Trying to untangle the web Jed Mercurio has weaved on Line Of Duty has become a national pastime -with viewers tuning in for the sixth season to see if we’ll actually find out who H is this time round. But despite a complex plot that seems to get murkier with every episode, Mercurio and the team. Have left us with plenty of Easter eggs and clues this time round to point us in the right direction. Here are some of the clues and signposts you may have missed in episode one and the season trailer.
READ MORE: All The Best Line Of Duty Season 5 Memes To See You Through Until The Next Episode
The QR Code…
When the latest trailer for this season dropped , eagle-eyed fans spotted that a magazine cover featuring the murdered journalist Gail Vella (whose death is being investigated in this series) had a QR code on it. Scanning that code on your phone took you to a letter from DCC Andrea Wise - who we spot in episode one - to Chief Constable Philip Osborne…
The letter
Said letter expresses concern over the conduct of AC-12 and how it’s being led by Ted Hastings. The letter questions whether Hastings, who has been accused of corruption himself, should be leading the unit, and notes: ‘He is oblivious to the politics of the situation which creates problems for me and problems for you.’
The letter questions what to do next, with the word next hyperlinked to…
The Prescription
A prescription for painkillers made out to one DS Steve Arnott - presumably a reference to the painkiller addiction Arnott still seems to be grappling with, following the injuries he sustained in season 4. Whether this becomes a crucial plot point in season six remains to be seen, although it seems unlikely that Mecurio would have chucked it in for no reason. At the bottom of the prescription is some morse code, which leads to…
The Video
A video clip of Gail Vella, the murdered journalist whose death is at the heart of this season so far (although let’s face it, the season could go anywhere yet). She’s reporting from the statement DCC Wise and Commissioner Rohan Sindwhani are giving at the conclusion of Operation Pear Tree. “Some will wonder why this news is being announced over a holiday weekend,” she questions. “Some might conclude the Police and Crime Commissioner would prefer his statement isn’t examined too closely.
“Perhaps Mr Sindwhani has learned that the secret to high office isn’t to reside in revealing the deepest truths, but in telling the most attractive lies...”
The Golf Clubs
Some viewers were quick to point out the conspicuous set of golf clubs spotted in the corner of the hapless Detective Superintendent Ian Bucklles’ office. A clue alluding to this links to The Caddy, aka DI ‘Dot Cottan? Or a visual red herring designed to keep us looking in the wrong direction? Only time will tell…
Steve’s morse code
The morse code on the prescription wasn’t the first time it’s featured on the series. When Dot Cottan was giving his dying declaration to Kate Fleming after being shot at the end of series three, he appeared to spell out H in morse code with his fingers - which AC-12 assumed was a reference to the one senior officer at the heart of the corruption they’re fighting. However in season 5 the code had a dual meaning - Cottan was also signalling four - as in there were four corrupt senior officers in the force.
Kingsgate printing service
Ah Kingsgate Printing Service - the home of so much wrongdoing in season 5 of Line Of Duty - functions as a front for an organised crime syndicate and is also the location of many meetings between gang members. Viewers were treated to a quick glance - and a reminder that each season of Line Of Duty takes place in a fully fleshed-out universe - when Kate arrives at what appears to be Terry Boyle’s flat while he’s being questioned over Gayle Vella’s murder, Kingsgate Printing Services is spotted just over the road - proving that Stephen Graham’s John Corbett is gone but not forgotten.
The freezer
Terry Boyle is in himself a familiar face - the character appeared in seasons one and five, where it was revealed that he was being manipulated by Tommy Robinson’s gang and later in particular by Ryan, a boy who’s part of the gang and grows up over the course of the series, graduating as a police officer himself at the end of series five. In season one, the gang used a freezer in Boyle’s flat to store Jackie Laverty’s body parts - which made the reference to refrigerator chemicals being found in his flat in season six a particularly gruesome reference.
Detective Superintendent Buckells' golf pictures
Just to make sure we really got the point, fans spotted that Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells office was full of golfing pictures in episode two. This feels like a bit of an obvious red herring to me - but then again, Buckells has been around since season one, and despite little obvious talent as a police officer, appears to be on quite the career trajectory. Is he actually the OCG's biggest asset in the police force?
Is Kate Fleming deep undercover?
Eagle-eyed fans also noticed in episode two that after asking new PC Pilkington if she'd ever met him before, Fleming looked him up on the police database. In fact this is what she was doing when Arnott walked in to the Murder Investigation Team's office to search it on behalf of AC-12. A sign that Kate was deep undercover all along, or just that she can spot a Bent Copper at 20 paces? Either way we're here for it...
Who is DC Chloe Bishop?
LOD fans have spotted a resemblance between new DC Chloe Bishop - so far an unassuming but efficient addition to AC-12 - and Tony Gates daughter Chloe from season one. Obviously she's older now, but almost nine years later, that seems to add up, and she could have easily joined the police using her mother's maiden name. It's also a nice synergy with Ryan Pilkington's re-appearance as a new (bent) PC.