Line Of Duty stars say some fan theories are “pretty close” ahead of series finale

Line Of Duty’s Vicky McClure and Martin Compston say some fans are close to uncovering the truth ahead of the series finale.

Line Of Duty’s latest series wraps up this Sunday night on BBC One with viewers set to get some “big answers”.

Ahead of the episode airing, Vicky McClure and Martin Compston appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV on Saturday night.

The pair start by discussing the huge fan support for the show with Vicky saying: “It’s surreal, it’s just gone insane; the art, the creativity, the videos. We’re just blessed [by the fans].”

Martin adds: “Every year you worry, are we still relevant? Are people still going to be invested? Now we’re bigger than ever, getting new fans… it’s an intense period when it’s on. Yeah man, the reactions have just been great. All these wild theories… some are pretty close!”

On fan theories, Vicky continues: “We kind of wind people up a little bit, we know what’s coming.”

She adds: “It’s more your family and close friends who are like, ‘So are you going to tell me?’ Even my mum – I was in their garden, dad went inside – my mum was like, ‘Come on.’ I said, ‘No, no!’ I don’t want to ruin it for them. I’d tell her, she wouldn’t tell anyone, but it’s ruining it for her then.”

Jonathan puts some fan theories to them to see their reaction.

On Patricia Carmichael, played by Anna Maxwell, tapping her pen four times (morse code for H) Vicky says: “Hmm that’s very interesting, yeah. Very, very interesting…”.

It’s also put to them that the character Jimmy Lakewell gave a hint by saying ‘look beyond the race claim to find H’. It’s thought to be a clue because if you take the letters ‘race claim’ out of Carmichael, you are left with one letter, H.

However, Martin laughs: “Do you know what I love about that one? It’s so spot on, but that line never got said… blew my mind. Jed [Mercurio] said, ‘No, that line never happened.’”

Put to them that Ted is a ghost only Kate and Steve can see, Martin scoffs: “I think opposed to sixth sense, that one’s no sense.” And of whether Ted could be Steve’s father he laughs: “It’s not Star Wars!”

Meanwhile the pair are asked if there’ll be more series with Vicky responding: “Genuinely don’t [know]. We don’t know anything, not just saying it for effect.”

Martin adds: “That’s nothing different for us. Jed always takes months after… there’s stuff above our pay grade, analytics, figures and all that kind of thing that comes in. He always takes time off. But I think it is important to say, I think this natural story arc that we’ve been on for the last six years…

“We won’t come back just for the sake of it. That’s for sure. We’ll come back if there’s a story to tell. But, so as well, if it ends well maybe sometimes it is best to leave it. But, so, genuinely we don’t know.”

The Jonathan Ross Show, Saturday 1 May, 9:35PM on ITV and ITV Hub.

Picture: DI Kate Fleming (VICKY MCCLURE), DI Steve Arnott (MARTIN COMPSTON) – (C) World Production – Photographer: Steffan Hill