Unforgotten

Your DNA was on the sweatshirt.

Was it you that attacked Mr. Cooper that night?

No comment.

JULIET: Say you don't remember anything that happened that night.

JESSICA: We're done.

(softly): No... FRAN: The blood on Melinda Ricci's jacket, it belonged to Gerard Cooper.

KANE: You're under arrest on suspicion of murder.

I didn't do it.

MURRAY: Martin Baines disappeared.

Search is underway for him.

(thunder claps) (whimpers) (click) All we do is hide away All we do is, all we do is hide away All we do is lie in wait All we do is, all we do is lie in wait I've been upside down I don't want to be the right way round Can't find paradise on the ground What are you doing, Marty?

Whoops-a-daisy.

(car doors opening and closing) (Marty groans) (car door closes) So can you stop harassing me and my daughter now?

No one's been harassing you, Juliet.

You went behind my back to my daughter's school.

Yesterday, I had to tell her you might be interrogating her... We wanted a brief chat.

That is your suspect.

A man who's twice come to our home equipped to do us violence.

It's not a very big leap, is it, to work out that he probably killed Gerry, too.

Come on.

How's my mum?

I need to remind you you're still under caution, Marty.

Did she die?

No.

But she's very poorly, I'm afraid.

Oh, Mum... (engine starts) (birds twittering) MELINDA: Yes, that's my jacket.

SUNNY: Are you able to explain why Mr. Cooper's blood is on it?

Because he did hit me.

And on that occasion, I hit him back.

And where was this?

My flat.

When?

February 12, my birthday.

So you were still seeing each other at this point?

That was the night we split up.

Your birthday.

Oh, yeah.

Because?

It's a long story.

Here all day.

So I got pregnant by him in June 2020.

But at that stage of my life, having a child was just not something I could contemplate.

So I had a termination.

And that night, he came round...

I'm sorry.

Father Ryan told me that you actually had the baby and gave it up for adoption.

That's an interesting interpretation of confessional privilege.

Yes, I told Father Ryan that because when I said I'd got pregnant by a married man, he nearly wet the bed.

I mean, from everything that I've read of yours, from watching some of your stuff on BNC, you're a pretty staunch pro-lifer, aren't you?

I think that terminating a potential life is a desperately sad thing to do.

But bringing a child into the world, especially now, that you don't want, that you don't feel that you can give the best life to is so much more sad, is how I feel.

And I profoundly regret not saying that out loud before now.

I think it's fair to say that I'm the worst kind of hypocrite.

And when was it, the termination?

(crying) (sniffles) Um... July.

And Cooper knew about it?

Yes, unfortunately.

Why unfortunately?

Um, so on, on February 12... (sniffling) ...uh, Gerry called me and said that he wanted to come round to give me something.

And idiot me, I still thought that it was a present, but, um, actually, it was a demand that I lend him 30 grand.

(sniffles) I presume, then, by this stage, he knew that you'd been offered a contract by BNC?

Yes.

And what did you say?

No, of course.

Did you have that amount of money?

No.

(sniffles) I mean, I had a few thousand saved up, but nothing near that amount.

And what did he say when you said no?

That he would tell BNC and every newspaper I'd ever worked for that this pro-lifer, devout Catholic, had broken lockdown rules, had an affair with a married man, and had an abortion.

And I told him he was evil.

And he punched me in the face.

And I hit him round the head with a carving of a duck.

Hence the blood.

And then I fled my flat.

And I didn't return until about three hours later, this time with a male friend, but by that time, he'd, he'd gone.

And will your friend testify to that?

Mm, yeah, I spoke to him yesterday, he, I'll, I'll give you his details.

(sniffles) Did Cooper ever act on any of his threats?

Not that I'm aware of, no.

But by the time it, it'd come closer to me leaving, he'd lowered the amount to 5K.

And just to get him off my back, I agreed to meet him and make him a transfer.

And that was on the 24th of February, and obviously, he, he never showed.

And then I found out from a mutual friend that he'd disappeared.

And, and given everything that had gone on between us, I just, I just wanted to get out of London as quickly as possible.

I'll ask you again.

Did you ever liaise with Juliet Cooper?

Yes, I spoke to her once.

She must have got my number from his phone.

She rang me about a year before he disappeared.

She was very unpleasant.

She said that she would ruin my life.

But I never, I never met her in person.

(children calling and playing in distance) (doorbell rings) Mrs. Dowari?

NAHAL: Yes.

MURRAY: DS Boulting, Bishop Street police station.

Wonder if you could spare me five minutes for a quick chat.

(woman speaking over P.A., people talking in background) JESSICA (over phone): Would she return here voluntarily?

SUNNY: Mm, she said an emphatic "no."

And given any extradition will take many weeks, I'm heading back.

Well, there've also been some interesting developments here.

SUNNY: Yeah?

What's happening?

Almost immediately, it was clear it wasn't habitable.

Damp started to appear in both bedrooms, and the children started to cough and have permanent colds.

And you feel bad, complaining, because we were immigrants and we had not yet had the opportunity to give back to this wonderful country.

But Asif was brilliant, and told us our children have a right to live safely.

He was only our interpreter, but he fought so hard for us with Mr. Cooper.

Except, every time Mr. Cooper said he'd fix the damp, all he ever really did was paint over it.

And so our son Jamal got sicker and sicker...

Sorry.

How old was Jamal at this point?

(exhales softly) 18 months when we moved in in September 2020.

Thank you-- please, go on.

So, he was really poorly, with a lung infection, and then, in late January 2021, he was actually admitted to hospital because of his breathing.

And how long was your son in hospital?

Two weeks and five days.

And then he came home to your new place?

How do you mean?

When he recovered, he came home to your new place?

Jamal never came home.

Right.

Sorry, so where did he go?

Jamal died.

Oh, Mrs. Dowari.

Sorry.

I thought you knew.

He had an acute fungal infection in his lungs, from the damp, and he died on the 22nd of February 2021, two days before his second birthday.

I'm so, so sorry.

May Allah comfort you.

Thank you.

Do you mind if I just ask one last question, please?

Of course.

I presume that Asif wasn't interpreting for you anymore, in your new place?

No.

But you kept in contact with each other?

Very much so-- he had become a valued friend.

And I'm assuming that he knew about your son's death?

After our family, he was the first person we told.

(birds twittering) (breathing quickly) Okay, so obviously, we need to speak to Asif again.

Yeah, the timing's just too coincidental, isn't it?

Agreed-- Fran?

We have triangulation.

Excellent!

Okay, so, if you look on the 22nd, that's the Monday, data puts Cooper in Brighton, which checks out with his desk diary-- he was meeting snack suppliers.

Yep.

Then back in Bow, in the evening, where he calls a local takeaway.

Yes, got that.

Then, the 23rd, he seems to spend most of the day in Bow, presumably working in or above the pub.

Okay.

Or at least his phone spent most of the day in Bow.

Well, yeah.

But, 13:37, on the 24th, he makes the call to the brewery woman to cancel the 4:00 meeting, and that call is made in Ilford.

Where was Marty Baines's flat?

Ilford.

Okay.

So on the day he is reported missing, we have Cooper maybe meeting Martin Baines.

Maybe.

And did you actually speak to the brewery person who got the voicemail?

Yes-- she said it was definitely Cooper.

Okay, so we know he's alive on the 24th.

Well, yeah, probably.

What do you mean?

There's just this weird thing with the voicemail he left her.

She said he called her "babe."

"Babe"?

She said the message was something like, "Um, sorry, babe, can't make today now, I'll call you."

Okay, and do we definitely know that they were just work colleagues?

I mean, given what we do know about him.

Oh, yeah.

She said they were definitely just colleagues and that his language was inappropriate.

So...

I don't know.

Something about the timing of all this is just off.

The dodgy number plates, and this message.

MURRAY AND KAREN: Mm.

It's something.

Yeah.

One to ponder.

Mm.

Um... (phone vibrating) Okay, listen, thanks, guys.

Hey.

KATE (over phone): Hi, love, hi-- um, Steve's been here, he took his stuff.

Yeah, I know, I said he could.

KATE: No, no, it's not that.

It's, it's not that, Jess, I'm just a bit worried about him.

He's saying some bad things.

What things?

Like how he's messed up his whole life, and he can't see a way forward.

Is he still there?

No, he left about ten minutes ago.

He's found a rental round the corner.

Where?

KATE: Um, Larford Street.

Jesus, that's literally the next road.

KATE: I mean, he wouldn't do anything silly, would he?

He's not, he's not like that, is he?

He's not that sort of person?

No, look, uh, I'll, I'll call him or drop by on the way home-- what number is it again?

KATE: 25.

JESSICA: Right, okay, um, listen, Mum, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later.

Okay, thanks, bye.

(inhales): So, how was it?

I don't know if you're aware of this, but it rains a lot in Ireland.

You're joking!

I never noticed.

Listen, are you okay to go straight into an interview with Asif Syed?

We've only got two hours left on the clock.

Yeah, let's go for it.

And then it'll be straight into Martin Baines.

I think Murray sent you the Dowari statement?

He did, and I've got an idea on how to approach this.

Great, fire away.

SUNNY: Since we last spoke, we have new information on the Dowari family.

Do you remember Jamal Dowari?

No comment.

Well, according to his mum, Nahal, you absolutely adored him.

You bought him a play mat for his first birthday, you babysat him on numerous occasions.

Do you remember that?

No comment.

I'm sorry to bring this up, because I can see you're getting upset, but do you remember what caused little Jamal's death?

No comment.

I think you do remember.

Because you were at the hospital, helping the Dowari family understand what was happening, and speaking to the doctors, weren't you?

(sniffles): No comment.

You know he died of a fungal infection, almost certainly caused by the conditions in Gerard Cooper's flat.

No comment.

Do you remember the day he died, Asif?

(sniffles) He died on the 22nd of February 2021, just two days before his second birthday and less than 48 hours before Gerard Cooper disappeared.

JESSICA: So listen, let me tell you where we are.

I think you're in a bit of a panic.

I think you see your whole world collapsing: your citizenship, your relationship, your whole life in the U.K. And the truth is, if you do remain silent, we would be obliged to seek the authority to charge you with the car park assault, despite us knowing that Gerard Cooper was a violent man you may well have had to defend yourself against.

SUNNY: For your information, I've spoken to the police at Barnstaple, and they will not be charging you with any immigration offenses.

Your partner has taken full responsibility for that.

So we would love to be able to eliminate you from our inquiries, as well.

We suspect you're a good man, Asif, but... (exhales): You need to help us here.

Help us help you.

(sniffles) A few weeks after Jamal first got sick, in December, I, I went to see Cooper at his pub, doing a lunch for the homeless.

And there he was.

Serving food, and handing out clothes and presents, and... (chuckles): He was brilliant.

Kind, funny, generous, and just... Just lovely.

Which is when I realized he could be empathetic.

He did have the capacity for compassion, he just...

He just chose not to show it to us.

Because he'd stopped seeing us as human.

We had swarmed over in our hordes.

He saw us as, as vermin.

(inhales) The day Jamal got admitted, I went to see Cooper that night.

I'd taken a, a photo of Jamal on a drip, and my intention was just to show him, to shame him, and, and naively, I thought, maybe, maybe it would change him.

His reaction at, at first was to intimidate me, physically, pushing and shoving, 'cause he was a bully.

And when that didn't work-- because why would it with someone like me?-- he actually tried to hit me.

I mean, he was out of shape, and I put him down in two punches, but... That was it.

I walked away leaving him groaning on the ground, but very much alive.

(door opens) (switch clicks) JESSICA: So, what were you doing in Juliet Cooper's house, Marty?

I wanted to speak to Taylor.

Right, and what did you want to say to her?

I wanted to offer her my sincere condolences for her loss.

You broke into her house late at night to offer your condolences?

Yes, I did.

(sighs): You had a screwdriver on you, Marty, in your bag, and a hammer in your hand when we intercepted you.

Marty Baines, lock-breaker extraordinaire.

So you've broken into her home before, haven't you?

Uh, yes, I have.

Where was that?

Above the pub.

Why'd you do that?

To give her dad a right sorting-out.

Marty.

Mm, you wanted to do violence to him?

Uh, yes, I did.

Punch him on the hooter.

Okay.

So, we know that Taylor talked you out of doing anything that day, but did you later change your mind?

No, I did not.

At a later date, did you get angry again about what he did to you, and specifically to your dad, and attack him?

No, I did not.

Did you kill him, Marty?

No man has the right to take another man's life, D.I.

Sunil Khan.

Can we talk to you about Ilford?

I lived in Ilford.

Yes, we know.

We wanted to ask you about a particular day.

What day?

A day we think that Gerry Cooper was in Ilford, as well.

In 2021, in February, we wanted to ask you if you remember meeting him in Ilford.

I never met him in Ilford.

You sure?

Yes, I'm sure.

Never came to your flat?

He never came to my flat.

'Cause we have a record of a phone call he made from Ilford on the day we think he might have disappeared.

What day is this?

The 24th of February 2021.

On the 24th of February, I had Coco Pops and tinned peaches for breakfast, watched "Lorraine" and "Homes Under the Hammer," before walking to City Airport to watch for planes.

I returned to my flat at 20: 55 in time for Kirstie and Phil on "Love It or List It."

That's very detailed, Marty.

Can I ask you why you've never told us this before?

You never asked me.

Out of interest, can I ask you what you did on the 23rd?

On the 23rd of February, I had Coco Pops and tinned peaches for breakfast, watched "Lorraine" and "Homes Under the Hammer" before walking to City Airport to watch for planes.

I returned to my flat at 20: 35 for "The Real CSI" at 21:00.

(alarm buzzes) I'm putting good money on him being on that airport CCTV exactly when he said he was.

Mm.

Boss.

Mm-hmm?

The cyclist's daughter dropped his diary in.

Oh, yeah?

Like he said, it was 3:30 in the morning when he witnessed the disposal, but it was 3:30 on the 24th.

No way.

Which obviously begs a number of questions.

Yeah, just a few.

SUNNY: Yeah.

The most obvious one of which is, how the hell does a man leave a voicemail on someone's phone when his dismembered body had been thrown into the marsh ten hours before?

(sirens blaring in distance) KAREN: So these, according to DVLA, are the five number plates at the time of the murder of the cars of Asif Syed, Melinda Ricci, Marty Baines' dad, Gerry Cooper, and Juliet Cooper-- all pretty anonymous saloons.

And this is our murder car.

Now, it's possible, I guess, that the killer could've acquired fake plates, but that would have required a lot of prior planning, suggests premeditation.

This wasn't premeditated.

No, so, my best guess is, they altered their own plates with marker pen or tape or whatever.

Changed an F to an E, a three or six to an eight, et cetera.

So basically, which of these five plates could most easily be changed to match that one?

Exactly.

So who's good at Wordle?

Well, it's obviously not that one or that one.

Can't be this one, either.

SUNNY: Yeah.

Well, the two Fs can be two Es.

FRAN: Yeah, that P's gotta be that B. Yeah, so it's obviously this one, then, isn't it?

The M stays the same.

Mm-hmm.

The C changes to an O. Mm-hmm.

The five to a six, seven stays the same, two Es, and a B.

So whose car is that?

That car... ...belonged to... ...Juliet Cooper.

(whistles) Hass!

HASSAN (over phone): Asif.

(sighs, speaking Dari): HASSAN (speaking Dari): ASIF: That was the hospital.

Marty's mum's recovered consciousness.

Mm-hmm?

And she just told a nurse that she stirred the pills into her own drink.

Why?

Said she felt "a burden."

Said she felt that he would get better help without her.

(exhales deeply) Right, aside from the burglary dwelling, let's release him NFA.

Yep.

He'll need to be with her.

Mm-hmm.

Has anyone seen D.I.

Khan?

LEANNE: I really like you.

I always have, but you were taken.

But over the last year or so, as we've got to know each other better, it's just...

It's just been lovely.

And then the other night happened.

And then you rang.

And rang, and I ran.

As I always have, actually.

So I'm just gonna say what I'm gonna say and then, if you don't mind, I'm gonna go back to work, and you can absorb it without the pressure of me looking at you.

You're not a serial killer, are you?

(chuckling) (sighs) 24 years ago, I was in a relationship with a bloke, and we'd been together three pretty unhappy years, and then... One day, I went out to get some fags and never came back.

Which was... fine, except... We had a daughter.

Who I also left behind.

And who, for many complicated reasons, I've... ...not seen since.

Which is obviously quite a thing.

That's what I thought you should know.

And obviously, there were mental health issues and court cases and lots and lots of pain.

And I'm sure you have a million questions, but, as I say, I'm gonna head back to work now, but I just wanted you to know that, and, um... And... Yeah.

Call me if you still... Yeah.

Lee.

Leanne?

(door opens) (door closes) (phone vibrating) (sighs) Jess, what's happening?

The thing that tripped us up was the voice message left on the 24th.

But I'm guessing that was an old message left for you.

And you just replayed it into his phone mic, as you used his phone to call the brewery colleague.

Nice touch driving to Ilford to make the call, though.

Mm.

And when we track down your old car, I wonder if we'll find residue of the marker pen or gaffer tape you used on the number plates.

No jury would ever convict on any of that.

Oh, I don't know.

But we'll also speak to your daughter.

And I have a strong feeling that, based on your intense desire for us not to, that she saw something that night.

Or you can tell us what happened.

And maybe, maybe we don't need to involve Taylor.

I'll tell you.

(phone ringing in distance) The marriage had been broken for many years.

He'd, he'd changed so much from the person I met in 2009.

I guess we both changed.

The further he lurched to the right, the more I'd provoke him, mostly deliberately, and end up loathing him all afresh.

Why didn't you just separate?

Taylor.

Our finances.

The pandemic, inertia-- there were always reasons.

Bad ones, but reasons.

And so... How did it end?

It was the night of the 22nd.

I was cooking.

Making stuff for the freezer.

And he got back late, after 11:00, drunk, and told me he'd be out on the 24th.

I reminded him, sarcastically, that that was our wedding anniversary.

And he spewed out some misogyny or other, and we started to go at each other.

Taylor was deep asleep upstairs, thank God.

And as usual, when I bested him verbally, which I always did, 'cause it turns out he was thick, he'd start getting physical.

Pushing me and grabbing my hair.

So I'd gone to the kitchen table to try to de-escalate things, I sat down to continue chopping, and, without any warning, he punched the back of my head.

Really hard.

And it was so painful and such a shock that something in me snapped.

And I, I...

I span round in my chair and, and sort of punched the top of his leg.

With a little paring knife still in my hand.

And, and he must have been so surprised himself, he, he didn't even come after me as I bolted.

And I managed to get to the downstairs loo and lock myself in.

And I could hear him shouting at me, calling me all sorts of names and telling me what he was going to do to me.

And then I heard him say he was bleeding badly.

And then it went quiet for a bit, and, and then he...

He called my name, still quite angrily, and, and then it just went quiet, and stayed quiet.

I stayed in the loo for, I don't know, maybe half-an-hour.

I didn't come out till I was sure he'd have calmed down.

I found him on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood.

Dead.

MARTY: No good crying over spilt milk, Mum.

Just want you home now.

That's what we're gonna do, Marty.

Soon as Mum's up and walking, we'll get her some help at home, okay?

Yeah?

Yeah.

Help at home!

That's what we wanted, isn't it?

Yeah?

Home, sweet home, Mum.

As soon as I saw he was dead, in that same instant, I knew.

I would do whatever I needed to do to protect my daughter.

I would not, I could not leave her alone.

No father, and me in prison?

But I, I knew I, I needed to be very, very, focused not to get caught.

So... First up, I used multiple cloths to mop it up, put them all into a bucket, and then everything into multiple bin liners.

I then stripped all my clothes off, put them into bin liners, and then wrapped Gerry in the same, before dragging him into his office and locking the door.

In the morning, I took Taylor to school... ...saying Daddy had left for a work meeting, and arranged a play date for her that evening.

I then went to work, leaving Gerry's phone on and charged at home.

My last lecture finished at 3: 00.

Then I drove home, stopping first at an internet caf to Google the hell out of stuff, then a hardware store, where I bought... (stammers) ...two new carving knives, more refuse sacks, and some gaffer tape, with cash.

When I got back to the pub, I made sure I had a nice chat with them all, then went upstairs.

I dragged Gerry back into the kitchen... (voice cracking): ...and I cut him up into six pieces.

Took less than an hour.

Minimal blood by this stage, obviously.

Then I wrapped each part in bin liners, and again, took off all my clothes, put them into bin liners, before showering and putting on fresh clothes.

I then put Gerry back in his office, locked the door, and drove to pick up Taylor from her play date.

When she was in the bath... ...one by one, I put the bits of Gerry into a big holdall and then into the boot of the car.

I then stirred a herbal sleeping pill into a cup of hot chocolate and put Taylor to bed.

After the pub was shut, I went and changed the number plate with cut-up pieces of gaffer tape, and at 2:30 in the morning, I drove east to the marshes.

And that's what happened.

(inhales) JESSICA: Her timeline's wrong.

SUNNY: Her what?

What?

What is it?

(murmurs) There, right?

On the 22nd, he calls a takeaway at 19:12, which is about 100 yards from their flat, yeah?

And then, he gets this text message confirming the delivery address for the order as the flat above their pub.

Well, why would she say that he didn't get home till 11:00?

Exactly-- why lie about the timing if you've confessed to the murder?

Why do you think?

I think you know.

JESSICA: Taylor, you wouldn't be telling us anything we don't already know.

Yeah, yes, yeah, he hit her.

And did you witness it?

I heard it, lots of times.

And I saw the bruises on her body.

But then the last row, I actually did see it, yeah.

Okay, and can you tell us about it?

Look, whatever's happened, whatever my mum's admitted doing, it would only have been in self-defense.

Oh, we absolutely know that.

I was, I was just in my bedroom, doing some homework.

Um, I heard him start shouting.

Roughly what time?

Maybe 8: 00?

Okay.

So I put my buds in, but I could still hear him.

And, um, I could hear her screaming back at him.

And I don't know why, but this time, I decided to go downstairs.

And she was on the floor in the kitchen.

She was on her side, and she kept trying to get up, but every time she would, he'd... (sniffs) ...bring the heel of his boot down on her ribs.

Really hard.

And, um, she was crying, and it was horrible.

He had his back to me, and she was faced away, so neither of them saw me, but I just, I wanted to do something to stop him, because I thought he was gonna kill her.

So there was this little knife on the kitchen table, and I, I grabbed it, and I sort of jabbed it into his leg.

I'm just gonna have to quickly caution...

It's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's, there's no need.

Um, carry on.

So you, you grabbed it and you jabbed it in his leg.

Yeah, and he, um, he cried out in shock, and he swung round, and he saw me, and he looked so upset.

Um, and then Mum was back up on her feet, so she grabbed my hand and she led me upstairs.

And I just remember looking back and seeing him watch me go, holding the back of his leg, and he just looked really sad.

And then, my mum ran me a bath upstairs, and she read with me, and then, then she stroked me to sleep.

And the next morning, there was a, a Crunchie by the side of my bed.

And, um, Mum said that Dad had left it for me and that he had to leave early for a work meeting, so...

I knew he'd forgiven me for what I'd done.

SUNNY: And, uh... Did you see him that evening?

No-- I had a play date after school.

(sniffles) And, um, Mum said that he was on a work call in his office and that I wasn't to disturb him.

And then the next day was when he went missing.

Oh, my God.

She doesn't know.

No.

Her mother took her upstairs.

She never even saw him bleeding.

I mean... (sighs) What do we even do with that?

Just... What do we do?

Okay, so I think we only really have two options.

We somehow ignore that.

What she just said, let the mother take the blame.

Okay, so, so Juliet goes self-defense, gets maybe four years, out in two?

Yeah.

And then we're liable for perverting the course of justice.

Yes.

Or... We tell the CPS.

What she just told us?

I mean, they will almost certainly decide that charges are not in the public interest.

Almost certainly.

Well, exactly.

And even, even if they do decide that, a 14-year-old kid still has to live with the knowledge that she killed her own dad.

(sighs) Do you know what?

This is not our decision to make.

Who the hell else's is it?

It's Juliet's.

No.

You do not want the weight of this on your shoulders.

Please.

Jess.

Trust me, you do not.

We need to speak to Juliet.

(keys jangling) (lock turns, door creaking) (door buzzes in distance) (crying): Why would you have interviewed her?

Why would you have done that?

(door buzzing in distance) She's been through so much already.

Why couldn't you just let me protect her?

Because even taking into account the circumstances, Juliet, you might still spend two years in jail, away from your daughter.

Which is infinitely better than her spending a single second there.

Except we don't think she would.

We think a reasonable force argument would prevail, and we don't think the CPS would want to prosecute.

SUNNY: Now, you could then be charged with unlawful disposal and perverting the course of justice.

But again, given the circumstances, we don't think the CPS would want to prosecute, although that's a risk you need to consider.

JESSICA: Now, obviously, you know, we can't guarantee anything, but you can decide what you want to do.

There's, there's no record of our conversation with Taylor.

We just wanted to let you know that you have a choice.

(crying): My God.

(sighs) What would you do?

MELINDA: So, for a number of reasons, this is my last show.

BNC have said it's because I've been guilty of moral turpitude, and maybe I have.

But I think the real reason I've been fired is because I've stopped being able to say what they want me to say and believe it.

Now, what they wanted me to say was generally what they thought you believed.

And of course, you're entitled to hold whichever views you wish.

It is a free country, with free speech.

But I do also want to say this.

Don't you sometimes want to hear the other side of the debate?

I think a channel like ours should test and challenge its audience sometimes.

I think we should air contrary positions to the ones we know you think, because surely it's only through a vigorous but respectful exchange of opinions that new ideas, hopefully better ones, about how we live our lives today can begin to develop.

Now, I was pretty angry when they first fired me, and I was gonna sit here and give them, and you, both barrels tonight.

But you know what?

Enough rage.

Enough division.

It's really not getting us anywhere, is it?

So, instead, I wish you all love, I wish you all peace, and for now, from me, it's good night, good luck, and God bless.

VITA: Thank you, Mel.

(device beeping) GEOFF (on monitor): Coming up later... (continues indistinctly) (door opens) What's happening, Mum?

(door closes) (exhales) ASIF: And you'll lose your commission?

Hm, probably.

Oh, Sam.

Hey, I'm not gonna be incarcerated on a barge for the next God knows how many months, so I've no regrets.

I took you for granted.

And you being able to stay here, us being able to be together, is way more important than my job.

(sighs): And, uh... (exhales, chuckles) Um...

This is not how I planned this, um... How do you fancy marrying me, gorgeous man?

Yes.

(laughs) Oh, yes.

(both exclaiming softly) JESSICA: Yep, okay, understood.

Okay, I'll tell them.

Thanks, bye.

(breathes deeply) Not in the public interest to charge Taylor.

And Juliet?

(inhales): Same.

We made a decision.

Sometimes, that's all you can do.

Yeah.

Let's go tell them.

(woman speaking on P.A., phones ringing) Hey, Mel.

Hey!

How are you?

I'm good, thanks, really good.

Not seen you for a few days.

Uh, no, I've been away for a bit.

But I'm back now-- I'm back.

Good.

(people talking in background) STEVE: Here you go.

(siren wailing, people talking in background) (people talking and laughing in background) (both talking indistinctly, glasses clink) (seat belt clicks) (engine starts) (turn signal clicking) (sighs) LEANNE (on voicemail greeting): Hi, you've reached Leanne.

Please leave a message after the tone.

(voicemail beeps) Hey, it's me.

Um...

So thank you for telling me what you did.

I'm not sure how you expected me to react, um, but you seemed pretty scared, uh... And I get that.

So let's meet, let's talk more, let's get drunk more.

We all have our stories, Lee.

The stuff that we did that we wish was different, the people that we were that we wish we weren't.

God knows I have.

So let's meet.

And yeah, let's talk.

Call me, when you're ready.

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