Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio breaks silence over controversial series six finale

Jed Mercurio who also created and wrote hit BBC series The Bodyguard, said the negative reaction to the final episode of season six witnessed on social media was not reflective of a survey carried out after the episode went out on BBC1 on Sunday evening.

"No one disputes the Line of Duty finale divided social media opinion but the audience research so far shows a far less extreme picture.

"We knew a "down" ending would rate less favourably with some viewers, however all 7 episodes varied by under 10% on average viewer score," said Jed Mercurio.

He added: "The research determines the episode ratings based on randomly polling viewers, rather than sites like IMDB where scores can be skewed by users strongly motivated to register their immediate anger/adulation.

"1000 random viewers submitted scores from 1-10 which have been used to calculate the Appreciation Index (AI) as a score out of 100."

He added: "The AI for the “down” finale was only 7 points below the next lowest in Season 6 (Ep 1).

"These figures won’t stop the debate, of course, nor should they - that’s still all part of the experience of shared TV viewing. Thanks again for watching."

One fan responded: "So many things have been left unresolved, and we didn't get the ending we deserved. It was such an incredible let down."

Interestingly, Jed Mercurio responded to this comment and many others.

"Thanks for your view, Amy, and thanks for watching, but as the statistics show, there is no "we"," said Mercurio.

"A big chunk of the people who watched really liked the finale. But of course I respect your opinion."

The overwhelming response to the series finale on social media on Sunday evening was negative.

Viewers tuned in for the unmasking of the elusive corrupt police officer working with organised crime gangs referred to only as 'H'.

The character revealed as 'H' left thousands of fans feeling disappointed with some saying that it ruined the previous 35 episodes.

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