Line of Duty series 6 finale spoilers follow.
Line of Duty creator Jed Mercurio has defended the controversial series 6 finale, noting audience research that suggests opinion may be less divided.
The show aired the much-anticipated final episode of its latest series over the weekend, though the revelation DS Ian Buckells was 'The Fourth Man', aka 'H', and the general downer ending didn't exactly go down well with every viewer.
Mercurio has now spoken about the backlash, stating that the general response paints a "far less extreme picture" than that on social media.
"No one disputes the Line of Duty finale divided social media opinion but the audience research so far shows a far less extreme picture," he began a Twitter thread.
"We knew a 'down' ending would rate less favourably with some viewers, however all 7 episodes varied by under 10% on average viewer score.
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"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.
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"1000 random viewers submitted scores from 1-10 which have been used to calculate the Appreciation Index (AI) as a score out of 100. The AI for the 'down' finale was only 7 points below the next lowest in Season 6 (Ep 1)."
Mercurio concluded: "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."
The writer isn't the only member of the Line of Duty family to address the divisive ending, with star Martin Compston saying: "Fully understand it wasn't the 'urgent exit' type ending some anticipated but appreciate you sticking with us."
Buckells actor Nigel Boyle also said of the finale: "I think there's always going to be some element of disappointment.
"You can't have every series end with a big shoot-out, urgent exit required. Sometimes, the subtler message is more important."
Line of Duty airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series 1-6 boxset is already available to pre-order.
![Line of Duty - Series 6 [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619694234-51OEt86seL._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Line of Duty - Series 6 [DVD]")
![Line of Duty - Series 1-6 Complete Box Set [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1619694217-51F29MpAjlS._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Line of Duty - Series 1-6 Complete Box Set [DVD]")
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