An eye-watering 12.8million viewers tuned in to watch Line Of Duty’s sixth season on Sunday night with a 56.2% share in the overnights – recording the network’s highest ever overnight rating.
Fans tuned in to watch the nail-biting series draw to a close – and the mysterious antagonist ‘H’ was finally unmasked as DSI Ian Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle.
Loyal viewers took to social media in their droves to share their frustrations as officers from the police anti-corruption unit AC-12 discovered the identity of the elusive ‘fourth man’ – leading to a demand for another series of the show.
Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer, said of a seventh season: ‘Addictive event television, Line of Duty has kept the nation guessing for the last seven weeks, so it’s no surprise that last night’s jaw dropping finale set a ratings record…
Line Of Duty’s much-anticipated sixth series came to its conclusion on Sunday night with the identity of the elusive criminal ‘H’ finally unmasked
‘Jed Mercurio is a master of his craft, and I would like to congratulate him and the entire cast and crew for delivering such an incredible drama series…
‘I’m looking forward to having a conversation with the team about where we go next and what the future of the series might be.’
The calls for another series came due to the disappointment and confusion of some of the 12.8m viewers. Star of the show Martin Compston previously said of the possibility: ‘The genuine answer is we don’t know’.
The revelation the bent copper colluding with the organised crime groups (OCGs), was actually DSI Ian Buckells infuriated many seasoned Line Of Duty fans.
It was at least revealed that the so-called fourth man was actually DSU Ian Buckells, who had been originally imprisoned after appearing to have been framed by Davidson
It saw the words ‘fuming’, ‘disappointing’ and ‘underwhelming’ all trend on social media in the aftermath of the show.
And the disbelief it could be him was compounded by the way he was only caught because of his repeated mis-spelling of the word ‘definitely’ – hardly the blunder of a hardened criminal mastermind.
The detective – widely thought until last night to have been just a bungling stooge – was first introduced to viewers in series one as the SIO in the case of murdered businesswoman Jackie Laverty by then Chief Superintendent Derek Hilton.
He later went on to become Detective Chief Inspector in series four before being promoted once more to Detective Superintendent in this final series.
Viewers were noticeable underwhelmed to learn the identity of the elusive criminal, as the series ended on an ambiguous note
Sharing their disappointment on the revelation, one disgruntled Line of Duty fan wrote on Twitter: ‘Can’t believe I watched six seasons of line of Duty for Ian Buckells, the most pointless character to be the fourth man. Fuming.’
While another viewer added: ‘I’m fuming, can’t believe I waited this long for Ian Buckells to run the roost.’
And while the finale tied up many unresolved storylines, there were still some gaping plot holes and storylines left unanswered.
An even longer wait: Like many shows, series six was hit by several delays due to the Covid pandemic, with filming in Belfast halted back in March 2020, just days before the UK was plunged into lockdown
The sixth series of the Jed Mercurio creation also saw DI Steve Arnott, played by actor Martin, finally called in for a meeting with Occupational Health, who noted that while he had not broken the law through his excessive painkiller use, he would have to surrender his firearms licence.
However, the 60-minute episode’s end failed to offer any resolution on whether the team of DI Steve Arnott, DI Kate Fleming and Superintendent Ted Hastings would return, ending on the revelation that the team has ‘never been weaker.’
The mystery surrounding the identity of ‘H’ has been up for speculation since his character was first mentioned at the end of series three, which aired in 2016, and detectives at the anti-corruption unit discovered there were four officers working within the force who had links to the underground criminal network.
Anticipated: Given the show’s record-breaking viewership, fans hoped that the finale would answer all their burning questions, including the identity of the elusive ‘H’
Like many shows, series six was hit by several delays due to the Covid pandemic, with filming in Belfast halted back in March 2020, just days before the UK was plunged into lockdown.
Production was finally able to resume in September that year with strict safety guidelines, including the use of studio sets as opposed to real locations, regular testing measures.
Filming for series six finally wrapped in November, with bosses later confirming it would be seven episodes as opposed to the usual six.