End of the Line? Fans fear police thriller may not return as ‘H is named’ in finale 

A dramatic trailer for the final episode of Line Of Duty yesterday left fans wondering if the gripping police thriller will return.

It has been five years since anti-corruption police in the AC-12 unit began to hunt a mysterious bent top copper known as H.

The 30-second trailer seemed to indicate viewers will at last learn the identity of H as the sixth series of the BBC1 show draws to a close on Sunday.

Gunning for it: Kate Fleming in tense scene from trailer 

The trailer had an element of finality, prompting fans to speculate it could be the end of Line Of Duty.

Superintendent Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar, says: ‘All of these suspicious deaths were orchestrated by one officer in particular – H, the fourth man.’

The trailer then shows characters who could be H, including Chief Constable Philip Osborne, Deputy Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael and former Deputy Chief Inspector Marcus Thurwell – as well as fan favourites Hastings and Detective Inspector Kate Fleming. 

Joanne Davidson in handcuffs 

Getting shot of crooks: AC-12’s Steve Arnott

The words ‘Every investigation has led to this’ appear across the screen, with all the letters vanishing apart from an ‘H’.

Other images in the tense clip include Acting Detective Superintendent Joanne Davidson being led out of jail in handcuffs before sitting in a prison van asking: ‘What’s going on?’ The trailer’s conclusion sees Fleming, played by Vicky McClure, and Detective Inspector Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) holding guns, ready to shoot.

The future of the hugely popular drama has been unclear for some time, with the BBC and show creator Jed Mercurio failing to confirm another season. Speaking about more possible series, Mercurio told Radio Times earlier this year: ‘We don’t know. Since probably season four, we’ve been talking to the BBC about the realistic longevity of the series. It’s an ongoing discussion is all I can say.

Crash: Van dramatically flips over in the series finale

Masked man: Crook in balaclava with rifle

‘A lot of it depends on the key creatives – me and the main actors – finding new stories to tell within that universe. We’re in a situation where it’s not entirely clear that there will be a seventh series. We would hope there could be.’ Compston has said: ‘Jed has always taken the series one by one because he wants to judge the reaction of the audience. We have always negotiated it one at a time so right now it could end – or we could come back. With Jed, there’s always potential for it to go on and we can always start a new case.’

Line Of Duty notched up its most-watched episode ever last Sunday, seen by an average 11million viewers. The finale will be screened at 9pm on May 2.