Line Of Duty Fans Convinced That DC Chloe Bishop Is Tony Gates' Daughter From Series 1

We're only two episodes into the explosive new series of Line of Duty, but already fans are coming up thick and fast with theories about the latest case.

While AC-12 are up against their most devious adversary yet in the shape of the wickedly cunning Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald), fans are more interested in the latest recruit into the anti-corruption team - DC Chloe Bishop.

The newcomer (played by Shalom Brune-Franklin) is helping newly promoted DI Steve Arnott (Martin Compsto) now Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) has left the team - and is proving herself a hugely valuable member of AC-12 as they look to solve the murder of journalist Gail Vella.

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However, fans can't help but speculate that there's far more to Chloe than meets the eye, with some believing she may have starred in the series before.

Hold on to your hats, folks, because this is where it gets interesting.

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If you cast your mind back to the very first series of Line of Duty from 2012, fans will remember that Steve came up against DCI Tony Gates (Lennie James) - a copper that found himself on the wrong side of the law, forced to cover up the activities of an organised crime gang (OCG) as a result of his affair with Jackie Laverty.

The affair would have been particularly damaging to Tony, who killed himself at the end of the first series, as he was a family man with a wife Jools, and two daughters, Natalie...and Chloe.

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Tony's daughter was last seen on screen nine years ago, and would be roughly DC Chloe Bishop's age now. Chloe could easily have changed her surname to protect her identity when working with the police.

A coincidence? Or a very well thought out plan by showrunner Jed Mercurio?

Savvy fans took to Twitter to discuss their detective work.

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"Anyone else think Chloe is Tony Gates's daughter from series 1?" mused one viewer.

"Everyone knows that the new AC-12 copper is Tony Gates daughter, Chloe, yes?" said a second.

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"Has Chloe Bishop been 'inserted' into AC12 by a higher authority ('H') to get revenge for what AC12 did to her father, DCI Tony Gates?" a third guessed.

"Holy s*** so is Chloe Tony Gates' daughter Chloe? That name can't be a coincidence!" a fourth said.

Mother of God, we're intrigued.

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Chloe may not be the only person with family ties in Line of Duty. Last week, fans were left convinced that Joanne Davidson is concealing her links to John Corbett (Stephen Graham) from season five - with clues suggesting she could well be his sister.

There's only one way to find out - and that's by tuning in to Line Of Duty on Sunday nights at 9pm on BBC One.

Topics: Entertainment News, BBC, TV News, TV & Film, Line of Duty

Kimberley Bond

Kim is a journalist at Tyla, and has previously worked at the Evening Standard, Radio Times as well as several national newspapers. A showbiz obsessive and a television fanatic, Kim is particularly interested in celebrity gossip, A-list events and the latest releases on either the big or small screen. Contact her at [email protected]

@0xKimberley