BBC drama Line Of Duty to return for two more series

Line of Duty featured Martin Compston and Vicky McClure

Two more series of hit drama Line of Duty have been commissioned by BBC Two, one of several programmes announced to mark the channel's 50th anniversary.

The finale of the second series, starring Keeley Hawes and Vicky McClure, was watched by 4.1 million viewers last month.

Writer Jed Mercurio said he was "profoundly grateful" to fans for making the show such a "talking point".

Other commissions include a new series of James Corden's The Wrong Mans.

Both Corden and co-creator Mathew Baynton were nominated for TV Baftas earlier this week for their performances in the comedy thriller.

James Corden and Mathew Baynton comedy thriller The Wrong Mans

It is joined by a new comedy from Paul Whitehouse, based on the BBC Radio 4 series, Nurse.

It will star Esther Coles as a community psychiatric nurse, with Whitehouse playing many of her patients or their relatives.

'Easiest decision'

Line of Duty - which revolves around a controversial police anti-corruption unit - will return for two more series of six hour-long episodes.

"For series three and four, I can promise two explosive new cases for AC-12, new guest stars as police officers investigated for corruption, further twists and turns from the loose ends of series two, and maybe even some surprise reappearances," said creator Mercurio.

Keeley Hawes played DI Lindsay Denton in Line of Duty

Controller of BBC Drama, Ben Stephenson, said commissioning two more series of the "unique, powerful and gripping drama" was "the easiest decision I have made".

Spotlight on women

A documentary series on foster carers, War In Afghanistan and natural history series Beyond Human have also been announced for BBC Two.

The latter will explore how animals sense their world beyond human capabilities, focusing on a different sense in each episode.

Meanwhile, The World Made By Women will explore 20,000 years of women's history - from Empress Wu Zeitan to Margaret Thatcher - while several other documentaries will also look at the role of women throughout history.

They include a series on the suffragettes and a look at the Women's Institute, entitled The Real Calender Girls.

Women also feature heavily in Radio 2's latest line-up of special presenters for the spring, with Carla Bruni, Scissor Sisters star Ana Matronic and Sheila Hancock all fronting their own shows.

Ana Matronic, Sheila Hancock and Carla Bruni are all taking to the Radio 2 airwaves

Carla Bruni's Postcards From Paris will see the model turned singer-songwriter and former first lady of France, presenting a three-part series taking listeners on a tour of the city and her favourite French music.

Ana Matronic delves into her disco record collection for a four-part series while stage and screen star Hancock will explore Music with a Message for two programmes.

"I'll be playing music which I hope will make listeners think, that can possibly change their thinking - it's music with ideas, music with a message," said Hancock.

The season will also feature a two-hour special with country queen Dolly Parton.