Unforgotten season 5: Show's twist ending explained
Series five of Unforgotten has been full of twists and turns as DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James investigated the murder of Precious Falade. While ITV has been airing the episodes weekly, fans can stream the full season on ITVX – including THAT heartbreaking final episode. So, what happened to the mysterious Precious? And how did the series end? Here's the ending explained…
WATCH: Have you been watching season five of Unforgotten?
What happened in the Unforgotten season five finale?
Episode six picked up with DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James heading to a second crime scene after receiving a tip from an unidentified caller. So who was buried in the back garden of Ebele's former flat? It was her grandson and Precious' son, Joseph Bell. And just like that, the team had two murders to solve.
DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James discovered the body of Precious' son Joseph Bell
The detective duo also caught up with Lord Anthony Hume, who was pulled from his flight to Switzerland, hindering his plans for a physician-assisted death at Dignitas. After heading to the police station, Lord Anthony – aka Ebele's father and Precious' grandfather – revealed what happened on the night of the murder. He also admitted that he'd made the anonymous call about Joseph's body.
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What happened to Precious Falade?
According to the former politician, shortly before Precious and Joseph had died, he'd moved them into the house at Waterman Road after discovering they were homeless. Just weeks after they'd moved into the property and received financial aid from Anthony, Joseph later called his great-grandfather and demanded more money.
Lord Anthony Hume finally told the detectives what happened that night at Waterman Road
After calling Ebele and asking her to meet him at Waterman Road, Lord Anthony managed to arrive at the scene first where he found Joseph in a drug-induced state, threatening violence against his great-grandfather and his mother, Precious, unless he was given thousands of pounds in cash.
Things took a turn for the worst when Joseph pulled out a gun. As Precious attempted to wrestle the gun away from her son, it accidentally went off, killing Joseph. Anthony explains that while he tried to put his great-grandson in the recovery position, Precious – devastated from accidentally shooting her son – turned the gun on herself, committing suicide. Following the incident, Ebele arrived at the scene and was convinced by her father to dispose of the bodies. Anthony buried Joseph, while Ebele hid Precious in the fireplace after realising she couldn't get the body past workmen in the street.
Jay was revealed as Precious' second son whose birth had never been registered
So, did DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James believe his story? Not one bit. The detectives eventually learned that Jay (who previously claimed to be Joseph Bell) was in fact, Precious' second son. Precious had never registered the birth, and his grandmother Ebele didn't know he existed. Jay reveals that he was at Waterman Road that night too – and that Lord Anthony's story isn't completely true.
According to Jay, a confrontation took place between Anthony and Joseph, with the former choking his great-grandson until he managed to pull out a gun. Precious then grabbed for it and accidentally got caught in the crossfire, devastating Joseph, who handed the gun to Tony. It was at this moment that Lord Anthony shot Joseph in the back of the head.
Jay finally met his grandmother Ebele and made a shocking confession
After Tony is arrested, however, the plot takes another major twist. As Ebele and Jay finally meet, he confesses that he lied to the police – his great-grandfather hadn't killed Joseph, and the original story about Precious accidentally shooting her son and then turning the gun on herself was, in fact, true.
Jay explains that Lord Anthony needed to be punished, as every member of their family was impacted by his decision to rape Ebele's mother in 1963, resulting in her birth. While the truth never comes to light, Anthony's sentence is sure to be a short one, as the season previously revealed his deteriorating health.
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