Broadchurch series two finale: Big questions that still need answers from Ricky Gillespie's number to bluebells

Guilty or not guilty? There are many more open ends besides the trial

Olivia Colman as Ellie Miller and David Tennant as Alec Hardy in Broadchurch series two (ITV/Kudos)

There's just one week to go until the grand Broadchurch series two finale, but with so many ends to be tied up, we're wondering what on earth writer Chris Chibnall has up his sleeve.

Is Joe Miller guilty?

Last night’s groan-inducing cliff-hanger saw the episode stop just short of delivering the jury’s majority verdict on Joe Miller. Did he or did he not murder 11-year-old Danny Latimer? We’ll have to wait till next week’s finale to find out and with just one hour left, we’re none the wiser which way this will go.

Matthew Gravelle on trial for Danny Latimer's murder as Joe Miller (BBC)

Why did Claire take the pendant?

Claire said it was hers and she gave it to Pippa, after DS Miller saw a photograph of her wearing it, but what is the real story behind this pendant? The Sandbrook case originally collapsed when the key piece of evidence was stolen from DI Hardy’s car during Lee Ashworth’s trial, and we’ve since found out that it was Claire who stole it. Could she have been protecting her husband Lee, in whose car the pendant was found? It’s all most confusing, but at least Hardy has it now, after Claire thrust it at him outside the courtroom.

Eve Myles as chief suspect Claire Ashworth in Broadchurch

Why is there a gate between the Gillespies and the Ashworths’ gardens?

Lee was having an affair with Cate, whom both Claire and Lisa seem to hate. Meanwhile, Cate has accused Claire of sleeping with her husband and Pippa’s dad, the highly shifty Ricky. So in the midst of these toxic relationships and with no young children to entertain, why did they want a gate joining their gardens?

Is Lisa still alive?

Only Pippa’s body was found and Lisa’s mobile signal was last traced in Portsmouth 18 hours after the girls disappeared. Miller could be on to something here, suggesting that Lisa killed her younger cousin accidentally and ran away to France where Lee was living. He did say “almost nobody” knew him over there, so are or were they lovers? But then there’s that ominous incinerator found on the Thorpe Agri Services site, also linked to Lee in flashback, that caused Miller and Hardy’s hearts to drop when they saw it.

Lisa Newbury is still missing in Broadchurch

Does Gary Thorpe have any involvement in the Sandbrook case?

The young man who admitted to stalking Lisa after his crush on her was unrequited suddenly became a possible suspect in episode seven, but then he mentioned that he was in hospital at the time of their disappearance after trying to kill himself. Is he telling the truth?

Why was Ricky’s number on Claire’s phone?

Miller and Hardy dialled the mystery number while outside Ricky’s office and, as expected, his phone rang. The only two numbers on Claire’s phone are Lee’s and Ricky’s, but why? There are quite clearly big secrets being kept between this suspicious trio and we’re hopefully about to find out what they are.

Shaun Dooley as Ricky Gillespie in Broadchurch (ITV)

Did Miller actually bribe her sister Lucy?

She was called back to the witness stand to be grilled by Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s intimidating QC Sharon Bishop, but did Miller actually give her sister Lucy £1,000 to bribe her into testifying against Joe and claiming that she saw him dragging Danny’s body on the beach? The theory that Miller and Hardy were having an affair and wanted to frame Joe to get him out of the way seems rather implausible.

Will Jocelyn Knight and Maggie Radcliffe make a go of things?

The QC and newspaper journalist shared an unexpected kiss atop the clifftops over a glass of wine last night, but after 15 years of keeping their true feelings hidden, is it time they finally acted on them? No doubt the Broadchurch locals will enjoy the new bit of gossip should their relationship be made public.

Carolyn Pickles and Charlotte Rampling's characters shared a kiss (BBC)

What is with the bluebells?

Seriously, enough already, why did Claire have a dried bluebell in her closet and why does Ricky have a photo of the bluebell wood hanging in his office that he dramatically touched as soon as Miller and Hardy left? We know that Hardy found Pippa’s body in the river after trudging through bluebells, so there is clearly some important significance here.

Tune in for Broadchurch's dramatic conclusion next Monday at 9pm on ITV1.