Line of Duty fans fear for Steve Arnott after spotting very worrying clue about troubled cop’s health

LINE of Duty fans fear for Steve Arnott after they spotted a very worrying clue about the troubled cop's health.

The BBC crime drama returned for its highly anticipated sixth series last night, with the members of AC-12 continuing to investigate police corruption and establish who the mysterious H is.

While fans were delighted to see Superintendent Ted Hastings, DC Kate Fleming and DS Steve Arnott back on their screens, the latter left viewers concerned for his health.

In one scene, Steve - played by Martin Compston - was seen reaching for a bottle of painkillers before popping a few in his mouth and swallowing them.

Fans of the show will remember he was thrown down some stairs by a person in a balaclava in series four, and his injuries appear to still be causing him a lot of pain.

Viewers were left fearing Steve could be on a slippery slope to becoming addicted to the painkillers and took to Twitter to share their concerns.

One wrote: "Downing painkillers like Smarties. Being office Johnny Bravo is killing my boy."

Another added: "Poor Steve is addicted to painkillers."

A third tweeted: "My questions so far: is Steve addicted to painkillers? Has Kate really left AC-12 or is she undercover but as herself? Is Evangeline (DCI Davidson) really as shady as they’re making her seem? I think probably not. Why is Ted hardly involved so far?"

Meanwhile a fourth wrote: ";I was surprised that Steve turned down a drink with a woman. That’s not Steve!

"Steve gets with every woman except Kate. But then there was a scene which suggested he has a painkiller addiction and he’s so lonely so I was [crying emoji]."

Series six also saw Shalom Brune-Franklin and Kelly Macdonald join the cast, with fans excited to see what is to come from both of them, not to mention whether they will both make it to the end of the series.

Line of Duty continues on Sunday, March 28 at 9pm on BBC One.