Unforgotten season 5 ending explained: Who was the killer?

The new instalment introduces fans to Nicola Walker’s replacement Sinéad Keenan, who plays DI Sunny Khan’s (Sanjeev Bhaskar) new partner, DCI Jessica ‘Jessie’ James.

However, it’s been far from easy for the new duo, as they’ve had to manage initial awkwardness as well as different methods of coping with grief over the death of Walker's DCI Cassie Stuart.

However, they eventually came together to solve a decades-old murder case, with twists and turns abounding throughout the season before we finally discovered the truth behind Precious Falade's murder in the epic finale.

So, how did Unforgotten season 5 wrap up and who was the killer? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the ending, though be warned: this article contains full ending spoilers for Unforgotten season 5.

Unforgotten season 5 ending

The finale continues off the back of the episode 5 revelation that Lord Tony Hume (Ian McElhinney) is Ebele Falade's (Martina Laird) father, meaning that he was Precious's grandfather.

Ebele tells DI Khan and DCI James that her mother was raped by Tony when she worked as a cleaner at his father's company, Morgan Lavelle. We find out that Ebele had been arrested for coming into Tony's offices with a gun in the 90s, asking for "my father". The relationship between the pair was very rocky but Tony became less threatening when Ebele said she would go to the press with DNA evidence.

Tony would send Ebele money and we find out that Tony was called to the house where the murders took place because Joseph, Precious's son, wanted money. Except the person that we thought was Joseph Bell (Rhys Yates) throughout the series and just goes by Jay for short is actually Jay, Precious's youngest son. He's using the name of his older brother and has adopted his identity but Ebele never knew about him as Precious never registered his birth.

We learn that Precious was not the only person killed in the house, but that Joseph was also killed. Jay is questioned by the team because his phone records show that he was in the area of the murders when they happened. He's initially doesn't want to reveal what happened but later admits to DI Khan and DCI James that he saw it all.

He says that he was upstairs in the house because Precious didn't want him to meet Ebele or Tony. Jay says that everything escalated with Tony putting his hands around Joe's neck, saying he could have him disappear in an instant if wanted because "he's that powerful".

Tony was choking Joe but then, when he brought out the gun, Precious makes a grab for it, leading to it going off and her going down. In shock, Joe gives Tony the gun when he asks for it and Tony then shoots Joe in the back of the head.

Tony had called Ebele on the way to the house and when she arrives, he tells her a different version of events. He says that Joe had taken drugs, they'd rowed about money and he then pointed a gun at Tony. But that when Precious tried to get it off of him, it went off hitting Jo and then Precious turned the gun on herself.

Ebele did believe Tony's version of events but admits in the finale that she doesn't believe it now, saying: "I just know that he is an evil, lying b*****d". She explains that Tony said if they called the police, they might not believe it was an accident because of her criminal record. Ebele said she would take care of Precious and was the one to put her body in the chimney, while Tony took care of Joe.

Elsewhere in the episode, Jessica and Sunny seemed to finally be on even ground, with the pair working well together after admitting that they've both been going through hard personal times. In the penultimate episode, Sal admitted that she wants to take a break from her relationship with Sunny after realising that she wants to have children and he doesn't.

Similarly, Jessica is figuring out a new life in the aftermath of finding out her husband conducted an emotional affair with her sister.

Who was the killer at the end of Unforgotten season 5?

Right, so this is far from a straightforward end to the series as we thought we found out who the killer was – but it's a lot more complicated.

We find out that Tony's version of events was a lie and Jay revealed the truth, saying that Tony shot Joe. Tony confesses to doing it and is arrested later in the finale. But we then find out that Jay was actually lying to the police.

Tony was initially telling the truth, saying that he'd been called to the house, threatened and had Joe pull a gun on him. Horrified, Precious lunged at it but the gun went off, hitting Joe in the head and Precious then turned the gun on herself.

So the case was initially an accident because of a struggle by Precious and Joe to take the gun. It's only at the end of the episode that we find out why Jay lied.

He meets Ebele for the first time and tells her: "I lied. Mum killed Joe accidentally trying to get the gun off him then shot herself. But it was all his fault, what happened to our family. From him raping your mum to everything that came after. It was all down to him. So I just thought f**k him you know."

How were all the characters involved in Precious' murder?

Karol was Precious's social worker and she tried to blackmail Karol for money with the upskirting images she'd found on his laptop. He went to visit Precious at her last known address to give her the £2,000 she ordered but instead, found only her laptop there and another man cleaning the home. He identifies the man as Tony Hume.

He felt like his "life was over" so moved to Paris to escape the blackmailing as he thought Precious would continue. He also confesses to taking multiple upskirting pictures throughout his career in London.

Elsewhere, more about Ebele's life and upbringing is revealed in the final episodes. Of course, Ebele is Precious's mother and the pair had a tumultuous relationship. She hid Precious's body in the house, unbeknownst to Tony.

Tony is Ebele's biological father, who raped Ebele's mother when he worked for his father, Sir Henry Hume's, company Morgan Lavelle. He was providing money to Ebele and then was asked for money by Joe and Precious, which led to him being in the house on the night of their deaths.

Jay isn't Joseph, as everyone thought, and is the only person to have witnessed what happened that night. He is Precious's youngest son and lived on the streets and in squats then when he turned 16, adopted his brother's identity to get his benefits.

What happened to Tony Hume in Unforgotten season 5?

In the final episodes, we find out that Tony was initially trying to run away from the case, wanting to fly to Switzerland to carry out his assisted dying plan before the truth of the case was revealed.

But he's arrested and comes clean saying that he shot Joseph Bell, explaining that he's tried to make amends afterwards by providing money to Ebele and changing his political stance in his later career. He admits to anonymously calling the front desk of the police station to tell them the location of Joseph's body. He buried Joe in the garden of his daughter's flat in Bedford because he had keys and it was private.

He says that he didn't know about the location of Precious's body because Ebele had told him she buried her elsewhere. He seems apologetic about what he's done, but DCI James doesn't buy it and tells him: "Well consider this Lord Anthony Hume, you will only be ever remembered as a rapist who murdered his own great grandson."

What happened to Jay and Ebele in Unforgotten season 5?

Jay obviously comes clean about who he is in the finale and also implicates Tony in the crime, which leads to his arrest.

Ebele admits that she doesn't know who Jay Royce is but visits Jay at the end, supposedly having been told by the police, meeting him for the first time and apologising. It's then that Jay admits that he lied about Tony's involvement in Precious and Joseph's deaths.

Unforgotten seasons 1-5 are currently available to stream on ITVX.

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