Line Of Duty pays tribute to Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder by naming character after them

Line of Duty has been praised for paying a touching tribute to Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder.

The BBC police show introduced a new storyline in Sunday night’s episode which saw character Lawrence Christopher, who was also killed in a racially motivated attack, named in honour of the two men. 

During the episode, DC Chloe Bishop [Shalom Brune-Franklin] explained that he had been assaulted by a group of white youths and later died in police custody while officers made monkey noises at him, in stark similarity to both of the real-life cases.

Writers used several elements from the real cases, with many fans commending the ‘genius’ show for speaking out about institutional racism of the police.

During an emotional scene, Chloe explained to Steve Arnott how their new person of interest Marcus Thurwell, played by surprise actor James Nesbitt, was the SIO of the Lawerence Christopher case – a case that journalist Gail Vella was investigating.

She detailed how the young architect was attacked outside a railway station in 2003 and a passerby ‘called triple nine’ seeing the victim taken to custody where he died later that night,

Chloe continued that he had an ‘undiagnosed skull fracture’ which ‘contained pieces of lead suggesting he’d been hit by piping’ and that custody officers had made ‘monkey noises as he lay dying’.

Although police first thought his death was gang related, Chloe explained that he was later discovered to be an architect who had never had any trouble with the law.

Explaining that the officers took early retirement and claimed thousands of pounds in compensation, Chloe became visually distressed causing Arnott to ask if she was okay. Chloe replied, ‘how could anyone be okay?’.

The story caused many fans to realise that elements from both Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder’s murders had been used to create the character.

What happened to Stephen Lawrence?

Stephen Lawrence, an 18-year-old A-level student, was murdered in a racially motivated attack in Eltham, south-east London, in April 1993.

He was with his friend Duwayne when a gang of white youths started shouting racist language at them, stabbing Stephen and leaving him to bleed to death.

Duwayne spent the night being questioned at a police station and police enquiries at the family home seemed equally loaded. Stephen’s parents Doreen and Neville, were asked repeatedly to give the names of Stephen’s black friends.

And despite receiving tips about the gang, a bungled police inquiry meant that no arrests were made for two weeks after his death.

In February 1997, the Daily Mail took the unprecedented step of naming the five suspects – Gary Dobson, David Norris and three others – as Stephen’s killers.

Following a DNA breakthrough, Dobson, and Norris, now in their 40s, were found guilty in 2012 of stabbing the teenager. They had been named as suspects within 48 hours of the stabbing in April 1993.

The effects of that front page were momentous. A far-reaching inquiry into racism within the Met followed, with the Macpherson Report of 1999. That report also led to changes to the law that ended the ancient legal tradition of double jeopardy, the rule that a suspect could not stand trial twice for the same murder.

Two of the five accused by the Mail, Dobson and Norris, stood trial for Stephen’s murder in 2011, following a ‘cold case’ review, and in the light of ‘new and substantial evidence’. They were found guilty and jailed for life.

Last August, Stephen’s mother accused Scotland Yard of giving up on her son after the force effectively conceded defeat in its quest to nail all of his racist killers.

In a carefully-worded statement 27 years after the teenager was murdered, Met chief Dame Cressida Dick said the inquiry had run out of leads.

She announced the inquiry – which has cost tens of millions of pounds – had entered an ‘inactive phase’. 

What happened to Christopher Alder? 

Mr Alder, a father-of-two who served during the Falklands War, died at the feet of four officers on a police cell floor on April 1, 1998.

He had been punched during an argument outside a nightclub in Hull and was taken to hospital, where he became hostile, perhaps because of his head injury.

He was then discharged into the hands of Humberside Police, who arrested him for a breach of the peace and took him to Queen’s Gardens police station.

By the time he arrived, he was unconscious. He was left handcuffed on the floor while the four officers looked on and did nothing.

They could allegedly be heard on CCTV footage making monkey noises as he lay dying for 11 minutes. They later claimed they thought he was ‘putting on an act’.

But a damning report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission found the men responsible of ‘unwitting racism’. 

It concluded that the four officers – who all refused to co-operate with the IPCC investigation – were guilty of a ‘most serious neglect of duty’. They were charged with manslaughter but acquitted at Teesside Crown Court in 2002 on the orders of the trial judge

Two years later, the four police officers were granted early retirement because of stress and were also given payouts over £44,000 as well as police pensions, reports The Mirror.

And in 2011 it was revealed that Mr Alder’s body had been discovered in a mortuary more than a decade after he was apparently buried, with detectives thinking the family were given the wrong body.

Several fans took to Twitter to praise the inclusion of the real-life stories in Sunday’s Line of Duty, with many people saying it was ‘nicely done’ by the BBC. 

One person said: ‘Line of Duty highlighting the institutional racism of the police in the cases of Stephen Lawrence and Christopher Alder in the form of Lawrence Christopher.’

And another penned: ‘The similarities between the line of duty’s Christopher Lawrence case and the real life Stephen Lawrence case are scary but very clever considering it’s coming up to the anniversary of his death.’

While someone else said they were still thinking about the poignant tribute the day after the show aired, tweeting: ‘Still thinking about the tribute to Christopher Alder and Stephen Lawrence in Line of Duty yesterday. It was very nicely done.’ 

Elsewhere in the show, fans were sent wild as the latest episode ended on a nail-biting cliffhanger as Kate and Ryan were locked in a showdown.

After viewers learnt that Joanne Davidson, played by Kelly Macdonald, was related to gangster Tommy Hunter, the fifth episode ended with Vicky McClure’s character Kate Fleming in a tense showdown with Ryan Pilkington, played by Gregory Piper.

Soon after the show aired, Twitter was flooded with wild reaction from fans, who demanded bosses show the next episode now, as the suspense was too much to wait another week to see the outcome of the shoot off. 

Fans were left reeling after fan favourite Ted Hastings, played by Adrian Dunbar, tipped as being the elusive H again, and Ryan left in a standoff with DI Kate. 

In typical AC-12 style, a twist emerged in the form of a throwback clue to the 2019 series showing the word definitely misspelt as ‘definately’ in Jo Davidson’s messages – a clue that previously suggested Hastings could be one of the bent coppers he is so hellbent on finding.

Although fans were already reeling with the twist, the show ended with shock, with the tense cliffhanger seeing PC Pilkington drawing his gun at DI Fleming. 

In the closing moments, Kate – a goodie (at least we hope) – and PC Ryan – a baddie through and through – are seen with their guns trained on each other. 

Leaving viewers on the edge of their seats, the episode then ended after the duo and Davidson shouted at each other to drop their guns, with two gun shots heard as the screen faded to black.  

Has Kate – whom we’ve watched snaring bent coppers over six series – been killed in the line of duty? Or has she finished off corrupt and psychopathic Pilkington? 

And if she’s only wounded, will DI Steve Arnott – Kate’s partner in crime-fighting – manage to save her? 

Kate had managed to send him a text just before the intense final scene, however it remains to be seen if he makes it to her in time to help and catch Ryan. 

Fans soon flooded social media in both shock and outrage.

Viewers penned: ‘The whole of the U.K. right now after another cliffhanger #LineOfDuty… I mean, that cliffhanger is next level. But honestly, this was my fave part #LineOfDuty… #LineOfDuty another cliffhanger… 

‘I’m fuming after that Line Of Duty cliffhanger…was Kate able to get Jo an almond croissant???!… When #LineofDuty leaves us on another cliffhanger… The Line of Duty producers leaving the episode of that cliffhanger #LineofDuty… 

‘Having to wait a week after that cliffhanger #lineofduty…  Ummm. Excuse me. I’m going to need the next episode of that now. That is a cliffhanger. And my mouth does not know how to close. #LineOfDuty… 

‘I’m in NYC watching every episode. Just finished tonight’s cliffhanger. You must be a ‘creative internet user’. ie seek and ye shall find. #LineOfDuty #lineofdutyday… Another Line of Duty cliffhanger I can’t take it anymore Robbie… 

‘another week of ‘line of duty’, another week of a cliffhanger… So I just watched last nights @Line_of_duty And yet again it’s ended on a cliffhanger (of course) what an episode honestly absolutely brilliant acting PS; I hope Kate doesn’t die… 

”Mother of God’, I don’t think I can take another week waiting on the outcome of yet another cliffhanger literally heart pounding out of my chest at the end of episode 4 and 5… 

”Mother of God’, I don’t think I can take another week waiting on the outcome of yet another cliffhanger for literally heart pounding out of my chest at the end of episode 4 and 5 of #LineofDuty6 Whilst I’m here…Patricia Carmichael for H”.