Line Of Duty’s Adrian Dunbar says it’s a big ‘relief’ to NOT be H

Adrian Dunbar has admitted it was a big ‘relief’ to discover his character wasn’t H at the end of series five.

The Line Of Duty star, 62, who plays Superintendent Ted Hastings, added that it would have been ‘difficult to accept’ his character was a ‘baddie’ or ‘arch villain’.

Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Adrian said also admitted that he’s recognised by real police officers and gushed that its a ‘privilege’ to be in a long-running show.

Reflecting on finding out he wasn’t H when he got handed the series 5 script, Adrian said: ‘It was absolutely a relief for me, as I spent all this time playing this character as I saw him with a sense of duty and a moral core.

‘And to have found out I was somehow an arch villain… I would have been in real difficulty accepting that.

‘Also Jed was aware that our audience and audiences in general, like to think that those people who are in charge do have a sense of moral fortitude and that there are people out there who will do the right thing…

‘So all that was riding on the idea that Ted could be a baddie, so I am glad he came out of it with flying colours.’

At the end of the last season of the show, it had been suspected that AC-12 head Ted could be H – the fourth man at large during an ongoing hunt for the ‘bent copper’. 

However beloved Ted managed to clear his name and was given a final written warning for misconduct, meaning the mystery and hunt for H continues.

Elsewhere on his podcast appearance Adrian revealed that real police officers do recognise him and sometimes give a wave or thumbs up.

He said: ‘The police recognise me and might give me a thumbs up and it’s quite good fun that.

‘I think they do appreciate that Line of Duty does try and show that there is a lot of slog in police work. 

‘There’s lots of sitting in front of computers for hours on end trying to find one clue… and we a bit of that and show it takes a long time to get to the answers sometimes.’ 

Adrian also reflected on his career, and time working in an abattoir as a young man, saying that he feels lucky to have landed Line Of Duty. 

He said: ‘Now I realise what a privilege it is to be in a long-running TV series. The downside is you get attached to your character and the other characters and you don’t want it to stop, and with Jed you don’t know if you are going to be killed or end up being a baddie.

‘But the success coming now at this stage has been good for me, as I feel I am ready for it, and to deal with it. Line Of Duty is so big, so you have to know how to deal with the attention.

‘I know myself better now. I was working in an abattoir when I started so my expectations were quite low. So everything seemed a bit of a fluke, so you don’t seem to take them that seriously.’ 

Dozens of fan theories about H have sprung up since the show started, with many of the actors refusing to comment on who it might be.    

Vicky McClure recently admitted she hasn’t revealed H’s identity to her closest friends as she believes ‘people want to enjoy the escapism’ surrounding the villain. 

On remaining tight-lipped about the character, the thespian told Stylist: ‘I’ve never been offered anything to reveal H’s identity. And they’d be idiotic to try. 

‘Even my friends and family don’t want to know [spoilers]. I was watching the first episode [of series six] the other day on my laptop [before it came out on the BBC]. And Jonny [her fiancé] came in. He just went, ”I don’t want to know.”

During the last season of the show, it had been suspected that Hastings could be the ‘H’ – the fourth man at large during an ongoing hunt for the ‘bent copper’.

However, a new wild theory involves John Corbett’s widow Steph, after fans noticed an intricate ‘clue’ hidden in her kitchen tiles during Sunday’s episode of the show.

During the latest instalment of the hit police drama, many viewers took to Twitter to share their thoughts after noticing the very telling detail. 

Fans were convinced that the ‘H’ pattern in Steph’s tiles was a link to the man or woman AC-12 have been hunting for the past six series.

One person on social media wrote: ‘Steph’s kitchen tiles say ‘H’ on them… just saying… #LineOfDuty.’

Another person said: ‘Her kitchen tiles are in the shape of a ‘H’. What could this mean? #LineOfDuty #LineOfDuty6 #LOD.’

A third exclaimed: ‘There’s a H in the tiles!! #LineOfDuty.’

Another joked that there was no way the tiles were relevant, and said: ‘Stop it! We’ve gone too far. The final ‘H’ is not going to be identified by a kitchen tile ffs.