Line of Duty clues, red herrings and fan theories about mysterious H’s identity

Line of Duty fans are desperate to work out the identity of H, the corrupt police officer that AC-12 have been trying to pin down for six seasons now.

In the last series, we got the bombshell that H could actually be four people, rather than one shady individual bent copper.

Those who have already been identified are Dot Cottan, Derek Hilton and Senior Legal Counsel Gill Biggeloe, leaving us with one final name to discover.

And those clever Line of Duty writers have been dropping endless clues and red herrings to keep us guessing, so here are all the suspects and theories that could lead us to working out who H really is ahead of the season six finale…

Superintendent Ted Hastings

The man at the helm of AC-12, the king of catchphrases who cares about one thing and one thing only – bent coppers.

But over the last few seasons, many have begun to suspect that the beloved gaffer could actually be H himself.

In series five, he was accused of corruption by John Corbett.

There were a number of clues that seemed to link him to H, most notably that they both misspell the word “definitely”.

Ted is also a member of a Masonic organisation and was seen giving a Masonic handshake, leading many to theorise that there is a network of bent coppers in this organisation.

While Ted was cleared of corruption, that hasn’t stopped fans from believing that he is H after all.

This series DI Steve Arnott has managed to trace the money he found in John’s wife Steph Corbett’s house back to Hastings.

He also stopped the arrest of PC Ryan Pilkington, despite AC-12 catching him in the act of tipping off the OCG (organised crime group) about a police raid.

DI Kate Fleming

The last episode of Line of Duty ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Kate and Ryan both aiming guns at each other, but the screen went black as the guns were fired, leaving us desperate to know who survived.

While Kate has been one of the main heroes of the series, some are starting to suspect that all isn’t as it seems.

Kate is no longer officially part of AC-12 and she even attempted to thwart the unit’s investigation into her new boss Jo Davidson.

The two women have grown close this series, which some have suggested is a hint at their shared membership of the network of corrupt officers.

Some fans think the writers have been hinting at this all along with the references to Kate working late nights that ended her marriage— was she out doing criminal dealings all that time?

There is also the suggestion that as Line of Duty writers love a good twist, Kate could be a suspect as she’s the least likely of all the characters.

Acting Detective Superintendent Joanne Davidson

Jo is the latest target of AC-12’s investigations, but it’s not clear whether she is just another corrupt officer, or someone who could be as powerful as H.

We’ve seen her use a burner phone and speaking to H on the instant messenger service all of the bent coppers use to contact him or her.

Last week it was revealed that Jo is related to Tommy Hunter, who is more than likely her father.

Tommy was the leader of an organised crime gang, involved in a number of dark criminal activities including sex trafficking.

He also controlled Dot Cottan who became known as his “caddy”.

Tommy was murdered while being transferred from witness protection and it’s not yet known how Jo being related to him could make her H, but it’s clear she comes from pretty dodgy stock.

Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael

Patricia Carmichael is the ruthless senior policewoman who investigated Ted in series five.

She seems determined to shut AC-12 and seemed to revel in the news that the unit is being cut down this season.

And what would make a corrupt officer happier than an anti-corruption unit closing?

Corrupt lawyer Jimmy Lakewell, who was murdered in prison, gave Steve more information about Gail Vella’s murder, which Jo’s unit has been investigating.

He told him to “look deeper into the race claim” and if you add “H” and “race claim” together and mix up the letters you can get “Carmichael”.

Intriguing? Definitely. But a coincidence? Maybe.

As H is likely to be a very senior member of the police, her high ranking position makes her a strong candidate.

PCC Rohan Sindwhani

Rohan’s high profile means he fits the bill and has huge influence over the police force.

At the end of series five, he lied to the press that there were no institutional links between officers and organised crime.

He was also the man who appointed Gill, who has been identified as one of the four Hs.

Gail Vella was a journalist investigating the police’s links to organised crime.

After she was murdered, an unbroadcast interview with Rohan emerged in which she asked why police officers who were linked to child sex abuse weren’t brought to justice, and why was an enquiry into this suppressed.

It seems before her death, Gail was about to expose a criminal ring of corruption that linked the police to politicians and the media.

So why was a journalist holding Rohan to account killed a short while after?

Is the man at the very top H after all?

DCC Andrea Wise

Another at the very top, Andrea certainly has the seniority that puts her under suspicion of being H.

In episode four she told Ted he would forced to “retire” to avoid disciplinary action.

Is she trying to frame Ted?

The same episode revealed plans to cut AC-12 staff by 90 per cent, just as they’re getting very close to unmasking H.

How convenient…

DCI Marcus Thurwell

DCI Marcus Thurwell has only appeared in season six in photos and is played by none other than James Nesbitt, in the most anticlimactic cameo ever.

Thurwell is a former Detective Chief Inspector in Central Police, who had links to the Organised Crime Group, but viewers were informed he is now retired and believed to be living in Spain – according to intelligence from the Guardia Civil.

He retired from Central Police in 2005 but during the AC-12 investigation into Sands View in 2015 he was briefly pursued as a suspect and sought for questioning.

However, when the more senior former officer Patrick Fairbank was convicted and imprisoned, the inquiry into Thurwell was stopped.

DCI Joanne Davidson appeared shaken when she was shown photos of Thurwell during her interrogation in episode five, so could he be the elusive ‘H’ and she’s actually terrified of him?

DC Chloe Bishop

Chloe has replaced Kate at the head of AC-12 alongside Ted and Steve.

Some think she is the daughter of Tony Gates, the first corrupt officer AC-12 investigated back in series one that died in the line of duty.

She has the same first name as one of his daughters and would be the right age.

Has she infiltrated the police to avenge her dad’s death?

Or is this another red herring?

Stephanie Corbett

Steph is the widow of murdered cop John Corbett.

She has been meeting with Steve and the duo have formed a flirtatious bond.

When he visited her home in a previous episode, fans went into a frenzy when an H was spotted on one of the kitchen tiles.

She took a huge wad of cash from Ted at the end of the last season, and as we know, many believe he isn’t innocent himself.

Steph also tipped Ted off about Steve’s struggle with prescription painkillers, despite their closeness.

As she’s not a police officer, it’s unlikely that she is H, but she may be a missing piece of the puzzle.

H is a place

A fan theory that is gaining in popularity is that the final H is not a person, but a place.

Some have suggested that the fourth H is The Hill, AKA Hillside Police Force.

It’s theorised that in his dying confession Dot was actually revealing that the whole station is corrupt, rather than singling out one person.

The idea is that the OCG has complete power over this one station and bringing up different generations of corrupt officers through the ranks.

If this theory is true, it brings the extent of corruption to a whole new level.

Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/who-line-dutys-h-clues-23939721