Jed Mercurio says ‘Line of Duty’ was almost rejected by the BBC.
Although the series has gone on to be a huge success for the broadcaster, Jed revealed that some executives were not enthusiastic about the project when he first pitched it.
He told Radio Times: "Maybe there were reservations that something about police corruption might be problematic for a mainstream audience.
"There’s selective amnesia about things like that. Everybody, and every TV commissioner or TV executive, who was involved in rejecting ‘Line Of Duty’ now pretends that it didn’t happen.
"It’s not that I seethe, we’re in a fantastic position and I’m certainly not bitter.
"But if you consider all the other projects that have been rejected over the years, the opportunities missed, and the ones that still are rejected, then of course it’s disappointing.
"You worry that something that you’ve worked on and you believe in is never going to see the light of day."
Referring to one particular executive who rejected the show, he said: "That particular controller never had to justify her decision. It didn’t affect her career, that she turned down something that went on to be the biggest BBC One drama currently returning."
The drama – which stars Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, and Adrian Dunbar – originally premiered on BBC Two before it was moved to BBC One and Jed said: "That was something that was passed on to me by the drama department, attempting to be constructive about it and therefore giving us hope that BBC Two might be a better home for us. But the fact is that the controllers aren’t accountable."