Adrian Dunbar: Fans have figured out 'Line Of Duty' cliffhanger already

Line Of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has confirmed that the show's biggest fans have worked out what will happen to DI Kate Fleming following a dramatic shootout cliffhanger – and it seems she may have survived.

Episode five of series six ended with Fleming (played by Vicky McClure) and Ryan Pilkington – the organised crime group's plant in the police force — aiming guns at each other. Shots were fired, and the screen went blank.

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Dunbar, who plays AC-12 boss Superintendent Ted Hastings, has said viewers have already worked out Fleming's fate and teased that there has been a "very big clue", which fans think may point to her surviving the scene.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain, Dunbar was asked what would happen to Fleming, who had been lured to a lorry park by her boss DS Jo Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), who is being blackmailed by the OCG and had been tasked with killing her off.

He said: "We don't know yet, but I know and a lot of Line Of Duty fans know. A lot of Line Of Duty fans know what's going on. All will be revealed in the fullness of time."

Dunbar cryptically continued: "Yes, there's been a very big clue. As the first guest back on this show I am giving you a massive scoop, there is a clue out there as to what happens next, and the Line Of Duty fans know."

As presenter Susanna Reid said she was a fan but couldn't work it out, Dunbar replied: "I know you are, but we've got hardcore and we've got core. You're like core."

Reacting to the cliffhanger on Sunday night, fans posted stills from a series six trailer that showed police back up vehicles in the lorry park with Fleming and Davidson, who is holding her hands up in surrender.

The scene, which hasn't been aired yet, would appear to show that Pilkington came off worse from the shooting and Fleming is alive and well.

The actor also spoke about the importance of helping show creator Jed Mercurio to keep big plot twists secret.

He said: "Now and again leaks do happen and it's a show that depends on collusion of the public with the show."

Dunbar added: "The ending is never set in stone, we never get that last episode until very late in the day, therefore we really don't know for the first three episodes. Sometimes [Mercurio] doesn't know."

Viewers of series six have seen Hastings rail against police corruption at the highest level and Dunbar said some of his character's speeches drew parallels with current political issues.

He said: "That's one of the things Jed is very good at. We have a character that's old-school like Ted and sometimes he puts it out there that we should be adhering to some of those old-fashioned values of loyalty and honesty and integrity.

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"There's other lines, like 'a bare-faced liar promoted to our highest office', which is also something that might ring a bell with people."

He added that he expected there to be another series of Line Of Duty, but refused to be drawn on whether he or Vicky McClure would return for it.

Watch: Line Of Duty series 6 trailer