To say Sunday’s episode of Line Of Duty is going to be a big one would almost certainly be an understatement. 

With an average of 11 million viewers tuning in to watch the show’s penultimate episode last week (a figure which makes it the show’s most-watched instalment to date), it’s safe to say this week’s finale has a lot riding on it.

Whether or not you’ve watched the show since it first aired in 2012 or binge-watched seasons one to five in lockdown, chances are you’re feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension ahead of this week’s episode, especially after the BBC released that exciting final trailer.

Sure, it’s not like a Line Of Duty finale to disappoint. But with so many unanswered questions still outstanding, it remains to be seen whether the show will deliver a satisfying conclusion. 

However, thanks to Martin Compston, who plays DI Steve Arnott in the series, we do have some idea of what to expect from this week’s episode – and according to him, fans have nothing to worry about when it comes to getting the answers they deserve.

Speaking on the Shrine Of Duty podcast, the “officially unofficial” Line Of Duty podcast which unpicks the latest fan theories and responses after each episode, Compston confirmed that the finale would deliver some “big answers” – although he didn’t say whether or not that meant H’s true identity would finally be revealed.  

“There are a lot of payoffs coming this Sunday,” he explained. “There are a lot of big answers coming, and I think it’s deserved. You know, people have stuck with us for such a long time. I think there comes a point where the natural story arc that’s been running all these years is coming to an end.”

With talk of a satisfying conclusion on the table, Compston also spoke about the possibility of the show returning for another season. 

In short, nothing’s been confirmed yet – but while Compston said this was “nothing different” compared to how the other seasons have worked, he did say there were “different elements” at play this time around which put the possibility of Line Of Duty season seven into question. 

“Jed [Mercurio] always takes time after a series, like a couple of months” he explained. “There’s a lot of stuff that’s way beyond my pay grade like the data, the figures, analytics, audience scores and all that. He likes to take the emotion out of it and sit down and looks at all that.”

“There are different elements this year. Usually, we’re just looking at – do people want us back, because you don’t want to overdo it. But there’s also – when you get ten years in, you start to think of legacy, and if it goes down that well in some ways it might be the perfect ending.” 

Compston continued: “We won’t do [another series] just for the sake of doing it. That won’t happen. Jed will only do it if he feels there’s a story there to be told.”

With the possibility of Line Of Duty season seven in the balance, we can’t wait to see what happens in the final episode, and whether or not the true identity of H will be revealed.

Waving goodbye to such a brilliant show will always be hard – but no matter what happens on Sunday, it’s been a bloody good ride.  

You can catch up on the drama from Line Of Duty season six by checking out Stylist’s recap of the series so far. 

The seventh and final episode of Line Of Duty season six will air at 9pm Sunday 2 May on BBC One.

Images: BBC