Line of Duty fans were left spitting their TV snacks out on Sunday night as a blast from the past made a shock return to the show.
A huge audience of 10 million tuned into the hit BBC drama's return last weekend as series 6 kicked off and, while many viewers were left annoyed by the frequent use of crime jargon, particularly the now infamous CHIS, they all tuned in again for episode 2.
And, while there were more mentions of CHIS - which stands for Covert Human Intelligence Source -, one thing they didn't see coming was *SPOILER ALERT* a comeback for Ryan Pilkington.
After originally being in earlier series of Line of Duty as a troubled youth or "little s**t" who came to the AC12's attention after being kidnapped and involved in stealing phones, as well as trying to cut off DS Steve Arnott's fingers with a pair of bolt cutters.
Things took a much more sinister turn for Ryan in series 5 when, after John Corbett infiltrated an Organised Crime Group, Ryan slit his throat after he fell into a trap set by its villainous members.
There was then a huge surprise when Ryan revealed to Lisa McQueen he was "sitting exams" in the hopes of landing a job, with that job being a Student Police Officer.
And then fans got an even bigger shock when they saw Ryan, or rather DC Pilkington, in uniform on Sunday night as he joined his colleagues in Hillside Station for a briefing.
His appearance proved too much for many, with one tweeting: " @Line_of_duty Ryan. WTF!" and another posting: "Just screeched when ryan came on screen the little f***er is back!"
A third reacted: "Woo hoo! #LineOfDuty is hotting up. Methinks I recognise Farida's replacement."
Others were already speculating what Ryan's unexpected return might mean for the plot, with another musing: "Is Kate *deeeeep* undercover?? She was clearly piecing together where she knew Ryan from," and another tweeting: "Ryan is going to cause havoc in the force loooool"
