Why Tommy Hunter could be Jo Davidson's relative in Line of Duty - all the clues
Could the former OCG boss be Jo Davidson's secret relative?
After the bombshell ending to the most recent episode of Line of Duty, fans have been desperately trying to work out who Joanne Davidson's mystery relative might be – and one of the most common names to come up is Tommy Hunter (Brian McArdie).
Hunter, who shares Davidson's Glasgow background, was one of the original villains on the series and was last seen in the first episode of season two – although he's been mentioned by name on several occasions since.
But who exactly was he? And could he really be a blood relation to Jo Davidson? Read on for everything you need to know.
Who was Tommy Hunter?
Hunter was introduced as a major crime boss during the very first series of Line of Duty – first 'appearing' via a phone call with Tony Gates (Lennie James), during which he blackmailed him over Jackie Laverty's dead body.
Throughout the latter half of the series, he went on to have an increasingly prominent role, continuing to blackmail Gates as well as torturing Steve Arnott in an attempt to discover what AC-12 knew about his activities.
Then, in the dramatic series one finale, he was taken captive by Gates – who questioned him and tried to get Hunter to implicate himself in criminal activities.
Although Gates was initially unsuccessful in this endeavour, Hunter eventually admitted to ordering the killing of low-level drug dealer Wesley Duke – with the confession being heard by Kate and Steve via radio.
Hunter was then arrested and interviewed by DI Matthew 'Dot' Cottan, but it soon emerged that the pair had actually been working together for years – Dot had previously worked for him as a golf caddy at the Edge Park Golf Club and had subsequently become Hunter's inside man in the Central Police Force.
Dot advised Hunter to enter witness protection and he agreed, with the series epilogue revealing that he was now working with the Police as an informant.
The first episode of series two saw Hunter being escorted from his safe house due to a supposed threat on his life, when his convoy was ambushed, resulting in several police casualties and severe injuries to Hunter.
While he was recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of South Central Hospital, he was killed by DC Jeremy Cole – who had disguised himself as a nurse to enter the room, also killing AC-12 officer Georgia Trotman in the process.
Since then, Hunter's name has been mentioned on a number of occasions: later in series two, it was revealed that he had still been carrying out criminal activities while in witness protection, and that his murder had been orchestrated by Dot, who did not want to be exposed as the mole.
In series three, it was revealed that Hunter had played a part in the sexual abuse that took place at Sands View, while he was briefly mentioned by name by Lisa McQueen in series five.
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Is Tommy Hunter related to Jo Davidson?
Well, it's certainly possible!
Given both Hunter and Davidson's respective ages, and the fact they are both Glaswegian, it would make sense for Tommy to be Jo's dad – especially given the secrecy she's been shown to keep around her family.
Remember back in the series opener, Jo told Farida she “didn’t have a family” – if Tommy was her father, then it would certainly make sense that she'd want to hide it.
It would also explain how Davidson might first have become involved in the OCG or embedded within Central Police – perhaps it was always in her blood...
Line of Duty continues on Sundays at 9pm on BBC One. If you’re up to date with the latest season, why not read our Line of Duty episode 4 recap. Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage, or check out our TV guide to see what’s on TV this week.
