Line of Duty’s most shocking twists to date – from crooked coppers to botched murders and grisly amputations
LINE of Duty has had some of the most shocking twists and reveals during its five season stretch.
From crooked coppers to botched murders and grisley amputations, here are the best moments that made viewers say, “Mother of God!”.
Line of Duty season six is currently being filmed but until it lands on our screens why not wet the proverbial police whistle with a trip down memory lane.
Creator Jed Mercurio is known for keeping viewers on the edge of their sofas with fascinating curveballs, shocking twists and WTF moments.
Series One
Fans were flabbergasted by the brutal killing of Jackie Laverty, played by Gina McKee, at the hands of Tommy Hunter’s gang.
The very first subject of AC-12’s investigations was DCI Tony Gates, played by Lennie James, whose conviction rates seemed too good to be true.
But when his lover Jackie was killed in front of him and he was blackmailed by murderers, his dodgy crime figures became the least of his problems.
It soon emerged that gang boss Tommy had an inside man in Gates’s police department, and realising his career was over, the bent copper stepped in front of a truck on a motorway.
Viewers soon realised that it was Gates’ colleague Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan who was Hunter’s inside man, known as The Caddy.
Series Two
During an investigation of a bungled police escort of a witness in which every officer apart from DI Lindsay Denton (played by Keeley Hawes) was killed, DC Steve Arnott and DC Georgia Trotman of AC-12 got too close to the action.
Viewers thought Jessica Raine, who played the DC, was a new regular but it didn’t take long before she got the chop.
When Arnott and Trotman headed to the hospital to interview a witness they were intercepted by a man disguised as a nurse.
Knocked unconscious, Arnott was unable to save poor Trotman who ended up getting thrown out of the window of the hospital ward, several stories up.
The whole of season two was packed with shocking twists and turns as viewers were left convinced of DI Lindsay Denton’s guilt. And although she did some rather questionable behaviour, she came good during season four.
Series Three
Showrunner Jed Mercurio has no problem killing off its stars during early episodes. It’s Game of Thrones and Ned Stark all over again.
Series three saw Danny Waldron, played by Daniel Mays, murdered at the end of episode one.
While under investigation by AC-12 for a botched arrest where he shot and killed the suspect, viewers later saw him spy on the funeral before following home one of the mourners.
He then tortured and murdered them before leaving a list of people who’d abused him as a child, including his two victims, in a letter addressed to Arnott.
Working undercover with Waldron’s team, Fleming joined them on a raid of a drug house but ordered her to stay downstairs while he and the rest of the team investigated.
Hearing shots fired, Fleming ran upstairs to find Waldron dying from a gunshot wound, which the rest of the team insisted was self-inflicted. Really? Sounded suspect – and it was!
Series Four
One of the most dramatic moments of series four happened in the first episode with a tussle between DCI Roz Huntley [Thandie Newton] and FC Tim Ifield [Jason Watkins].
After getting into a huge row and stumbling backwards into a counter, it looked like Huntley was dead and panicking, Ifield decided to clear up his mess and returned with a chainsaw and plastic.
What a twist then when Huntley woke up and the scene cut to her back at work like nothing had happened and Ifield’s body was discovered at his flat – with three fingers missing.
Those missing digits would come back to haunt her though as it transpired Ifield dug his nails into her arm, getting her DNA under his nails.
But she refused to get the wound seen by a doctor and ended up getting infected with MRSA.
After passing out, she woke up in hospital to find her arm had been amputated. At least she’s h-armless now.
Series Five
Possibly the bloodiest and most shocking series yet, the hunt for the mysterious H heated up with Cottan cracking and Gill Biggeloe, also being unmasked as the latest bent official.
But it was the deaths of PC Maneet Bindra, played by Maya Sondhi, and undercover rogue officer John Corbett, played by the amazing Stephen Graham, that really shocked viewers.
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Bindra’s days were numbered from the moment she started being blackmailed by ACC Hilton to inform on AC-12.
She ended up with her throat slit on the orders of Corbett, who was later identified as an undercover officer.
Corbett was determined to be a convincing enough gangster to find his way right to the top of the OCG and expose H, but he put his trust in the wrong person and ended up with his own throat slit.
Series six can’t come soon enough.