Cooper & Fry on Channel 5: Everything we know about the murder of Ben Cooper's dad and who killed him
'Both Ben and Diane have huge backstories'
Cooper & Fry is Channel’s new drama, which throws two chalk and cheese detectives together to investigate local crimes – but they both have mysteries at the heart of their own private lives, including the unsolved murder of Ben’s dad.
Adapted from the best-selling novels by Stephen Booth, four feature length films take us to the mystery-shrouded Peak District… There we meet mismatched detectives Ben Cooper, a local copper played by Robert James-Collier, and guarded newcomer Diane Fry, played by Mandip Gill.
The pair are, at first, reluctantly thrown together to investigate a string of mysterious deaths. However, both Cooper and Fry have their fair share of dark secrets and mysteries in their past. Not least, what happened to Ben Cooper’s dad, and what Fry was running away from in Leeds.
Here’s everything we know so far about these mysteries so far.
***Warning: mild spoilers from Cooper & Fry ahead***
What happened to Ben’s dad in Cooper & Fry on Channel 5?
Ben Cooper followed in the footsteps of his dad, Detective Sergeant Joseph Cooper, a respected member of Edendale police force and “local legend”.
Joe Cooper – nicknamed “barrel” because of barrel coopers (a craftsman who makes and repairs wooden barrels) – tragically died in the line of duty. He was found beside his car by a bridge outside of town, and had been beaten to death. Worse still, they never found the killer.
Yep, that means the killer could still be walking around Edendale, which makes it hard for Ben Cooper to move on. And Ben has NOT moved on. Not at all.
In the closing scenes of Cooper & Fry episode 1, we saw Ben eating a lonely supper of cold pizza out of a takeaway box. As his grieving and alcoholic mum slept downstairs, Ben looked at a bedroom wall being used as an evidence board. The wall was covered in photos, newspaper clippings, and other evidence related to the death of his dad. Ben Cooper is clearly still investigating his father’s death.
In episode two, he confided in Diane. He said: “It’s the not knowing. Eats away at you.”
Who killed Ben’s dad Joe Cooper?
Of course, because of the nature of Joe Cooper’s job as a police officer, there were “too many suspects”. Basically, he’d “put too many criminals behind bars”.
In episode two, Ben told Diane: “Everyone has a different theory. [DI Paul] Hitchens thought he’d driven past and interrupted a burglary. [DS Todd] Eland thought it was some out of town drugs thing. But I know someone in Edendale knows something and isn’t talking.”
There were no forensics, no fibres and no DNA found on or near Joe Cooper’s body. And, if we believe Ben’s mum, the tarot cards say “money was the reason Joe was on the bridge”.
We also know that every year, on the anniversary of Joe’s death, someone is laying flowers at the scene of his death. The message alongside it always reads: “Always and forever.”
So who is leaving the flowers…? And does anybody else, like us, suspect one of Joe’s colleagues in the police is involved? All is revealed in the series finale on Tuesday, December 05, 2025 at 8pm on Channel 5.
‘Ben is trying to find out who’s behind the murder of his dad in Cooper & Fry’
Talking about his character, Rob James-Collier called him a “genuinely nice guy” and not like the corrupt office he played in The Level. However, he is “traumatised by his grief” and his sense of failure that he hasn’t cracked the case.
He explained: “Ben has a backstory. He’s trying to find out who’s behind the horrific murder of his dad, a well-known police officer. After five years researching his father’s death, he’s burnt out and has almost given up. He’s exhausted every avenue in his investigation. He’s convinced his dad was deliberately murdered and he’s been relentless in his pursuit of the truth. I like how Ben’s backstory and his investigation slowly evolves over the episodes.”
He added: “Fry’s spirit and enthusiasm leads to her picking up the mantle when the emotional toil becomes too great for Cooper. Throughout the series, we see her edging closer and closer to his dad’s killer. And then, while they’re working on another murder case, a moment of serendipity leads them to the murderer. There’s a great reveal which makes for a thrilling series finale.”
C0-creator and lead writer Ben Court explained: “We also wanted to make more of Cooper’s backstory, by having him investigate his dad’s murder throughout the series. We’ve created a returnable storyline, one which pulls all the books together.”
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