Line Of Duty: Dramatic new trailer teases AC-12 investigating 'force's highest profile murder' - Money

Line Of Duty is back on March 21 and in anticipation of the sixth and final series, the BBC released a full-length trailer on Tuesday.

The action-packed teaser shows AC-12’s Superintendent Ted Hastings, Detective Inspector Kate Fleming and Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott investigating the ‘force’s highest profile murder’.

A cloud of suspicion is raised over whether police corruption has contributed to the murder of Gail Vella remaining unsolved, with the integrity of guest lead Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) questioned.

Dramatic! Line Of Duty is back on March 21 and in anticipation of the sixth and final series, the BBC released a full-length trailer on Tuesday

Davidson is assigned as the senior investigating officer on the unsolved murder case whose suspicious conduct attracts the attention of the anti-corruption team.

The trailer starts with SI Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) addressing AC-12, telling them: ‘Gail Vella’s murder is this force’s highest profile investigation.

‘It will be our job to detect whether to police corruption has contributed to this murder remaining unsolved.’

Corrupt? The integrity of guest lead Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) isquestioned

The action-packed teaser shows AC-12’s Superintendent Ted Hastings, Detective Inspector Kate Fleming and Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott investigating the ‘force’s highest profile murder’

Gail (Andi Osho) is a public figure, with the camera panning to her face on the front cover of a magazine.

DCI Davidson then tells Detective Inspector Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure): ‘Her life got cut short and whoever did it has got away with it.’

With excitement building over who is the elusive villain H, it appears writer Jed Mercurio will tie the storyline of organised crime in with this series.

Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) says in the trailer during a police briefing ‘I’m going to draw your attention to organised crime and corrupt police officers.’

The camera then swiftly pans to Central Police’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Rohan Sindwhani (Ace Bhatti) addressing the press telling them: ‘There is no corruption in this police force.’

But S.I. Hastings reveals this couldn’t be further from the truth as he shouts in another scene: ‘A bare-faced liar promoted to our highest office.’

Further aspersions are thrown over what side DCI Joanne Davidson is on, with her telling Steve: ‘you should investigate’ to which he replied: ‘Believe me, we will.’

However new addition to the AC-12 team DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin) says over the phone: ‘You have no idea what she’s capable of,’ in reference to Davidson.

As the team discover that line of enquiries have been deliberately suppressed to protect organised crime, they hone in on Davidson, who tells the team: ‘I had nothing to do with it’.

DC Chloe Bishop is also questioned but pleads: ‘I’m being framed.’

It looks like there will be plenty of drama in store with viewers, as snippets of crashes, shoot outs and Steve lying on the floor in pain are included in the teaser.

At the end of the trailer the poignant words: ‘Lies cost lies’ appear on screen, before a stern Ted Hastings concludes: ‘When did we stop caring about honesty and integrity?’

Exciting: A tiny teaser aired late last month during the Six Nations

Now we’re sucking diesel: Hastings was seen talking through a megaphone in the short teaser clip which raised many questions about series six

Looking guilty? Kate (left) looked suspicious as she faced down her two colleagues in the video, while Steve (right) seemed tense during the night scene

Bent copper? Kate seemed to be facing Ted and Steve’s guns as she stood next to another woman who had her arms up in surrender

What on earth: Kate then seemed to reach for her gun, leaving fans reeling ahead of its launch

Creator Jed has been tight-lipped on details surrounding the upcoming sixth series, but has hinted that fans will learn more about H’s identity.

Fans were floored to learn in series five that after years of waiting to discover the identity of the villainous H, it was actually an organisation.

Steve Arnott discovered the vital clue when a clip of DI Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan’s dying declaration was played during AC-12 boss Ted Hasting’s interrogation with Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell-Martin).

Mercurio left fans speculating he had revealed the identity of bent copper H when he dropped another major clue about series six in February 2020.

He whipped up a social media storm with viewers of the smash-hit BBC show when he shared a photo of Australian chocolate biscuits TimTams with the caption #LineofDuty Series 6 Plot Clue No. 1.’

Manufactured by Arnott’s – the same surname as AC-12 guru DS Steve Arnott – the cryptic snap sent viewers into a frenzy, with theories ranging from a move to Australia to Steve breaking up with his girlfriend.

They’re back! Vicky McClure, Martin Compston and Adrian Dunbar will reprise their roles, with Shalom Brune-Franklin also joining the cast as a new addition to AC-12

Gripping: Fans were floored to learn in series five that after years of waiting to discover the identity of the villainous H, it was actually an organisation

What’s going on? After creator Jed Mercurio shared a cryptic snap of the Australia biscuit TimTams fans were rife with theories about whether it was a clue to H’s identity

After filming for series six kicked off in February 2020, Jed shared a more on-the-nose snap from filming of a passed-out Ted Hastings lies slumped on a chair between stars Martin and Vicky.

Earlier this week Jed also confirmed he plans to write a seventh series of Line Of Duty, after its fifth instalment became the most-watched yet.

Speaking on the Out To Lunch podcast, he said: ‘What I do know is that season six proves there is much more ground for us still to cover and then in terms of other projects. I really want to carry on with Line of Duty as I think it still got some ground to cover.

‘I am in a fortunate position as a writer. To dream of getting to the point where people watch your work in such larger numbers and you get a little bit of name recognition as well.’

Line of Duty will return on Sunday 21 March at 9pm on BBC One.

‘This is spoiler free’: When filming for series six began, Jed shared another snap from filming of a passed-out Ted Hastings lies slumped on a chair between stars Martin and Vicky

LINE OF DUTY: WHO IS THE FOURTH ‘H’?

Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio excited fans when he shared the first clue about the plot of season six to Twitter.

Uploading a snap of a packet of the Australian chocolate biscuits TimTams with the caption ‘#LineofDuty Series 6 Plot Clue No. 1’, fans began to ferociously speculate as to what it might mean.

But one plot point hanging over the next season of the show is about the identity of the ominous ‘H’.

While the mystery was somewhat answered in the season five finale, it was also revealed that there are FOUR people pertaining to be ‘H’, with the final one still unknown.

So who could it be?

Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin)

She was one of season five’s stand-out characters, swooping in towards the end of the series to interrogate Ted Hastings – highly suspected to be ‘H’ at the time.

And while she simply seemed to be excellent at her job – and hellbent on uncovering the corruption within the department – could it be that Patricia Carmichael was SO keen to pin the blame on Ted to take the focus away from herself.

Could SHE be the fourth ‘H’?

Her position of power and respect, along with her unnaturally steely and cut-throat demeanor, could well point to this.

Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar)

Ted Hastings was pinpointed by viewers of the show, as well as the characters on the show, to be a candidate for ‘H’.

But it seemed he was exonerated by the end of season five, allowed to walk free.

But could be potentially be triple-crossing us all? Could he in fact STILL be the potential fourth ‘H’.

The biggest issue with this theory is that Gill Biggeloe – one of the three revealed to be ‘H’ – was so against him. Surely she wouldn’t be working to deter him if they were in league?

UNLESS, she doesn’t KNOW he is the fourth ‘H’?

DCC Andrea Wise (Elizabeth Rider)

Detective Chief Constable Andrea Wise was new to the show in season five and is another high-powered contender for ‘H’.

She has been constantly interfering when it has come to supporting AC-12’s investigations, removing them from the investigation into Operation Pear Tree. She also instigated the Ted Hastings investigation.

She is also keen to cover up police corruption, despite announcing at the end of season five: ‘This constabulary will work tirelessly to root out rotten apples in its ranks.’

PCC Rohan Sindwhani (Ace Bhatti)

Police and Crime Commissioner Rohan Sindwhani demanded to be ‘in on’ a meeting between Andrea Wise and Ted Hastings. This might be a small clue but any clue could be valid at this point.

Any shady behavior suggests ‘H’ is at play, and so Rohan could indeed be culpable.