DS Miller and DI Hardy are back (Picture: ITV)

Broadchurch is back for one final mystery before the show draws to a close.

Ahead of Broadchurch season 3, we look at back at what happened in seasons 1 and 2

DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) and DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) have returned to investigate a serious sexual assault in the Dorset community.

As with every series of Broadchurch, there are plenty of twists and turns ahead.

Here are some of the clues and details from tonight’s episode that might hold the key to solving the mystery.


Flintcombe farm shop

Lenny Henry stars in the third series of Broadchurch (Picture: ITV)

We know from the trailers that Ed Burnett (Lenny Henry) is set to be, at least for a while, one of our main suspects – which means that his first appearance in this episode was particularly tense.



Ed is the manager of a small farm shop – the sort of place that’s quite likely to sell the blue twine that was used to tie up Trish (Julie Hesmondlaigh).

You can also see, at the end, a mysterious figure returns to the scene of the crime to collect some left behind blue twine – and they take it away in a bag that says ‘Flintcombe farm shop’ on the side.

It’s not enough to mean that Ed is the perpetrator, of course – but it does make him look a lot more suspicious.

The condom

The implication of this is clear – Jim Atwood (Mark Bazeley) has a packet of the same brand of condoms that were found at the scene of the crime, suggesting that Jim may be the perpetrator of the attack.

And yet, considering how Broadchurch has worked in previous years, it feels more likely that this is simply a red herring – a misdirect, setting us up for a different twist entirely.

Perhaps Jim is in fact cheating on his wife Cath (Sarah Parish)?

‘When was the last stranger rape around here?’

What will the investigation unearth? (Picture: ITV)

It’s a question posed by Alec Hardy to Ellie Miller not long after the assault is first reported.

The answer is that it’s been a long time, before Ellie had joined the police force.

While Trish didn’t see her attacker, it seems likely that the perpetrator will be someone she knew.

Chris Chibnall, head writer and executive producer on the show, has spoken quite openly about how he wants to accurately portray this topic, and spent a long time speaking with different support groups.

Given that only approximately 10% of sexual assault is ‘stranger rape’, it’s likely that Chibnall will have written the series with this in mind.

Trish’s missing days

Will Trish be believed? (Picture: ITV)

In the aftermath of her attack, Trish is in shock, and can’t remember every detail of what happened – meaning that there’s a gap between her assault (Saturday evening) and when she called the police (late Monday night).

No doubt as details emerge, something that occurred during this time will change our perception of the case entirely.

We’ve already seen one of the police staff doubt Trish’s story – it’s possible that this weight of suspicion will grow, leading to some accusing Trish of lying about the assault.

Count on this happening around the fourth or fifth episode – and pay close attention to anyone who does accuse her of lying.



Who are our main suspects, then?

Is anyone free of suspicion? (Picture: ITV)

Just one episode into Broadchurch’s final series and we don’t know the whole picture yet.

No doubt next week’s episode will bring with it a series of different clues that will force us to change our perspective once again.

At the minute, though, two central suspects have emerged – Ed Burnett, and Jim Atwood.

Alex Moreland is a freelance writer and student based in London. You can read more of his work here.

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