breathtaking) and getting the highest ratings for BBC2 in over a decade, two further series have been commissioned – and it’s switched channels to the flagship BBC1. The show has starred a number of Who alumni including Keeley Hawes (Time Heist), Daniel Mays (Night Terrors), George Costigan (Voyage of the Damned), Jessica Raine (Hide; An Adventure in Space and Time), and Mark Bonnar (The Rebel Flesh/ The Almost People).
The finale of Series 3 was broadcast earlier this month, and included an incredible police-interview scene which lasted 25 minutes (but didn’t feel anywhere near that long). Jed says the hype about that series makes writing the next difficult:
“I think that it brings a pressure to deliver on expectations but then it’s a much better situation to be in than if Series 3 had done very badly. That would be something that would make us have to scratch our heads about whether we’re getting fundamental things wrong with the series. It’s actually a very fortunate and privileged position to be in to have a successful show.”
And he perhaps also hints at why his future doesn’t lie with Doctor Who:
“[W]hat I really like doing is creating my own series and working on those.”
Dang. Well, at least we’ve got more Line of Duty to look forward to!
And if you’ve not seen the show yet, you can get all three series on DVD now…
