Line of Duty’s Marcus Thurwell: What we know about mysterious character played by James Nesbitt

*Spoilers follow for Line of Duty series six, episode five*

From cliffhangers to hidden clues, there was much to digest in last week’s episode of Line of Duty.

The episode, which ended with DI Kate Fleming’s (Vicky McClure) life in the balance after walking into Det Supt Jo Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) and PC Ryan Pilkington’s (Gregory Piper) trap, also featured the introduction of a new character, Marcus Thurwell.

Thurwell was only glimpsed on a computer screen, as a photo pulled up by Steve Arnott (Martin Compston). However, viewers were quick to recognise the actor playing Thurwell, Bloodlands’ James Nesbitt, leading many to assume the character will have a significant role in the coming episodes.

Here’s everything we know about Nesbitt’s mysterious character...

Thurwell was first mentioned in the series back in its third season, with his name being featured on paperwork which confirmed he was the SIO (senior investigating officer) in command of the Oliver Stephens-Lloyd case.

Stephens-Lloyd was wanted in connection to the child sex trafficking scandal at Sands View Boys Home, but was said to have died by suicide.

As the new episode mentions, Thurwell was allowed to discretely retire from the force back in 2005, but came onto AC-12’s radar in 2015, during the investigation into Sands View.

After Patrick Fairbank was convicted, Thurwell fled to Spain, where authorities were able to keep an eye on him for a short while, before he disappeared completely.

The last known image of Thurwell, captured by authorities near the Spanish coast (BBC)

With only two episodes left in Line of Duty’s sixth season, some fans have hypothesised that Thurwell will play a significant role in the future, potentially in an as-yet-unconfirmed seventh series.

You can read a full recap of the biggest talking points from Line of Duty’s latest episode here, including the revelation that Davidson’s mystery blood relative is none other than Tommy Hunter.

Line of Duty continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.