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Line of Duty creator reveals how he was forced to change season one

The police procedural drama is back on BBC  

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Emmy Griffiths
TV & Film Editor
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Fans are loving the return ofLine of Duty season two to our screens - but did you know that season one could have been very different? The show's creator, Jed Mercurio, has been rewatching the show with viewers, and has given some behind-the-scenes information about the making of the police procedural drama... 

READ: Who is your favourite Line of Duty villain? Take our poll

Discussing episode three, which aired in early August, he tweeted: "Last night's episode featured the first-ever clandestine meeting between Steve and undercover Kate, filmed in Paradise Circus, Birmingham. Sharp-eyed viewers may have spotted that you never see their faces when they say 'Tony Gates.'

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They had to change Tony's name halfway through filming

"That's because a couple of days into filming we had to change the name of @RealLennieJames' character. The actors re-voiced their lines in postproduction and we had to hide their mouths delivering the original name." 

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Although Jed didn't go into details about why the name was changed, one of his followers suggested that there was a very good reason. He wrote: "There was a police officer with that name. Since then all character names are checked with the Met to make sure no existing police officer has the same name." 

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He also spoke about the final scene they shot, which took place in episode four, writing: "The scene featuring @RealLennieJames @Vicky_McClure in the pub was the last we shot. During the final take @martin_compston photo-bombed them and called 'Wrap'. That was the first time we heard his Scottish accent." 

Fans have been loving the anecdotes about filming, with one replying: "Thank you for all the great insights into this series. It was another amazing episode filled full of drama  & all the hilarious #tedisms. It had me gripped right until the end, then the music kicks in.. Brilliantly done! Credit to you all." 

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