Season five of Line of Duty is going to be reaching a head with only two more episodes left in the current run of Jed Mercurio’s BBC police procedural thriller. The series is heating up now as AC-12 continues to try to crack down on the elusive H, who has been credited for being at the heart of police corruption within the series. But with only two episodes, fans can expect some big developments with the arrival of an important character in the form of Anna Maxwell Martin’s senior anti-corruption detective DCS Patricia Carmichael.
Who is Anna Maxwell Martin?
Anna Maxwell Martin is a British actress who is best known for her roles in Bleak House and Poppy Shakespeare on Channel 4.
Born to a research scientist mother and pharmaceutical company owner father, Maxwell Martin was raised in Beverley in East Riding in Yorkshire.
The star trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) after going to university.
She also took on the lead role of Lyra in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials at the Royal Nation Theatre.
The 41-year-old actress is married to film director Roger Mitchell and they have two children Maggie and Nancy.
Most recently, she’s starred in The Frankenstein Chronicles and will be appearing in the upcoming Good Omens on Amazon Prime.
Other roles include Philomena, The Bletchley Circle, Death Comes to Pemberley, Motherland and Midwinter of the Spirit.
Who is DCS Patricia Carmichael?
WARNING: This section of the article contains spoilers from Line of Duty season 5
DCS Patricia Carmichael will be appearing in episodes five and six of the current series of Line of Duty.
She’s been described as a senior anti-corruption detective brought in from outside of AC-12.
Speaking about joining Line of Duty, Maxwell Martin said: “I’ve been a fan of Line of Duty for years, so was dead chuffed to be part of series five. I’m so pleased I no longer have to keep it a secret!
“I feel honoured to follow in the footsteps of the host of great actors who make up the Line of Duty family, and Jed Mercurio – of course – has written a brilliant character in Carmichael. She’s a woman on a mission.”
Although not much is known about her character, Maxwell Martin’s words suggest she’s been sent in on a special assignment.
There’s hope she will bring some fresh perspective to the unit and its head Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), who has rumours circling around him regarding his own dodgy dealings.
Then again, the new character could just be another corrupt character like The Caddy (Craig Parkinson), who is there to shut down AC-12’s operations before they get too close to the truth.
Line of Duty creator Mercurio added: “I’m delighted and flattered an actor of Anna Maxwell Martin’s status agreed to play this pivotal role in Line of Duty.
“Anna was a pleasure to work with and brought real depth to the character of DCS Carmichael.”
The character is joining the show only a week after undercover officer John Corbett (Stephen Graham) was brutally killed after the OCG suspected he was a mole.
Line of Duty season 5 airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm
