Line of Duty: Ria Hebden on Ted Hastings ‘replacement’

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Line of Duty fans are gearing up for another episode of season six as the show returns on Sunday night on BBC One. The plot continues to thicken surrounding the murder of investigative journalist, Gail Vella (played by Andi Osho) and police misconduct. A character from the show’s debut season, Philip Osborne (Owen Teale) has been spotted in some archive footage.

Who is Philip Osborne in Line of Duty?

Chief Constable Philip Osborne featured in the first-ever season of Line of Duty, and fans were shocked to see his face pop up again this season.

In the second episode of season six, he was seen in some vital archive footage which is being investigated by AC-12.

In another video, he was seen being interviewed by the journalist Gail Vella, which suggests he could know more about her death.

He appeared in the very first episode of the series and he was the leader of the Counter-Terrorism Unit of Central Police.

Viewers immediately pinned him down as being suspicious as he forced Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) to lie in court.  

This was following the death of Karim Ali, but Steve was determined to stay out of the dodgy cover-up.

As a result of Steve not complying, he was forced to leave that particular department and he went on to join AC-12.

He continued to clash with Arnott throughout the series and the AC-12 member went on to testify against Osborne.

Fans had not seen Osborne again until season six when he appeared in Gail’s archive footage.

Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) informed the team that Osborne had landed a new role as Chief Constable.

The chief was seen being interviewed by Gail, who was confronting him over allegations that the force was short of 100 officers.

Osborne dismissed the claims, but the journalist said the information had come from official police records.

Feeling humiliated, Osborne stormed off and refused to answer any more of Gail’s questions.

He has a previous record of questionable behaviour, so fans are wondering whether he is a bent cop.

Little has been mentioned about his life outside of work, and what happened between the first and sixth season for him to progress in his career.

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Fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the potential role he plays in the current season.

One said: “#LineOfDuty Cheif Constable Philip Osborne is the driver in all this. He is the link to the OCG I’m sure of it. He was dodgy from series 1.”

At the end of the last episode, fans were left wondering who Jo Davidson (Kelly MacDonald) was related to following a shocking revelation.

One fan suggested it could in fact be Osborne. They said: “Is Jo Davidson’s blood relative Philip Osborne?

“We saw him in archive footage this season, so we have already had a callback to his character. Surely that’s not for naught?” [Sic]

Another viewer suggested he could be the final missing piece to the puzzle, saying: “@Line_of_duty Chief Inspector Philip Osborne is H. Mark my words.”

Fans have praised the actor for his portrayal of the shady character, and they hope to see him again.

One viewer said: “Have to say Owen Teale does a tremendous job as Philip Osborne.

“Could H have been staring us in the face ever since the very first episode? Whether he is H or not, he’s giving off strong Final Boss vibes. #LineOfDuty”

Line of Duty airs on Sundays on BBC One. 

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