LINE of Duty fans were in disbelief as they unearthed a game-changing clip of Ian Buckells with OCG way back in season 1.
Buckells was unveiled as the fourth man “H” in the Season 6 of the BBC’s crooked cop show watched by a record 12.8 million people.
Eagle-eyed Line of Duty fans spotted Buckells, played by Nigel Boyle, playing golf with with Tommy Hunter in the very first season of the show.
Hunter was the infamous head of the OCG who was well-connected to bent police staff that enabled them to get away with murder.
Major fan Angela Cookson spotted it first and tweeted: “Hiding in plain sight since Series 1 Episode 5. Buckells going to play golf with Hunter!”
She added: “And it really is him – if you check in at the 42 minute mark, you can see him get out of his car.”
Meanwhile Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio said he left a clue about “The Fourth Man” all the way back in series one.
The nation finally learnt the identity of H as they tuned in to the Line of Duty final episode last Sunday.
But creator Jed Mercurio said he planted a very subtle clue early on, all the way back in series one.
The multitude of conspiracy theories was half the fun in the BBC hit crime drama.
Speaking on the Obsessed with… Line of Duty podcast, it was revealed there was a clue that no one remembered.
The clue was that Buckells let the caddy talk to Tummy Hunter in the back of a van alone – showing he was dodgy.
Did you spot it?
Still, eagle-eyed viewers who’d previously spotted the set of golf clubs in Buckells’ office and made the “caddy” connection.
Jed also rubbished speculation that AC-12 member Chloe Bishop could be the daughter of bent copper Tony Gates from series one.
“If I hear the theory once more that Chloe is Lennie James’ Tony Gates’ daughter, I’m going to have a hissy fit,” Parkinson said. “I’ve thrown enough Reg 15’s out on Twitter to last me a lifetime.
“Can we just put that to bed?”
