Showtrial cast<\/a>.<\/p>\nDhillon Harwood (Joseph Payne), friend to Talitha and son of a prolific MP, is implicated in the crime and the two are ultimately tried together for murder.<\/p>\n
The brand new thriller is available to stream as a box set on BBC iPlayer, with some viewers choosing to watch ahead in order to get the answers they crave.<\/p>\n
You can find all the details on the Showtrial ending right here; suffice to say, full spoilers\u00a0<\/strong>follow.<\/p>\nShowtrial ending explained: Who goes to prison in the series finale?<\/strong><\/h2>\n (L-R) Cleo Roberts (Tracy Ifeachor), Talitha Campbell (Celine Buckens)<\/span><\/figcaption> World Productions – Photographer: Joss Barratt<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n The Showtrial finale takes us to court, where Talitha and Dhillon are being prosecuted for the murder of Hannah Ellis, with each of them attempting to argue their innocence (to some degree).<\/p>\n
Talitha insists that she never went over to Hannah\u2019s house on that fateful night, instead going home and passing out after a long night of partying with various intoxicants.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Dhillon says that the two of them did visit Hannah\u2019s house with the intention of making amends for their dispute, but the reconciliation quickly escalated into a threesome.<\/p>\n
During this sexual encounter, Dhillon alleges that Talitha had wrapped her scarf around Hannah\u2019s neck to make things more intense, but in doing so had strangled her to death \u2013 he believes it was most likely an accident, but isn\u2019t totally sure.<\/p>\n
Dhillon has the upper hand to begin with, relying on forensic evidence that suggests Talitha may have handled the backpack used in the disposal of Hannah\u2019s body.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in a shocking development, a suicide note from one of her former lovers states that Talitha had discussed an interest in killing a girl during sex, but she said that any outrageous comments made in his company were only to gratify him.<\/p>\n
When Talitha herself took to the stand, defence lawyer Cleo Roberts was able to change the narrative around her by bringing up repeated sexual abuse she endured as a teenager at parties arranged by her mother.<\/p>\n
This, combined with reasonable doubt over the validity of the forensic evidence, succeeded in getting Talitha off the hook, as the jury found her \u201cnot guilty\u201d of the murder charge.<\/p>\n
Dhillon was not so lucky. Frustrated outbursts on the stand as well as revelations about previous accusations of harassment from other girls, led to the jury concluding that he was solely responsible for Hannah\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
He was sentenced to no less than 23 years in prison.<\/p>
Who killed Hannah Ellis in Showtrial?<\/strong><\/h2>\nWith Showtrial, there was a sense from the beginning that what the jury decides and what\u00a0actually\u00a0<\/em>happened would not necessarily match up.<\/p>\nHowever, in the final episode, we never actually find out the exact circumstances of Hannah\u2019s death, with writer Ben Richards deciding to leave it up to viewers to interpret what was fact and what was fiction.<\/p>\n
All three stories are plausible enough, but only one version of events can be entirely true.<\/p>\n
Theory One: Dhillon and Talitha are both implicated<\/strong><\/h3>\n Celine Buckens and Joseph Payne in Showtrial<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n Perhaps Dhillon was telling the truth: he and Talitha were both present at the moment of Hannah\u2019s death, with the fatality being the result of a tragic accident during sex.<\/p>\n
You could push this theory further to say that Talitha intentionally killed Hannah during intercourse, depending on whether you trust the note left by Stephen Vendler and Cressida\u2019s claim that her daughter is a compulsive liar.<\/p>\n
However, it may simply be that Dhillon knew he would be suspected due to the DNA evidence on the scene, and saw Talitha as the perfect candidate to take the fall for him.<\/p>\n
Theory Two: It was all Dhillon<\/strong><\/h3>\n Joseph Payne in Showtrial<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n Despite being friends for many years, Talitha and Dhillon were quick to throw each other under the bus in court, with her defence looking to poke holes in his version of events.<\/p>\n
They point out that it seems odd that Dhillon would not notice Hannah being choked to death (he says he was performing oral sex on her at the time), as there would have been a struggle or attempt to fight back.<\/p>\n
They also drew attention to Dhillon\u2019s track record, having had previous complaints made against him for harassing young women at his university, including by filming them and sending them unwanted items.<\/p>\n
In addition, DNA evidence confirmed that Dhillon did have sexual intercourse with Hannah prior to her death, while the forensic fibres linking Talitha to the scene are more easily disputed.<\/p>\n
Theory Three: It was all Talitha<\/strong><\/h3>\n Celine Buckens in Showtrial<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n From the beginning, Talitha has been viewed as the prime suspect in the Hannah Ellis murder case by lead detective Paula Cassidy and it\u2019s not hard to see why.<\/p>\n
In the days leading up to her death, Talitha had sent Hannah abusive text messages which included an overt threat of violence, while the suicide note left by Stephen Vendler alleged she had fantasised about murdering someone in the past.<\/p>\n
Additionally, fibres from Hannah\u2019s backpack, which was used in the disposal of her body, were found in Talitha\u2019s bracelet, although the defence argued that these could simply have been transferred at a festival they once attended together.<\/p>\n
Another thing to bear in mind is that after Talitha had been found innocent, she dropped by Cleo\u2019s law office and seemed to drop a hint that perhaps she had been guilty the whole time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did it, Cleo\u2026 we so totally fooled them,\u201d she said. \u201cYour face\u2026 I thought it didn\u2019t matter. I thought it was all about process.\u201d<\/p>\n
She then laughs it off and says she was only joking, but the bizarre exchange clearly gives Cleo pause, examining her former client from the window before going back to her business.<\/p>\n
Let us know who you think the real Showtrial killer was in the poll below.<\/p>\n
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