Though Broadchurch is an ensemble work, the seas of talent part ever so slightly to allow David Bradley to be the true star of Episode 5. An actor of formidable skill, he brings such pathos and nuance to Jack Marshall that you don’t know whether to hug Jack or shake your head and ‘tut-tut’ at him for being such a damn fool. His was a misdemeanour he’s been paying the price for for a long time, and now he’s just a tired old man, made of mistakes and scars and sad stories, and he just wants to be left in peace.

It’s an unobtainable peace. Episode 5 is a forensic detailing of what happens when the Press take over a murder investigation. The flow of (mis)information is wrested from the control of the police and suddenly everyone simultaneously becomes both the creator of the news story and the subject of it.

All of Broadchurch is a stage, and everyone in it players and audience, reading scripts made of hearsay and rumour. Lives are lived and judged in flashbulb moments. As we said last week, Broadchurch is a town that pulls you in and wraps you up. It’s impossible to view it objectively.

Even the minor members of the Media become bit-parts in the investigation, as the burned boat turns out to belong to the family of randy roving reporter Ollie. It’s a revelation that pushes Ollie higher up the suspect list than many have previously reasoned he should be (he’s still this reviewer’s No.1 suspect), but which, by the convoluted family ties of the town, also ties DS Ellie Miller closer to the case.

Her son knows more than he’s letting on, her deadbeat sister is withholding evidence for cash, the burned boat belonged to her father-in-law, she’s friends with the bereaved family…if this were any other crime drama her boss would’ve assigned her to another case and she’d have developed a drinking problem. But DI Hardy is too busy propositioning hotelier hottie Becca Fisher and practising his inscrutable far-away ‘Doctor, what aren’t you telling me?’ face in preparedness for later this year.

There are three episodes left to Broadchurch now, and if you can tell us the name of the killer then you’re clearly Chris Chibnall or one of the cast, because this is a mystery that has all of Monday night stumped. And if you’re really sure you know who did it, we’d urge you to look back at the evidence and ask yourself the one question everyone in this episode should have asked:

Are you absolutely sure?

Aired at 9pm on Monday 1 April 2013 on ITV.

> Order Broadchurch on DVD on Amazon.

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