Broadchurch finale has a double shock
The year’s biggest television whodunnit ended with a shock twist as the identity of the Broadchurch rapist was disclosed. Two perpetrators were unmasked in the final of the ITV drama, as Leo Humphries confessed that he had groomed a 16-yearold, Michael Lucas, to commit the crime.
Whodunnit? Theydunnit. The villain on Broadchurch turned out to be none of the prime suspects. Instead, it was two secondary characters in cahoots. The police got their men, viewers got closure and ITV got bumper ratings. Dark subject matter aside, a happy Easter Monday all round.
The third and, we’re assured, final series of the Dorset crime drama kept us guessing until the last 20 minutes. In a largely satisfactory yet emotionally exhausting episode, we discovered the identity of the serial sexual predator who raped Trish Winterman (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and had been terrorising women beside those now famous Jurassic coastal cliffs.
A predicted 12 million of us rounded off the long weekend by sitting down for this tense climax, comfort-eating chocolate eggs to cope with the stress. Such was the secrecy that ITV refused to send out advance copies to critics.
After eight episodes of misdirection and red herrings (or, more accurately, mackerel), the culprit looked to be trophy-collecting taxi creep Clive Lucas (Sebastian Armesto). However, he was covering for his teenage stepson Michael (Deon Lee-Williams) – who in turn had been groomed as an accomplice by “twine boy” Leo Humphries (Chris Mason).
Making himself the most hated character on TV, temporarily at least, Leo arrogantly admitted to three previous attacks. His sneering confession about being “proud” of his crimes and rape being “beautiful” took a deeply depressing view of modern males, reared in the era of lad culture and online pornography. The furious face of DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) spoke for viewers on sofas nationwide.
The dialogue here didn’t quite ring true, a rare misstep in a series which has strived for authenticity and procedural accuracy. The sole other weak point was local newspaper editor Maggie Radcliffe (Carolyn Pickles) launching her own YouTube vlog, an attempt to be technologically topical which convinced precisely nobody.
The rest of creator Chris Chibnall’s script was smartly paced and purred along pleasingly. Mark and Beth Latimer – grieving parents of Series One’s murdered schoolboy Danny Latimer – tearfully agreed to separate. An affecting, beautifully acted scene between Jodie Whittaker and especially Andrew Buchan. Local vicar the Rev Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) gave a closing sermon which spoke rousingly of “love and good deeds”.
The best, though, was saved for last. Bickering detective duo Miller and DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) sat on a bench, those cliffs in the background, and spikily agreed not to go for a drink together. Their irascibly affectionate double act will be much missed.
After a disappointing second series, this third chapter in Chibnall’s trilogy represented a return to the fine form.
Chibnall deserves plaudits for Broadchurch bouncing back so strongly. Doctor Who, which he soon takes over as showrunner, looks to be in safe hands. For now, though, it’s a fond farewell to that close-knit cliff-top community.