LINE of Duty’s DCS Patricia Carmichael maybe a “top b***h” according to the actress who plays her but is she the mysterious H?
Anna Maxwell Martin’s character first appeared in the BBC One show in the fifth series but many fans think she could be elusive and corrupt cop.
Is Line of Duty’s Patricia Carmichael H?
Many avid fans have put Carmichael, who is head of Anti-Corruption Unit 4, at the top of the suspect list after last week’s fifth episode.
We examine the clues that point the finger of suspicion at the character viewers love to hate.
Morse Code
In last week’s episode an apparently huge clue was dropped when Carmichael tapped out the letter ‘H’ in Morse Code.
Morse Code is an alphabet that spells out words or messages – for example the distress signal ‘SOS’ – using a series of short and long sounds.
By tapping out four short sharp raps on a table with her pen, as Carmichael did during an interview with DCI Joanne Davidson, it spelt out the letter ‘H‘.
The tactic of using Morse Code has already been used in Line of Duty – Dot Cottan also spelt out ‘H’ using the system as he died.
Many viewers are now convinced it’s her.
One fan wrote: “Don’t mean to alarm anyone but 
at Carmichael’s pen? Tapped four times and H in Morse code is • • • •.”
Another tweeted: “PATTY C JUST TAPPED 4 TIMES MORSE CODE FOR H??”
What has Anna said?
Anna Maxwell Martin, 43, has denied her character was trying to send a secret message.
This Morning presenter Phillip Schofield played her the all-important clip during an interview on the show.
Anna initially laughed after Schofield stated: “That spells out ‘H’ in Morse Code”.
She added: “I think I was just bored because those scenes are very long. I think I was just like, ‘What am I saying next?'”
Not convinced, Schofield sarcastically said: “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
The show’s co-host Holly Willoughby probably spoke for many fans when she said: “You are such a brilliant actress that you really could just be pulling the wool over our eyes completely here and I think that might be what’s happening.”
Anna’s Instagram clue
One clue throughout the show has been the inability of ‘H’ to spell the word definitely, correctly, instead writing ‘definately’.
On Instagram, the actress posted a picture of her dog with the caption “Definately mama to this bank drain”.
Fans quickly took this to be a cryptic clue.
Everyone loves to hate Carmichael
Even Anna has described her character as a “horror show”.
Speaking during her interview on This Morning she said: “There were a couple of bits [in the script] where she was nasty and I just went for it. And then she morphed into a horror show.”
Anna added: “I’m worried about myself, people really hate me because they really love Ted.
“She’s definitely his nemesis and that’s really good fun. We have good fun filming the scenes.”
Fans though do despise the character.
One wrote on Twitter: “Really the way we all hate Patricia Carmichael so much really is a testament to how insanely talented Anna Maxwell Martin is.”
Another said: “We all hate Patricia Carmichael, but hats off to Anna Maxwell Martin for an absolutely brilliant portrayal.”
The Line of Duty season six finale is available to watch on BBC One, Sunday May 2nd at 9pm.
