These are the biggest Line of Duty transformations, from series one to series six

Line of Duty has been going for nine years, thrilling us with bent coppers and acronyms since 2012. In nearly a decade, AC-12 still haven’t managed to unmask H – and yet we’re somehow shocked they might get disbanded.

Things have understandably taken their toll on some of the characters still around from the first series, while others have seriously upgraded their aesthetic over the years. There have been falls, shootouts, and a fair few haircuts.

Here are the biggest Line of Duty transformations – from Steve discovering waistcoats to Kate dropping the emo look.

Steve Arnott

A ridiculous glow-up. We first saw Steve as a baby-faced counter-terror officer. There wasn’t a hair on his face, and – yet to discover the wonders of a waistcoat – sweater vests were his fashion faux-pas of choice.

He’s simply too cute to be that angry. Fast forward to series six, Steve has been through the wars but is somehow looking better than ever. A complete vibe transformation.

Kate Fleming

There’s no two ways about it: the first time we saw Kate she looked like the lead singer of a My Chemical Romance covers band.

Fast forward to 2021 and the vibe is more Arctic Monkeys than emo tribute band. Kate’s long coats and Doc Martens are probably the only thing in series six we can truly trust.

Ted Hastings

A youthful Ted Hastings took Steve Arnott under his wing. To look at him now is to see a youthful superintendent, full of idealism and zest for catching bent coppers.

We would never throw shade on the immaculate, imperious Adrian Dunbar, but clearly having to sort out mess after mess created by Steve leaves its mark. Full marks for growing out the hair, mind. There’s always space for a floppy fringe.

Buckells

Poor Buckells. Useless Buckells. Unsurprisingly, he’s done barely anything with his appearance since he first popped up in series one.

Now AC-12 have hauled him in and are blowing holes in his investigation. His ill-fitting suits and ill-chosen ties are gone, replaced by the freshest anti-corruption interview threads. The sideburns are still there, but at least he’s gelled his hair at the front a bit.

Philip Osborne

Right from when we first saw him trying to cover up the AFO cock-up in series one, we’ve always known Osborne was a wrong’un. But his look hasn’t really changed that much.

This might be because his series six appearance is a bit of a throwback, or it might be because bent coppers don’t age. That’d be a great twist.

Ryan Pilkington

He’s gone from steal your lunch money.

To slit your throat in your sleep. Terrifying.

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