Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? ending explained: What did the question mean?

Who killed Carstairs? What happened to Bobby and Frankie? And what did the titular question mean?

By James Hibbs

Published: Tuesday, 11 April 2023 at 12:00 am

Hugh Laurie’s Agatha Christie adaptation, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, has now finished airing on ITV1 after it previously arrived on BritBox last year, and fans have now got answers to all the central questions.

The series stars Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton, and follows Bobby Jones, a vicar’s son who begins investigating the death of a man who, with his dying breath, asked the mysterious titular question.

The series also features cameo appearances by Jim Broadbent and Emma Thompson, and as with all Christie stories, includes plenty of twists and turns, as well as some killer reveals.

But just what did that central question actually mean, and who committed the murders throughout the series? Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?.

What did the question mean and who committed the murders?

""
Maeve Dermody as Moira and Will Poulter as Bobby Jones in Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Mammoth Screen/Agatha Christie Limited/ITV

It turns out that the murdered man was Alan Carstairs, friend of the late John Savage.

John Savage was a millionaire that Moira, Dr Nicholson’s wife, had met on a boat crossing while pretending to be called Rose Templeton. She had seduced him and convinced him he was dying of cancer, eventually killing him with chloral hydrate so as to inherit his money.

However, it wasn’t in Savage’s nature to make such a change to his will at such short notice, and Moira knew she wouldn’t be able to convince him to do so. Therefore, Moira had a new will signed by a fake Savage, with her accomplice, Roger Bassington-ffrench, impersonating him.

They had to get two witnesses to make the new will legally binding, and chose the cook and the gardener, who they assumed would never have met Savage in person and seen his face. They chose not to ask the parlourmaid, Gladys Evans, as she had met Savage on numerous occasions and would realise that Roger was not him.

""
Daniel Ings as Roger Bassington-ffrench, Lucy Boynton as Frankie Derwent and Will Poulter as Bobby Jones in Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
Mammoth Screen/Agatha Christie Limited/ITV

When Carstairs heard about the change to the will, he was immediately suspicious about his friend’s death, as he knew he wouldn’t have changed his will in such a manner. Therefore, Carstairs went investigating, and soon began wondering why they hadn’t asked Evans to witness the will signing – she would, after all, be the natural choice.

Moira then hired a man named Mr Angel to push Carstairs off the cliff as he was getting too close to the truth, having arrived in the village where Evans now lived.

Moira also had Angel kill Dr Thomas as he was “getting a little chatty”, and hired the Caymans who had come after Bobby and Frankie throughout their investigation.

Meanwhile Roger had killed Henry for his money and estate, and also because he had always hated him, in a separate plot largely unrelated to his and Moira’s scheme involving Savage.

What happened to Bobby and Frankie?

""
Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton in Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?
BritBox

After tracking down Gladys Evans in the village where Bobby lived, he and Frankie were starting to get close to the truth. Moira knew this and made it so she bumped into them, knowing Bobby would take pity on her.

As the trio had tea together, Moira put poison in Bobby and Frankie’s cups, but Frankie realised who she really was and what was she was planning.

Bobby then rushed to find Gladys, knowing that as the one person who could tie everything together, she would be the next target. He got there just in time, apprehending Roger who was about to kill her. As they struggled, Gladys knocked Roger over the head with a vase, incapacitating him.

In prison, Roger confessed everything to Bobby and Frankie. Then, with their ordeal over, Bobby and Frankie got engaged, with the final shots of the series seeing them getting married and driving off together.