Line of Duty season 6: Chloe Bishop praised as ‘real hero of AC-12’ by episode 7 viewers

‘She solved the whole thing,’ one viewer wrote

Line of Duty fans may be largely underwhelmed by the finale, but they are heaping praise upon one particular character.

After years of teasing the identity of the enigmatic final corrupt copper calling the shots in a clandestine syndicate known as “H”, the series six finale finally revealed who it was.

Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) have spent each series tirelessly attempting to sniff out corruption.

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

However, while they all put in solid work, it’s being noted that all the clues leading to the discovery of Ian Buckells (Nigel Boyle) as “The Fourth Man” were unearthed by DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin).

Bishop was introduced in series six as Fleming’s replacement at AC-12.

She swiftly proved she was just as capable, and stood her own against Buckells and DS Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) back when she was under the control of the Organised Crime Group.

While Hastings, Arnott and Fleming were leading the charge in uncovering the person responsible for the murder of reporter Gail Vella (Andie Osho), Bishop was back at AC-12’s headquarters, discovering key information.

The first clue leading to the identification of Buckells was Vella’s reporting on the case of the 2003 murder of Lawrence Christopher before she was killed.

Bishop explained that, in association with the killing, police had received a number of tip-offs naming a small number of white youths with a history of racially aggravated violence.

Shalom Brune-Franklin’s Chloe Bishop ‘solved the whole thing’ (BBC)

However, due to Detective Chief Inspector Marcus Thurwell (James Nesbitt), these youths were not interviewed for at least a week with forensic evidence from their homes never secured.

This left the case against the suspects to be “flimsy” and, when an identification parade eventually did occur, the suspects had shaved their heads, leaving it difficult for witnesses to notice them. They were released without charge and granted anonymity.

Working with Thurwell at this time was... Buckells.

Jump forward to the finale, and it’s Bishop who runs the search that discovers Buckells’s spelling of “definitely” dates back to the Lawrence Christopher case, which reveals him to be “H”.

Viewers picked up on this, with many left frustrated that she didn’t get the plaudits she clearly deserves.

One fan posted a still of Bishop, with the caption: “Just to update you I have once again, single handedly, found out everything.”

Another viewer added: “Okay everyone is disappointed but can we talk about my gal Chloe single-handedly carrying AC-12 on her back.”

One tweet quipped: “Someone pass Chloe a paracetamol. Her back must hurt after carrying AC-12 for this series where she solved the whole thing.”

Fans are heavily criticising the final episode for its “boring” reveal of “H” although some are pointing out that clues linking to Buckells were present as early as series one.

Find all the talking points from the finale here as well as all of the show’s unanswered questions here.

All six series of Line of Duty are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.