George Costigan in Ridley: who is Line of Duty star, movies and TV shows, how to watch episode 3 of ITV series

ITV crime miniseries Ridley stars Line of Duty alumnus Adrian Dunbar as a retired detective who begins working as a consultant when a complex murder case comes his way.

Each feature-length episode sees consultant detective Alex Ridley investigate different troublesome cases.

In the third episode of the series viewers spotted a fellow Line of Duty star cameo in the series, sharing lines with his former screen partner.

Who is George Costigan?

George Costigan is a 75-year-old actor from Portsmouth who is perhaps best known for playing Patrick Fairbank in two seasons of police series Line of Duty.

Fairbank was a bent copper and high-profile sex offender who was exposed in season three of Line of Duty.

Costigan starred alongside Ridley leading man Adrian Dunbar in Line of Duty - Adrian played Ted Hastings, the former commanding officer of Anti Corruption Unit 12 in the series.

Costigan has experience stretching six decades, with his first screen role coming in 1975 - he has since appeared in over 80 TV shows and films.

Who did George Costigan play in Ridley?

Costigan played a character named Ray Trevice in episode three of Ridley, entitled Swansong.

The episode follows a murder case that could be connected to the disappearance of a jazz singer’s brother four decades prior.

Ridley agrees to take on the cold case and hopes that he can find the murderer at the same time.

Ray is a local radio host and owner of a record store - Ridley is brought into contact with him through the course of his investigation.

The blink and you’ll miss it cameo sees Ridley buy a jazz record from Ray before asking him to let him know of anyone who may have information regarding the missing man.

Many Line of Duty and Ridley fans spotted the connection and some had tongue in cheek fan theories about what the cameo could mean.

Mat Mead tweeted: “After Patrick Fairbank has turned up running a record shop I’m starting to think its actually Ted undercover in Ridley”.

Another Twitter user with the name Shark Eyes, said: “That’s clearly ex-Chief Superintendent Patrick Fairbank behind all that beard. You’d think Ridley (or whatever Ted Hastings is calling himself these days) would spot that.”

What else has George Constigan been in?

Costigan had small roles in TV shows dating to the 1970s, but one of his first major roles came as Bob in the 1987 comedy drama film Rita, Sue and Bob Too.

He has also had small roles in The Bill, Holby City, Doctor Who, and Midsomer Murders, and played Charlie Haynes in Emmerdale for 54 episodes in 2010.

He played Sgt Howard Raveley in the history miniseries Homefront and Nevison Gallagher in crime drama series Happy Valley.

Following his high profile role in Line of Duty, Costigan played James Holt in seasons one and two of BBC historical comedy series Gentleman Jack.

How can you watch Ridley episode 3?

Episode three of Ridley aired on 11 September on ITV and is available to watch now on the ITV Hub.

The final episode of Ridley will air on ITV on Sunday 18 September at 8pm. Each episode of the series is two hours long.

The season finale will also be available to watch on the ITV Hub shortly after it is first broadcast.