Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio reveals "cryptic plot clue" from season 6 set

Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has got fans scratching their heads in puzzlement by posting a "cryptic plot clue" on Twitter.

The show's writer shared a photo of featuring the back of a cast member wearing a white protective coverall and facing what looks like an abandoned building with the name 'Arnotts' painted across it.

Arnott is the surname of Martin Compston's Line of Duty character Detective Superintendent Steve, so we're currently guessing this clue could be related to him. Some viewers joked the derelict warehouse could in fact be a"waistcoat factory", poking fun at Steve Arnott's trademark uniform of a suit and waistcoat. Or perhaps it's somehow linking Arnott to the corrupt quartet of high-ranking police staff working with the OCG - AKA the Organised Crime Unit - which was revealed in the cliffhanger of series five.

https://twitter.com/jed_mercurio/status/1320037201229602818

It was recently revealed filming of the acclaimed BBC One police procedural drama was back on again after facing disruption due to the pandemic, with the AC-12 trio Compston's Steve Arnott, Adrian Dunbar's Superintendent Ted Hastings and Vicky McClure's DI Kate Fleming hitting the streets of Belfast for season six. The series follows the anti-corruption unit as they attempt to uncover bent coppers – although there's often a rat within their department.

Kelly Macdonald has joined the cast as DCI Joanne Davidson, who has been described as "the most enigmatic adversary AC-12 have ever faced".

Fans are hoping the series will be returning to our screens next year, with the BBC’s official position being that season six "is now due to air on BBC One next year".

Meanwhile, Compston recently teased a “bombshell” of a Line of Duty season six plot twist in episode four, which the Scottish actor said "was worth the wait".

https://twitter.com/martin_compston/status/1299287964502155264

Posting a photo of the episode's shooting script he wrote on Twitter, "It’s been a long few months to linger on that ep4 bombshell, I can tell you it was worth the wait."

Compston had also revealed the episode four bombshell during a RadioTimes.com exclusive live Q&A, explaining, “For this year, I think we’ve filmed [episodes] one and two, and as a cast, we’ve got [the scripts for] three and four, and Jed is writing five and six and we haven’t seen them, and there’s a bombshell at the end of four and I’m desperate to find out what happens.”

Line of Duty series five was a huge ratings hit for BBC One, with more than 13 million viewers tuning in.

Line of Duty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.