Line of Duty Page #9

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 51.

ARNOTT:

You’ve dropped me into an ongoing

investigation. You could test me or

you could actually brief me.

HASTINGS:

Gates cherry-picks a crime that’s

easy to solve, and dumps the rest.

Then he invents additional charges

that never appear in court but

boost his clear-up rate. That’s how

Tony Gates’s got where he is.

ARNOTT:

But he’s black. He’s got where he

is because he’s had to be twice as

good as the next bloke.

HASTINGS:

And that means to be corrupt he’s

got to be twice as bad?

ARNOTT:

No, sir, but victimisation of -

HASTINGS:

My best mate, we went through

training together. First year out,

they sent us on a job. The two

Catholics. Drove straight over a

pipe bomb. I was in intensive care

for a month. Him, they buried. The

Duty Log vanished; nobody would say

a word. Don’t talk to me about

victimisation. No one’s blacker

than me, son.

Exit Hastings. Arnott considers his position.

CUT TO:

1/70 EXT./INT. KINGSGATE. PUB. DAY 6. 1/70

The police boozer again. Fleming crosses the street and

enters. Inside Kapoor’s at the bar and waves her over.

KAPOOR:

Kate! What you having?

FLEMING:

Lager.

At a booth/table, Gates, Cottan and Morton clock Fleming.

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 52.

COTTAN:

Like the look of the recruitment

policy, Tone.

GATES:

(Finger to lips.)

Shhh, sexist.

COTTAN:

(Joking, feigning a move.)

Right, that’s it, I’m off.

GATES:

HR’ll be down on me like a ton of

bricks. This is an important

appointment for me.

Loyal and professional, both Cottan and Morton give nods of

assurance.

Kapoor points away from the bar and Fleming follows his

finger to Gates, Morton and Cottan. They make room for her

and she sits down.

GATES:

Kate, this is DC Morton.

MORTON:

Nige.

(Shakes hands with

Fleming.)

GATES:

DS Matt Cottan.

MORTON:

Dot.

Cottan fancies his chances with Fleming and shows off a bit.

COTTAN:

Tone says you want to be in with

the in-crowd.

FLEMING:

(Looks around.)

In-crowd -- where?

Laughter.

FLEMING:

(To Gates.)

I want to work for the best, sir.

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 53.

GATES:

We’re off duty, Kate, you can call

me -

MORTON:

Tina.

Laughter.

COTTAN:

Sounds like an excuse for a proper

sesh tonight.

GATES:

Like you lot need an excuse!

Laughter. Kapoor arrives with the drinks on a tray and the

boys grab theirs.

Gates (cont’d)

Last -

COTTAN:

-- and definitely least -

Laughter.

GATES:

-- DC Deepak Kapoor.

KAPOOR:

Sorry, Kate, I didn’t know whether

you wanted a half or a pint, so I

got you two halves.

COTTAN:

See what happens when you send a

boy to do a man’s job.

Cottan gives Fleming a wink she ignores.

FLEMING:

Thanks, Deepak.

She takes one half, and the boys make a noise of being

underwhelmed. She takes the second, one in each fist, and the

boys give her due acknowledgement.

Meanwhile Gates sticks a yellow Post-it note on his forehead.

Raucous laughter.

FLEMING:

Now that is stuck on!

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 54.

Raucous laughter.

CUT TO:

1/71 INT. SUBURBS. GATES’S HOUSE. LATER THAT DAY. DAY 6. 1/71

The facade has dropped from his face as Gates lets himself in

via the front door. His daughters -- Natalie, 9, and Chloe, 7

-- run downstairs to hug him. The dog sniffs round his

ankles. Jools is in the kitchen.

NATALIE + CHLOE

Daddy!

GATES:

Hi, girls, that’s a nice welcome.

NATALIE:

I got an A in piano today. D’you

want to hear?

JOOLS:

Daddy’s just walked in the door,

Natalie.

GATES:

It’s fine, Jools. I’d love to hear

it.

Natalie skips away excitedly. Jools studies Gates. He puts on

a brave face.

CUT TO:

1/72 INT. GATES’S HOUSE. GIRLS’ BEDROOM. MOMENTS LATER. NIGHT 6.

1/72

Natalie plays the piano, watched by Chloe and Jools. Gates

listens, but we see his mind churning, his troubles

impossible to suppress.

CUT TO:

1/73 INT. AC-12. OPEN PLAN OFFICE. LATER THAT NIGHT. NIGHT 6.1/73

Alone, Arnott studies Gates’s file on the computer. We see

Gates’s exemplary service record, his promotions, his

performance indicators and his Officer of the Year award.

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 55.

Arnott shuts it all down, scoops a few personal items into

his pockets, and exits.

CUT TO:

1/73A INT. AC-12. WALKWAY. MOMENTS LATER. 1/73A

As Arnott comes out, Hastings is waiting for him. Arnott

looks a little sheepish.

HASTINGS:

Come with me.

They get into the lift. Arnott is suddenly very curious. The

lift goes up.

CUT TO:

1/74 EXT. AC-12. ROOF. MOMENTS LATER. NIGHT 6. 1/74

Hastings and Arnott emerge onto the roof. A figure framed

against the city scape turns -- Fleming. Arnott is shocked.

HASTINGS:

We’re going to get Gates with or

without you, Steve. You can help

us, or you can be just another

prick who lost his bottle. Your

choice, son.

Exit Hastings.

ARNOTT:

I didn’t know AC-12 used undercover

officers.

FLEMING:

Hence the term.

ARNOTT:

(Beats.)

You’re the one that fed us the

information about Gates’s gratuity.

FLEMING:

Breakfastgate.

He laughs. It warms them to each other.

FLEMING:

I’m on the inside at last, Steve.

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 56.

ARNOTT:

All this just to bring down Gates?

Instead of spending all this time

and money policing the police, it’d

make more sense to assign us to the

cases Gates isn’t investigating.

FLEMING:

TO-20’s been nicknamed the Big Sexy

Crime Unit. Gates’s been awarded

the highest budget three years

running. His squad’s got the best

kit in the station. Meanwhile

victims of crime miss out on

justice because he only tackles the

cases that score points.

ARNOTT:

Who doesn’t? It’s the system.

FLEMING:

I wouldn’t be risking what I’m

risking, if I didn’t believe Gates

was a special case.

ARNOTT:

I thought Anticorruption was about

getting the blokes who’re on the

take, the ones in the pockets of

criminals -

FLEMING:

You took a stand and it put you out

on your own. You’re not on your own

any more. Unless you want to be.

That reaches him. She exits, leaving him to decide.

CUT TO:

1/75 EXT. KINGSGATE. POLICE STATION. NEXT DAY. DAY 7. 1/75

Arnott faces the facade. He’s deciding how to tackle Gates.

CUT TO:

1/76 EXT. POLICE STATION. CAR PARK. MOMENTS LATER. DAY 7. 1/76

Arnott comes to his car, still undecided.

He remote-unlocks it and realizes it’s already open.

Apprehensively, he opens the driver’s door.

"Line of Duty" Episode 1 Shooting Script 18.08.11 57.

A turd lies on the seat.

Arnott is disgusted.

Then his expression hardens.

CUT TO:

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