Line Of Duty has released a first look spoiler picture showing the moment DI Steve Arnott and Ted Hastings arrive at the shooting scene after Sunday s cliffhanger.
The most recent episode, which drew in an astonishing 10million viewers, saw DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) locked in a tense showdown with PC Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper), with two gunshots heard as the screen faded to black.
In the new spoiler pictures, it sees DI Arnott (Martin Compston) and AC-12 boss Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) arrive at the crime scene with DC Chloe Bishop (Shalom Brune-Franklin) and DCS Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin).
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The insider said: The pinnacle for Strictly bookers is someone well known but also someone who is on the BBC, and Gregory ticks both of those boxes. He s still relatively new to the industry, despite being part of the series for a decade, so it might be that he sees a jump into reality telly a bit soon. But producers are certainly keen and his name has been bandied around a lot as a dream signing.
Plans: Sources claim that after his terrifying turn as the killer PC Ryan Pilkington (pictured), producers are viewing him as a dream signing for the 2021 lineup
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He originally played a young Ryan Pilkington who had been brought up as part of the OCG, and has since returned for the show s sixth series as a bent copper hell-bent on hiding the group s involvement in Gail Vella s murder.
Fans went wild for the image after a Line of Duty fan account posted the snap alongside the end of Sunday s tense cliffhanger, which saw Fleming and Pilkington threatening to shoot in a gripping showdown.
Dramatic: The image is a stark contrast to Sunday s cliffhanger which saw Pilkington and DI Kate Fleming in the midst of a tense shootout
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The Cold Feet star told the Radio Times: Even though Line Of Duty had been shot here for years I was never considered for it, which has always slightly galled me.
However, James explained after Sunday s show that it was all a ploy cooked up by himself and Jed to keep fans off the trail of his role on the hit police show.
Shock: The Cold Feet star, 56, made a surprise appearance in the police show on Sunday night as character Marcus Thurwell, who was first mentioned in series three
So clever: Line of Duty s creator Jed (pictured) asked James to star in the show while he was filming Bloodlands in Belfast, creating the perfect cover story for anyone asking questions
SPOILER ALERT
After viewers learnt that Joanne Davidson was related to Tommy Hunter, the fifth episode ended with Kate Fleming in a showdown with Ryan Pilkington
Soon after the show aired, Twitter was flooded with wild reaction from fans, who demanded bosses show the next episode now
Fans were left reeling after fan favourite Ted Hastings tipped as being the elusive H again, leaving Ryan left in the standoff with DI Kate