Line of Duty fans think behind-the-scenes pics reveal Steve Arnott twist spoiler

But there could well be more to it than that, as fans are speculating a major change in store for Arnott (Martin Compston), based on evidence in Mercurio's latest tease.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed that in the new images, taken between scenes on a residential street, Arnott isn't sporting the usual three chevrons on his shoulders, indicating his rank as a Sergeant.

As a result, some fans are now suspicious the character may have been demoted to a police constable, one rank below his previous role on the force.

One fan questioned Mercurio: "Stevie boy demoted to PC?"

A fellow eagle eyed viewer also noted the uniform change, querying: "Steve Arnott with no sergeant epaulettes?"

Another fan added: "Steve been demoted? Where's his stripes?"

But there is another possible explanation; it might be that the AC-12 favourite is going undercover himself this series, taking on a new identity and rank for the purpose of a high stakes mission.

Line of Duty series six went into production at the beginning of the year, but ground to a halt in March as cases of coronavirus spiked in the UK and Ireland.

The hiatus continued across the summer, with only a small portion of the upcoming series successfully filmed, leaving fans concerned about a potentially massive delay.

Fortunately, the popular drama was able to resume work in September and work has seemingly gone smoothly thus far, being carried out in accordance with the latest television production guidelines.

It is hoped that the series will wrap filming before the end of the year, which would likely allow it to return to television screens sometime in 2021.

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