AN INTENSE end to the latest instalment of Broadchurch left fans in fits of giggles on Monday night – after Lenny Henry gave someone a ‘red nose’.
Comic Relief founder Lenny, who is playing rape suspect Ed Burnett in the third and final series of the crime drama, ended the episode by storming into Jim Atwood’s garage and beating him up for cheating on his wife with rape victim Trish Winterman.
The greengrocer makes the last minute decision to confront the cheating mechanic, and surprises him at work with a sucker punch to the face, leaving him writhing in pain on the floor as he gets more punches in.
However, as the intense seen reached its climax, the dark tone was quickly broken as viewers began to realise the bloodied nose Jim got on screen was remarkably similar to the bi-annual Red Nose Day charity drive that bears the same emblem.
Proving that the British public can’t help themselves when it comes to a good pun, a heap of viewers swarmed to Twitter to notice the connection.
One fan wrote: “Watching Lenny Henry beat up Cath’s husband on #broadchurch and all I’m thinking is “he gave him a red nose””
Another said: “I think Lenny Henry has taken Red Nose Day a bit far on #Broadchurch”
While someone else wrote: “#broadchurch somebody should tell Lenry Henry that Red Nose Day is now over.”
And a fourth warned: “Lenny!!! That’s not how red nose day works! #broadchurch”
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Luckily everyone seemed in on the joke, with another person adding: “Big lenny dishing out the red noses on #broadchurch tonight”
Meanwhile, as Ed served his own kind of revenge on tonight’s episode, Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller are still no closer to discovering who raped Trish Winterman, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh.
Even Lenny’s character Ed is in the limelight, after developing a clear infatuation with Trish that has left fans debating whether it’s protective or something more sinister.
In tonight’s episode, the main suspects made themselves even more worrying as it was discovered that there was at least two other rapes in the same style as Trish’s across the past two years.
Trish’s ex-husband Ian is also in the limelight, and Ed was seen refusing to let him stay in the caravans he rents after he ends up on the outs with his girlfriend.
We also discover that Jim Atwood had an ‘intense discussion’ with Trish the night of the attack, but it was never revealed what about.
With two episodes to go, the team still have a heap of suspects to go through – including the creepy taxi driver who was waiting outside the party.
- Broadchurch continues Monday at 9pm on ITV1.
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