Line of Duty star Stephen Graham on how show’s creator told him secret Corbett plan

Stephen Graham as John Corbett in Line of Duty
(Image credit: BBC/World Productions Ltd/Aidan)

Don’t read on if you’ve not up to date with Line of Duty!

When undercover cop John Corbett had his throat slashed for being a “rat” it was one of the most brutal scenes ever in Line of Duty.

And now star Stephen Graham, who played Corbett, has revealed that Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio told him from the start that his character was doomed to a gruesome death.

Corbett and Arnott clash in Line of Duty

Stephen Graham made a huge impact as Corbett in Line of Duty, but he came to a sticky end

Speaking on The Jonathan Ross Show, Stephen said: “(Jed Mercurio) asked me ‘would I do it?’ He said when he wrote it he had me in mind so that was a huge honour, someone like Jed. He’s very successful and he’s a fantastic writer.

“He told me straightaway from the start what was going to happen to the character, which is why I found it really interesting.”

Attention has now turned to Sunday’s feature length finale of Line of Duty, which will see Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) interrogate Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) to see if he’s the elusive criminal mastermind “H”.

Anna Maxwell Martin as Carmichael in Line of Duty

Can Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) work out the identity of "H"?

So, does Stephen know who “H” is? “On my ma’s life, no. I’m serious. I don’t know. I read the script but I’m not giving anything away,” he said.

All will be revealed in Line of Duty’s 90-minute final episode this Sunday - or will it?! Just tell us who ‘H” is!

THE JONATHAN ROSS SHOW AIRS ON SATURDAY AT 9:15pm ON ITV.

David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.


Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 


David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.


Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!