Murder Before Evensong ending explained: Who killed Anthony Bowness?

Six episodes and four dead bodies later, fans were introduced to not one but TWO killers in the Murder Before Evensong finale. After sticking to his guns, Canon Daniel Clement charged on with his bunker theory, believing that the abandoned World War II site held the key to Anthony Bowness and Ned Thwaites' murders – and of course, he was right.

Having failed to convince DS Neil Vanloo of his suspicions, Daniel took the matter into his own hands, investigating the bunker in secret and discovering the skeletal remains of Philip Kerling, a double agent who was believed to have fled to France in 1944.

After confiding in his mother, Audrey, the vicar realised he held all the cards, and embarked on a game of cat-and-mouse with the killer. His plan? To inform the members of his Parish that construction would commence on a church toilet, requiring the church font – also known as the entrance to the bunker – to be moved the following morning. Surmising that the killer would have to return to dispose of Kerling's remains, Daniel simply had to wait.

That night, as he hid in the darkness of the bunker, our hero finally got his killer. "I had a feeling it would be you," he said, "Why don't we start at the beginning?"

Here, we break down the Murder Before Evensong finale…

Murder Before Evensong ending explained

Who killed Anthony Bowness and Ned Thwaites?

To Daniel's horror, Kath was unmasked as the killer. Knowing she'd been caught red-handed, the seemingly sweet pensioner confessed to killing Anthony Bowness and Ned Thwaites. Her motive? To cover up the murder of Philip Kerling, which took place 40 years prior, in 1944.

Recalling her younger years in Champton, Kath tells Daniel that she fell for Hervé Gauchet, a soldier from the Free French Army, while attending a village dance. Noting that Hervé had escaped France after Dunkirk and joined the SOE, Kath explained that he would travel in and out of France, helping the Resistance.

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As members of the Special Duties Signal Unit in Champton, Kath and Dora had both used the church bunker, and the only other person who knew of its existence was her beloved Hervé. Completely besotted with one another, the couple had promised to live together in Provence when the war was over, but their happiness was short-lived.

A couple of months later, Kath and Hervé learned that there was a traitor in their midst after several SOE and Resistance members were rounded up and shot by the Germans. When Hervé heard from a friend that the traitor was living in Champton, he flew back to France to discuss the matter further. Awaiting his return, Kath, who had learned she was pregnant, watched his plane fly over the fields of Champton just moments before it exploded.

Utterly heartbroken, Kath continued to work from the church bunker, where she learned of Kerling's suspicious activities. At the time, a young Bernard de Flouers had been a runner for the SOE, and after reporting that he had seen Kerling near Hervé's plane, Kath realised that he was the traitor and had likely sabotaged the aircraft.

Determined to prove it, Kath had broken into the house where Kerling was billeted and searched for proof, but when he came back early and confronted her with a gun, a fight broke out, and Kerling was killed. Knowing that the church bunker was about to be decommissioned, Kath decided to cover up the murder by leaving Kerling's body in the crypt and putting his name in the flight log of a mission that flew out to France.

Investigators surmised that Kerling was a traitor and had likely fled, allowing Kath to live a peaceful existence in Champton for the next 40 years – that is, until history buff Anthony Bowness came along. Interested in the village's role in the war and keen to locate the secret bunker, Kath had followed Anthony to the church on the night of his death, where she grabbed a pair of secateurs and stabbed him in the neck.

Just when she thought she had covered her tracks, however, Ned Thwaites began digging into Kerling's story for the local paper. After finding the flight log and realising that it had been doctored, Kath became worried that it would lead back to her and requested a private meeting with the journalist. While he waited for her, Kath snuck up behind him and slit his throat before pushing him into the river.

After making her full confession, Daniel insists on turning Kath in and informs her that he's left detailed notes pointing to her, should she attempt to kill him, too. Kath agrees, adding that she only murdered Anthony to protect her sister Dora, who has terminal cancer, from watching her be arrested and put on trial. Kath asks Daniel to take her to Dora one last time before she goes to the police, and he agrees.

Who killed Philip Kerling?

In the bunker, Kath had told Daniel that she'd killed Kerling by hitting him over the head with a lamp during their struggle, but the vicar wasn't convinced, and when he took her to see Dora, he realised what actually happened.

As they sat down for tea, Daniel pointed out one discrepancy in Kath's story – she said she'd hit Kerling with the lamp, but moments before, she said she'd thrown it at him when they started to fight. Noting that Kath couldn't have grabbed the lamp off the floor, Daniel realises that it was Dora who killed Kerling.

Dora had known that Kath was going to break into Kerling's house and followed her that night. After finding her sister in a struggle with Kerling, she had hit Kerling with the lamp, and Kath helped her cover up the murder. As it turns out, Kath had killed Anthony and Ned to protect Dora – it was never about protecting herself.

What really happened to Stella Harper?

As Daniel sat down with Kath and Dora, DS Neil Vanloo learned that Stella Harper had, in fact, been murdered as traces of oleander, a poisonous herb, had been found in her tea.

After a call from a concerned Audrey, the police raced to Kath and Dora's house, where Kath confessed to Daniel that she killed Stella because she was planning to go to the police to report Edgy's threats. Kath had no intention of murdering her friend, but recognised that should Stella have done so, it would have ruined her alibi for the night Ned was killed.

On the evening of Ned's murder, Stella had called Dora and Kath to tell them what happened, and Dora had gone to Stella's house to calm her down. But, as Kath had already told the police that they were both at home on the night of Ned's murder, they would have realised that she'd lied, and hadn't been with her sister, Dora, either.

What happened to Kath and Dora?

With their arrest imminent, Kath and Dora revealed to Daniel that during their conversation, they had been drinking poisoned tea. "Don't worry, I made yours separately," Kath explained, clarifying that she hadn't poisoned him.

As the sisters sat, dying in their chairs, they reached out for one another and asked Daniel to pray for them, to which he reluctantly obliged. The pair passed away before DS Vanloo and the police could reach them.

What's next for Daniel?

Daniel has been through a lot this season, and after leaving the police at Kath and Dora's house, headed to the church for a moment of reflection. Joined by his mother, Audrey, the Canon admitted that initially, he didn't want to be merciful when Kath asked him to pray for her, and had simply wanted judgement and blame for her. Comforting her son, Audrey took his hand and led him out of the church, where they shared a moment of laughter.

An open ending, Daniel was in a good place when we left him in the finale. The vicar's position at the church is safe, his relationship with his mother on the mend, and the murders in his village solved. Clearly, Daniel has a talent for investigating too, after identifying the killer (or killers) before DS Vanloo could. With multiple books in Reverend Richard Coles' book series, there's plenty of material for further adaptations, should Channel 5 and Acorn TV renew the show.

Currently, its unknown if Murder Before Evensong has received the green light for a second season, but with a bit of luck, Canon Daniel Clement might just have a bright future ahead…

Murder Before Evensong is available to stream on 5.

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