Line Of Duty series 6: Home Office highlights the importance of ‘CHIS’

The Home Office was forced to reveal the meaning of ‘CHIS’ on Monday, after Line Of Duty fans mistook the acronym for a very crude word in series six’s opening episode.   

CHIS – which stands for Covert Human Intelligence Source – became one of the stand-out new terms in the AC-12 drama – which premiered on Sunday.

However many viewers revealed that they’d be hearing the much cheekier term ‘jizz’ for the majority of the intrigue-filled episode.  

The Home Office’s official Twitter account took the opportunity to educate the public further on the undercover agents on Monday, via a series of detailed posts.     

It read: ‘For those who watched #LineofDuty last night, CHIS stands for Covert Human Intelligence Source. The work of these undercover agents is vital in safeguarding victims from serious crimes including terrorism.     

‘In the last year, CHIS operations by @metpoliceuk have led to 3,500 arrests, recovery of over 100 firearms and 400 other weapons, seizure of over 400kg of Class A drugs, and over £2.5m cash.

‘Earlier this month, the CHIS Act was passed, ensuring our intelligence and law enforcement agencies continue to have the right tools to keep the UK safe, and to provide undercover agents with legal protection when carrying out their important work.’   

The tweets come after the hit BBC show delighted viewers with several plot twists and explosive moments.

Although only being introduced in the first episode, new character Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson [Kelly Macdonald] certainly made her mark and left many fans with more questions than answers. 

One particular scene with Davidson and DI Kate Fleming [Vicky McClure] saw them repeat the phrase several times with the women asking another officer to ‘help us locate your CHIS’.

One person tweeted: ‘This is the jizz handler?’ while someone else added: ‘Ah it’s CHIS… for half an hour I thought I’d been hearing JIZZ’  

Another penned: ‘Everytime they said CHIS in that episode, I heard JIZZ. And they said it A LOT. And I couldn’t unhear it!’ 

The first episode of also saw several twists, perhaps most shockingly with the revelation that long-term AC-12 member Kate is now working with a new team.

While chatting to her new gaffer DCI Davidson, Kate says: ‘I got fed upon nicking coppers, I’d rather go after the psycho who murdered Gail [Vella].’ 

But despite seeming confident in her new role, some viewers were left wondering if all was at it seems and theorised that Kate could still be undercover for AC-12. 

Another surprise twist came in the reappearance of Terry Boyle who was used by the OCG in previous series and famously had a body hidden in his freezer.

The character, who has Downs Syndrome, was arrested after a police raid on an address and mistakingly gave the wrong name to officers when questioned.

His involvement left many fans shocked at the development, with some saying they felt sorry for him being dragged back into the criminal activity.

One person tweeted: ‘Terry Boyle deserves to be left alone after years of exploitation at the hands of the OCG. Why do I feel like this ain’t gonna end well for him?’

While another theorised: ‘So Terry Boyle had a woman in his freezer in series 5 and now his freezer is missing, I’m in too deep already.’ 

Adding to the intrigue, the raid itself also became suspicious as DCI Davidson seemed to be delaying her team’s arrival when she ‘spotted’ a robbery in place.

This potentially shady move tipped her as a ‘bent copper’ for most of the hour-long show but in true Line Of Duty style things got more complex at the end.

DCI Jo was then revealed as being romantically involved with one of her staff, Farida, who had earlier reported her to DS Arnott to look into as being corrupt.

This new information caused some fans to question whether Jo really is corrupt, or just being set up by an angry ex-lover.

Elsewhere fan favourite DS Steve Arnott [Martin Compston] was seen rocking a bigger beard than usual and struggling with his pain problems from past series.

One scene saw the officer buying lots of tablets before taking several at his flat – and washing them down with a bottle of Corona beer in an apparent nod to the current pandemic. 

Some Line Of Duty fans were also left very amused after spotting an actress who looked remarkably similar to Theresa May in Sunday night’s episode.   

Taking to social media, several people joked that the former Prime Minister, 64, had made a ‘strong and stable’ cameo in the show.

In the scene, the woman is seen stood up and taking notes while DI Kate Fleming [Vicky McClure] and her colleagues listen to a briefing from new character Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson [Kelly Macdonald]. 

The actress, who is wearing a navy blue cardigan over a smart pink collared shirt, looks serious as she listens to the information in the murder investigation.

Several people commented on the lady’s similarity to Theresa May, with them both having similar hairstyles and smart attire. 

One viewer wrote: ‘Good to see Theresa May’s keeping busy with a strong and stable cameo in #LineOfDuty’

While another penned: ‘Hello to the Theresa May taking notes in the middle #LineOfDuty’

And a third confused viewer added: ‘What’s Theresa May doing there? #LineOfDuty’

‘Strong and stable’ was a phrase regularly used by May in the lead-up to the 2017 election and has since become popular in memes.   

Fans had been chomping at the bit to see what unfolds in the season premiere of Line Of Duty, with the cast and showrunner all teasing morsels of information in recent press calls. 

Martin Compston, who plays DS Steve Arnott, said: ‘I feel like the last two series have been building up to this one. There is a lot going on. There will be a lot of big questions answered. But all the drama that everyone loves will be there too!’  

Series six will follow the dynamic AC-12 trio investigating the force’s highest profile murder to date. 

Guest lead Detective Chief Inspector Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) is assigned as the senior investigating officer on the unsolved murder case, but her suspicious conduct attracts the attention of the anti-corruption team.

Shalom Brune-Franklin, 26 — who has appeared in BBC’s Our Girl alongside Michelle Keegan — is the new addition to AC-12 as Detective Constable Chloe Bishop.

Some viewers branded the finale of the fifth series, which aired in May 2019 and drew more than nine million viewers, as an ‘anti-climax’, after it was revealed that mysterious criminal mastermind H was in fact code for four people.

So fans will be hoping the show finally reveals the fourth person’s identity — and the teaser suggests it might not be a man they are looking for.

This series of the Jed Mercurio drama also features seven episodes, making it the longest to date. 

And speaking ahead of the first episode airing, Jed revealed ‘nobody on the show is safe’ as killing off AC-12’s three main stars ‘is never far from my thoughts’.

He told a Q&A: ‘One of things about the show is nobody is safe. It keeps the audience on the edge of their seat so I know it would be a sad day, but all the main cast realise it could be possible.’ 

While Adrian Dunbar admitted it was a ‘shock’ to see the series come together after the trailer was released earlier this month.

The actor, 62, admitted he found shooting series six ‘difficult’ as the Covid pandemic meant they had to film in a non-chronological order, due to safety measures in place.

Adrian said of filming: ‘Jed and the directors had to remind me sometimes exactly where we were because we were jumping between scenes. 

‘You know, it’s sometimes difficult how to pitch something when you’re moving, as Vicky said, between directors and episodes.

‘I did find that pretty difficult, it was strange. Normally we shoot in blocks. We have one director for the first three episodes, then another because it is so complicated.

‘We’re used to that system but Covid just threw that completely. When I saw the trailer the other day it was a shock to me, because we saw the storyline compressed.

‘It had taken so long to do it and you have lots of elements of this storyline that as actors you’re not in possession of all the elements. 

‘Once you see it all together you think “god this really think is going to be something else.” And that slipped my mind, let’s put it like that.’ 

Producer Simon Heath explained how the show had to be halted in its fourth week of filming, two weeks before the nation was plunged into lockdown. 

Some of the cast and crew had been experiencing Covid symptoms and, with testing not being readily available, both Simon and writer Jed Mercurio decided to shut the production down all together.

When they returned months later, rigorous safety procedures were enforced to minimise the risk of anyone catching the virus. 

Vicky McClure, who plays DI Kate Fleming, also explained a whole new set was built for AC-12’s interview room to improve ventilation. 

‘We built a set so that we had a ventilation system, you know, say AC-12 the interview room wasn’t great for Covid, it’s a glass box,’ she said.   

Vicky added: ‘The chronological order of the episodes wasn’t possible because we were bound by location and safety.’

The nature of filming meant the producers shot more footage than planned and so had a dilemma about how the show would conclude. 

Jed explained the decision behind extending the series from six episodes to seven. 

He said: ‘It would have ended early if we had six. It wasn’t the case of planning seven, it’s the effect of the interruption shooting, for all kind of reasons related to safety. 

‘What we found when we got to the end, we initially conceived having a 90-minute episode six, but with all the additions it was pretty clear it would be two hours.

‘So we had a conversation with the BBC and the decision was to split it into two episodes.’ 

Ten Line Of Duty questions that have left fans baffled: Viewers share their wild theories on Kate Fleming, Steve Arnott and H after shock first episode of series six 

It’s known for its intricate plots and storylines that keep viewers guessing.

And Line Of Duty fans were certainly left with lots of questions as season six kicked off on Sunday night with several twists jam-packed into the hour long episode.

Not easing its audience in, the show started dropping hints and raising suspicion from the start, leaving many fans to come up with their own theories.

So what is going on with DI Kate Fleming? And is newcomer DCI Joanne Davidson a bent copper? Here’s 10 questions sparked by the dramatic season opener…

Why did Kate Fleming leave AC-12 and is she really undercover?

One of the episodes most shocking discoveries was that AC-12’s Kate is now working with a new team- with some fans suggesting she could even be the infamous H.

While chatting to her new gaffer DCI Davidson, Kate says: ‘I got fed upon nicking coppers, I’d rather go after the psycho who murdered Gail [Vella].’

But despite seeming confident in her new role, some viewers were left wondering if all was at it seems and theorised that Kate could still be undercover for AC-12.

And it seems as if Kate is still on good terms with her former colleague DS Steve Arnott as they met up for a quick chat in his car towards the end of the show.

Kate implied that Hastings might not be too pleased with her stepping away from the post, however Steve reassured her: ‘He knows you’ve done your time and wanted to move on.’

What’s happening with Steve Arnott?

Steve seemed a little more subdued than usual, with him working on more mundane tasks at the beginning of the episode.

His interest was however peaked when Sergeant Farida Jatri tipped him off to some potential corruption happening in DI Davidson’s team.

Another scene saw Arnott buying lots of tablets before taking several at his flat – and washing them down with a bottle of Corona beer in an apparent nod to the current pandemic.

This suggested that he’s still struggling with back pain after being attached by ‘balaclava man’ in a past season.

Why was Terry Boyle arrested and how is he linked to Gail Vella?

The character, who has Downs Syndrome, was arrested after a raid on an address and mistakingly gave the wrong name – Ross Turner- to officers when questioned.

Terry was seen in past seasons as being used by the Organised Crime Group and famously had a body hidden in his freezer.

His involvement left many fans shocked at the development, with some saying they felt sorry for him being dragged back into the criminal activity.

During questioning Terry refused to give up any information, however did say murder victim Gail Vella was a ‘lovely’.

At the end of the episode he was seen leaving the police station.

Who is the mysterious Carl Banks?

Carl Banks fingerprints were found during a search which followed Terry’s arrest, linking him to the investigation.

Although not much is known about him yet he could potentially be related to Lee Banks, who was part of John Corbett’s gang in season five.

Kate also gave Carl’s name to Steve during their car meeting further suggesting that he’s going to become a major lead in the series.

Who killed the CHIS?

It was a CHIS – Covert Human Intelligence Source- who tipped the officers off to Ross Turner and sparked the raid on the flat where Terry was found.

However in a very suspicious development they were later found dead after suffering a fall.

DI Davidson was also very keen to get the CHIS’ handler to reveal their identity – although had no luck.

Sergeant Jatri also seemed scared after the death of the CHIS, calling Steve Arnott to tell him to never call her again.

Why did DCI Jo Davidson reroute her team to the robbery – is she corrupt?

The team had been on their way to raid an address linked to the murder of Gail Vella however DI Davidson spotted a van and made them stop to investigate a robbery.

She told Kate there was a high risk to the public so they had to stay and deal with the robbery however this meant they were very delayed getting to the other address.

It was also later revealed there’d been some paperwork mixup causing the house to be without surveillance for more than three hours – and potentially seen the real Ross Turner walk.

Jo was also revealed to have several locks on her front door, causing some fans to speculate why she was so concerned about security.

Is DS Ian Buckells potentially H and what’s his relationship with DCI Jo Davidson?

DS Buckells came across a little shady when he told DCI Davidson: ‘If this is going to go the way we want we need to find out who he is.’

He also messed up the paperwork meaning Turner may have escaped.

Some fans suggested he could be a potential H as he seemed to be delaying the police’s arrival at the address.

Can Sergeant Farida Jatri be trusted?

She was the one who tipped Arnott off to the idea that Davidson might be a bent copper, however she was also revealed to be having a romantic relationship with her boss.

Davidson and Farida were seen having a row, with Farida saying: ‘please don’t go, I love you Jo.’

Some fans theorised this could mean Farida is trying to set up her boss in an act of revenge.

Has Ted Hastings recovered from the last season?

Hastings wasn’t seen all too often in the first episode of series six and was refused entry to an important meeting with other police chiefs.

However he’s still incharge of AC-12 and managed to sneak a few funny one-liners into the episode including ‘Hold your whisht’ and ‘What you waiting on? Puff of white smoke’

What’s a CHIS and why are people talking about it now?

One of the stand-out new terms from Sunday’s show was CHIS, which stands for Covert Human Intelligence Sources.

And many viewers revealed that they’d be hearing the much cheekier term ‘jizz’ for the majority of the intrigue-filled episode.

One scene with Davidson and Fleming saw them repeat the phrase several times with the women asking another officer to ‘help us locate your CHIS’.

This new acronym delighted viewers, with many hilariously mishearing it for something much cruder.

Several took to Twitter to reveal that they’d be hearing the much cheekier term ‘jizz’ for the majority of the intrigue-filled episode.

Kate gets a new DCI… and Ted is all but MIA! JAN MOIR’s view from the sofa as Line of Duty makes its hotly anticipated return to our screens 

Rating:

Houl yer whisht!’ orders Superintendent Hastings, his quaint way of asking subordinates for silence. 

With those three words, two big surprises and one tragic death already in the body bag, Line Of Duty roared back into action last night, jingling with jargon, bristling with the usual bells and whistles, and with tension tighter than one of Steve’s snazzy waistcoats.

Despite all best efforts in five previous series it soon became clear that the Organised Crime Group (OCG) is still flourishing and that the identity of H, the last high-ranking officer who works with them, remains a mystery.

Who can it be? And for how long can they keep us mired in this tortuous, H-bomb guessing game?

The first thing you need to know is that there have been changes at AC-12, the Anti-Corruption Unit headed by Supt Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) alongside key team members DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) and DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston).

Steve is so bored investigating lowly plod expenses claims that he has grown a beard, while Kate has grown wings and moved to the MIT (Murder Investigation Team) over at Hillside Lane station, where her boss is new character DCI Joanne Davidson, played by Kelly MacDonald.

Joanne is the kind of policewoman who, at critical moments, wears her hair in a bun and keeps a telescope in her pocket.

‘Is the word ma’am not in your vocabulary?’ she barks at a CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Source) handler who has clumsily lost his CHIS.

Davidson is the SIO (Senior Investigating Officer) on Operation Lighthouse, concerning the murder of journalist Gail Vella by person or persons unknown.

Can I say something, ma’am? It is almost certainly not Terry Boyle, whom you have already arrested and questioned. Everyone seems to be unaware that Terry has often been used as a fall guy by the OCG and even kept Jackie Laverty’s body in his freezer alongside some garden peas and fishfingers for about three entire series. I can’t get into that now. For the purposes of the tape, let’s move on.

Hastings is still tainted by the investigation into the £50,000 found resting in his hotel room in the last series. Look. This is not Ted’s first rodeo. 

He accepted the disciplinary action and surely the matter is now closed. Or is it?

Deputy Chief Constable Andrea Wise, also sporting a Critical Bun, pursed her sour plum lips and made sure Hastings was not invited to a top brass meeting in the Conference Room.

Something good must have been going on, probably involving tea and pink wafer biscuits, because he was crushed like a grape at the rejection. 

‘Best keep your head down Ted,’ she sniffed.

The spectre of H floats above them both like a fog, but in reality, it could be anyone. It could even be Kate, who has tried to escape AC-12, but could find herself being dragged back in, like Al Pacino in The Godfather. 

When suspicions start to swirl around Davidson, Steve attempts to recruit Kate back into the fold. ‘We can keep it on the DL only if we have a CHIS inside MIT,’ is how he put it.

‘Either I am accused of being a traitor, or become one to avoid being accused,’ she replied, neatly summing up the ethical dilemma than now engulfs her. Or does it? In Line Of Duty, nothing and no one is ever quite what they seem.

From the get go, the opening episode of the sixth series was a dizzying stampede of masked police thundering about like heavily armed bison, forensic officers in crime scene suits with goggles, raiders in balaclavas and senior officers shouting at each other from opposite ends of the incident room or the car park. 

‘The super isn’t buying the intel!’ bawled one. ‘What am I going to tell the chief?’ hollered another.

You can see how they got around Covid restrictions when filming, so very clever of them. All that was missing was Ted in a Norman helmet and chain mail, telling anyone who would listen that it was ‘Hastings, like the battle’.

How marvellous to be back with the Central Police force in this blighted, undesignated town somewhere in the UK. 

Just be glad you don’t live there, fella. For here, the mean streets are absolutely saturated in crime. Corruption and lawbreaking abound in the grim housing estates, on the rain swept streets, even inside the police force itself.

The action in this first episode was dominated by Davidson, who has mastered the art of the Line Of Duty ambiguous, middle distance stare – and also speaks more jargon-ese than everyone else put together. 

She wants replacement AFOs (Authorised Firearms Officers), she wants an urgent SITREP (Situation Report) and she really wants to GAL (Get A Life).

Fast paced and exciting, this was a triumphant return for Line Of Duty, still earning its stripes after all these years.

If I have one criticism, it is that there was SNET (Simply Not Enough Ted) this week. Nestled inside his polycotton shirt and office lanyard, our hero barely got a word in, an overlooked wee currant among all those women in buns.

There was only time for him to lightly patronise ‘wee Chloe’ in the office, ask Steve if he was waiting for a ‘puff of white smoke’ and peer worriedly through the frosted panes in his window.

Mother of God, can Ted really be H? I’m afraid it’s time to HYW (Houl Yer Whisht) until next week.