Line of Duty finale: 9 outstanding question after gripping series 5 final episode

THE finale of Line Of Duty saw ­lawyer Gill ­Biggeloe nearly get her throat cut in the cop-shop loos after being exposed as the ­traitor in AC-12’s midst.

Sunday night’s bumper-length episode of BBC1’s hit cop thriller also revealed that “H” wasn’t a single person but a network of FOUR corrupt figures — which means there’s still one more left to find.

It seemed Supt Ted Hastings — actor Adrian Dunbar — was going to get framed as “H”.

The revelation that there’s still a corrupt figure out there adds a twist to the gripping “H” storyline that’s set to be explored further in series six, which has already been commissioned by the Beeb.

Here are nine key questions fans will want answered - preferably by an officer at least one rank senior . . .

1.Was John Corbett Ted Hastings’ son?

AC-12 boss Ted was distraught during his interview when he learned that undercover cop Corbett was the son of Anne-Marie McGillis, an informant for the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

The young mother passed on intelligence to Ted when he was in the RUC in Belfast, but disappeared and was presumed murdered in 1989.

His extreme reaction to the revelation raises the possibility that the boy might have grown up to be John Corbett.

There were rumours that the then-married Ted was having an affair with Anne-Marie.

They might have been seeing each other for years, and since John’s grave showed that he was born on June 3, 1979, it could be that he was the product of their affair.

And we still don’t know whether Ted was the person who passed on information about Corbett’s undercover status to the criminals, via imprisoned gangster Lee Banks.

Viewers saw him clutching a brown paper envelope - the missing £50,000? - and watching Corbett’s widow.

Is he trying to ease a guilty conscience over potentially signing the death warrant of his own son by ­passing money to the family Corbett left behind?

2. Is Ted Hastings really innocent?

Just because AC-12 proved Gill was the third of the “H” insiders, it doesn’t mean Ted isn’t the fourth — and there is still plenty of suspicion surrounding his actions.

He claims he destroyed his laptop because he didn’t want detectives finding adult movies on his hard drive.

This seems an excessive means to avoid ­embarrassment.

Det Chief Supt Carmichael noticed that Ted, when communicating with the gangsters, made the same “definitely” mis-spelling that “H” made when he was talking to the mob.

He claimed this was a deliberate attempt to copy the way “H” wrote.

Then there was Ted’s surprising shooting of a bent copper at the end of series four.

It was suggested he killed him because he was keen to ensure he wasn’t arrested and didn’t reveal Ted’s true identity as a traitor.

Plus, we never got to the bottom of his recent visit to jailed gangster Lee Banks. It must be significant, or we’d know the truth already

3. Who is the fourth bent copper?

If we assume the corrupt figure is not Ted — or Kate Fleming or Steve Arnott — we have to wade through other potential traitors.

DS Sam Railston, played by Aiysha Hart, is one of the front-runners. DS Arnott’s on/off lover is in the perfect position to access information from within AC-12 and pass it on to the OCG.

And Police and Crime Commissioner Rohan Sindwhani, played by Ace Bhatti, worked hand-in-hand with Gill. Surely he had some idea she was up to something?

4. What was the relevance of the brothel?

Though he is famous for his “Jed Herrings”, writer Jed Mercurio rarely puts something in a storyline without a reason.

The inclusion of a gangster-run brothel using trafficking victims as sex workers does suggest it must have some wider relevance.

Could the mystery man seen going into the building be Ted Hastings?

And there surely has to be some importance to the “frozen DNA” which the girls working in the brothel kept safely stored.

5. What fate lies in store for DS Fleming and DI Arnott?

Kate and Steve, played by Vicky McClure and Martin Comspton, proved Gill was the third Central Police informant helping the gangsters — alongside Matthew “Dot” Cottan and Assistant Chief Constable Derek Hilton, who were unmasked in previous series.

Fleming has just been reunited with her estranged husband and their young son but her home life seems to be crumbling as her job keeps her working late most nights.

Meanwhile, Arnott is still struggling with the pain of injuries from when he was attacked by Balaclava Man in series four.

The incident led to him aborting a bid to bed DS Railston.

It seemed he could not perform between the sheets — either as a result of stress or pain.

Both officers could be heading for hot water. As Ted Hastings’ experiences have proved, personal problems can leave cops in Line Of Duty open to claims of exploitation and an inability to properly see the job through.

6. Will we see DCS Patricia ­Carmichael again?

The top cop’s grilling of her nemesis Ted Hastings made for brilliant telly — so fans will hope that Carmichael, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, will return for series six.

Since Ted hasn’t entirely cleared his name, she might finish the job she seemed determined to do — prove he was bent.

She’s already been upstaged by Fleming and Arnott, and perhaps outwitted by Ted, so she will be keen to restore her reputation.

But DCS Carmichael could still be revealed as another bad apple herself.

After all, it turned out she was already working with the bent copper who last night tried to kill Gill Biggeloe.

7. What will now happen with Ryan?

We saw gangster Ryan Pilkington attending a police interview, then marching with fellow trainees in full uniform. But his new job won’t be the result of seeing the error of his ways, will it?

Like Matthew Cottan — aka The Caddy — the gangsters have probably placed him inside the force to act as their mole.

So will Pilkington, played by Gregory Piper, be a sleeper who will only reappear in a potential series seven, or will his storyline be quickly resurrected in series six?

8. Is this the last we’ll see of Lisa McQueen?

Despite her character building up throughout series five, she remains an enigma.

Lisa, played by Rochenda Sandall, seemed neither like a fully committed gangster nor like an undercover officer.

Many who comment in Line Of Duty fan forums believe she could be the vengeful love child of a wronged cop.

The fact that she was such an important figure whose story never reached a climax suggests writer Jed might bring her back.

9. Who gave the order to execute Gill Biggeloe and why?

Biggeloe was rumbled in the interrogation room and sent out an “Urgent Exit Required” SOS to her mob mates via her burner phone.

But the criminal cavalry never arrived. Instead of getting her out, another bent cop tried to ensure her silence by knifing her in the toilets shortly before she was arrested.

So who told bent copper Tina Tranter, played by Natalie Gavin, to kill Biggeloe to ensure she did not reveal any ­sensitive info?

And it’s not clear why they wanted Gill executed rather than rescued.

Did she know too much, or was she not valuable enough to the criminals?

And was it the fourth “H” who decided she had to die?

If so, they won’t be happy to ­discover she’s alive and well and enjoying her freedom . . . for now, at least.

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