In a similar manner to Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio-produced thriller Trigger Point looks like it will be generating mountains of fan theories with each and every episode.
The series got off to an explosive start (sorry), with an opener that killed off a major character and sprinkled some clues about who could be responsible for the co-ordinated attacks on Londoners.
One hint that captured the imagination of viewers was the number ‘1912’, which had been scratched into the doorframe of a cupboard where an explosive device had been connected.
Social media exploded with a mix of jokes and genuine suggestions as to what it could possibly mean, with the second episode revealing that the Met were just as clueless as we are.
Episode 1
The first appearance of 1912 in Trigger Point comes as expo officers Lana Washington (Vicky McClure) and Joel Nutkins (Adrian Lester) examine the West Haven apartment belonging to Andy Phelan.
The residence had been broken into by unknown assailants on a hot summer day, who planted an explosive device in the bathroom and strapped Phelan himself into a bomb vest.
The number 1912 had been etched into the door post of a cupboard where the detonator had been found, leaving Washington and Nutkins puzzled about what it could possibly mean.
Twitter flared up with theories ranging from a possible police collar number to a less likely connection to the sinking of the Titanic – along with plenty of joke guesses too.
1912 is the amount of adverts in the series #TriggerPoint
— ste (@steslinger01) January 23, 2022
Episode 2
The second episode of Trigger Point references 1912 again, with the perplexing discovery being raised at a meeting of an Executive Liaison Group (or ELG), comprised of counter-terror police and intelligence operatives.
DI Samira Desai (Manjinder Virk) briefly touches on the matter, but it appears at this stage that the authorities are just as clueless about what it could mean as we are at home.
She says: “[It] could be a code, a date, a signature, could be nothing at all.”
Another intelligence official then interjects that they have been unable to link ‘1912’ with any known terrorist group, suggesting it could be connected to an entirely new menace or have personal meaning to an implicated individual.
Is ‘1912’ a false clue?
It’s interesting that Desai acknowledges that ‘1912’ could mean “nothing at all”, as it echoes a comment made by Trigger Point star Adrian Lester in a recent interview with GQ.
Speaking about his character’s untimely demise in the first episode, Lester appeared to hint that ‘1912’ and other clues coming down the pipeline could later be revealed as “false”.
He said: “What’s available to us to read is the first two scripts. And the rest is being worked on – although you do understand the “bible,” the complete arc of the show. And the storyline.
“So what’s been committed to paper is only really the first two that I read. And yeah, the ‘1912’ is a clue that can be revealed later to be a false clue.”
Lester added: “But it’s also part of the idea that the person you’re working against, the person preparing these devices and causing disruption, is actually more clever than the people trying to stop them. And that’s what all these little clues add up to.”
Keep checking back here for more updates on the relevance of 1912 as they emerge.
Trigger Point continues Sundays at 9pm on ITV. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.