The Blame on ITV ending explained: Wakestead rapist and Sophie's killer revealed in fraught finale with huge twist
There was a rather large clue some of us missed...
The Blame on ITV did something few crime dramas manage to do these days – and that is deliver an unexpected ending with a dramatic twist. But there was a rather large clue that some of you may have picked up on…
Like Believe Me, which aired on ITV earlier this year, The Blame centred on disgusting misogyny in the police force. And shone a light on how (some) officers fail the very victims they should be helping.
The penultimate episode even featured “real messages” written by police officers in the UK, joking about rape and crimes against women. To call them offensive is an understatement.
At the centre of the story was Sophie Madsen, a young girl found murdered. And she held the key to everything at Wakestead police station. Viewers soon learnt that there was a vile sexual predator working at the station. But there were plenty of other villains, too.
The ending of The Blame on ITV finally revealed the identity of Sophie’s killer, and the prolific Wakestead rapist. And, shockingly, they were not the same person.
***Warning: spoilers from The Blame ending on ITV ahead***
What happened in the The Blame ending on ITV?
Things came to a head when the identity of the serial abuser was finally revealed, but Emma uncovered a further clue, forcing a devastating confrontation. There were, in fact, two killers working at Wakestead police station. Not to mention the gross collection of male officers who were – largely – misogynist. But, with DI Emma Crane on the case, all were exposed in the chilling series finale.
The Blame centred on the shocking betrayal of trust shown by (some of) the male officers working at Wakestead Police Station.
We learnt that one of them was a serial predator who had been abusing their power to lure women to his house, where he would drug them, sexually assault then, and raped them. As if that wasn’t heinous enough, he took trophy pictures of his victims. And these would eventually get him caught… Well done to Sophie Madsen who discovered his vile abuses, and – sadly through her death – helped uncover them.
After reporting her sexual assault to Wakestead and being failed, Sophie Madsen began looking into the station. And she discovered evidence proving there was a dangerous rapist working at the station. Tragically, it got her killed. But not by the rapist.
At the end of the penultimate episode, viewers discovered the identity of the villain. But Michelle Keegan’s DI Emma Crane was one step behind – and walked straight into danger…
Who was the Wakestead rapist in The Blame ending?
Neil Shergill was the serial rapist working at Wakestead Police Station. The “techie” has access to all the data going in and out of the station, and used it to find vulnerable women to prey on.
When a woman reported a sexual assault, they were most often ignored. Neil Shergill then used a burner phone to message them, playing nice cop. He asked to meet them, to take their claims seriously. As a police officer, he promised to pursue justice for them.
In fact, he drugged them, raped them, took pictures and got away with it – for years. Until he contacted Sophie Madsen. Sophie had been sexually assaulted by her ice skating coach Kyle Frasier. But, when she reported it to the police, morally repugnant DC Stevens and DC James took advantage of her too.
So when Neil Shergill contacted her, promising to help, she tried to have faith in him and arrived at his house. Luckily, she still had huge issues with trust, though. So when he tried to ply her with alcohol – laced with drugs – she didn’t drink the wine. Instead, she smelt a rat and tried to get away from him.
While hiding in his house, she discovered the shocking evidence of his previous rapes… Polaroid pictures of Marissa Andrei, Katie Densden, and Amber Dodd, and many more victims.
Who did Neil Shergill kill?
Neil Shergill wasn’t just a rapist. He was a murderer too. The creep had also killed one of his victims. And this is where it gets very icky indeed.
Neil has raped and murdered a teenager called Amber Dodds four years earlier. It was one of the first cases that DI Emma Crane and DI Tom Radley worked on together. The duo were convinced a man called Stanley Vogel had killed her. So convinced in fact that Emma planted evidence in her house to frame him. Yes, he was a rapist. But, no he wasn’t the man who had attacked Amber.
Without realising it, DI Emma Crane had framed the wrong man. And, in turn, allowed Neil Shergill to get away with murder…
There were no clear right or wrongs here. Everyone at Wakestead Police had bent the rules in some way – whether for the ‘right’ reasons or for their own ambition. While DI Crane thought she was doing the right thing, it wasn’t her decision to make.
Nigel Boyle played the villain once again
Line of Duty fans might have felt a rather large sense of déjà vu when the rapist was finally revealed in The Blame ending. And it might just have ruined the series a tiny bit. And given you a big clue.
When Nigel Boyle’s character Neil Shergill popped up as an unassuming techie guy in episode 1, some cynical crime drama fans might have jumped to the obvious conclusion…
Nigel Boyle is most famous for playing another unassuming, seemingly background character – Ian Buckells in Line of Duty. Fans were miffed when he was subsequently revealed to be the famous ‘H’.
Earlier this year, the actor portrayed the ‘unassuming murderer’ in The Good Ship Murder, too. So, does this mean that every time we see Nigel Boyle in a drama he’s going to be the secret villain? Which makes him… not so secret anymore?
The Blame ending: Who killed Sophie Madsen?
Sophie, at just 16, had had a pretty horrible last few months of her life. Sexually assaulted by her coach, ridiculed by the police, and nearly raped by Neil Shergill. But she was a very brave teenager, and didn’t let any of it stop her. Sophie planned to turn whistleblower. Tragically, the man she chose to trust failed her too.
The young skater asked DI Tom Radley for help. She was determined to bring the Wakestead police station, and Neil Shergill to justice. But Tom had reasons of his own to shut her up. It was Tom who killed Sophie.
Although Tom was no rapist, he’d been complicit in Neil Shergill’s crimes. While investigating the rape of Marissa Andrei, he’d seen CCTV footage proving that Shergill was her attacker. Did he flag to his superiors and get him locked up, never to hurt another woman ever again? Nope. He used it to his advantage.
After all, having the techie guy at the station in his pocket would be useful. We learnt that Tom was fiercely ambitious and didn’t like the fact his partner at work, Kapil Manek, was ruining his chances of promotion. Poor Kapil didn’t fit in with the lad culture and, so, was bullied and harrassed.
He was eventually forced to resign after being framed for exposing the identity of a confidential informant. Only he didn’t. Shergill altered the paperwork because Tom Radley wanted him gone.
So Tom overlooked a rape, in order to blackmail Neil Shergill to do this biding. Of course, he used Shergill’s ‘services’ once more to cover up the murder of Sophie Madsen. When Sophie told Tom she had evidence against Neil Shergill, Tom knew this would implicate him. Long story short, he killed her and asked Neil to cover his tracks.
What else happened in The Blame ending on ITV?
A devastated DI Emma Crane arrested DI Tom Radley after he admitted killing Sophie Madsen. Yes, he was cute, but he was no better than his sick work colleagues.
DC Lewis Brimah discovered that DI Crane was also corrupt. When it became clear that Neil Shergill had killed Amber Dodds, and NOT Stanley Vogel, she hid the evidence. She wanted to save her own arse, too. There was no one with a clean slate in The Blame. But what would DC Lewis Brimah do with the info? We’ll we’d need a series 2 to reveal that.
The moral of The Blame isn’t a new one. It’s that every man and woman who stays silent about corruption, misogyny, and abuse, is guilty too.
DC Stevens and DC James were suspended for abusing their position as police officers. They were being charged with several matters in relation to sexual assault and gross misconduct.
Is there a series 2 of The Blame?
ITV hasn’t confirmed if there’ll be a series 2 of The Blame, but they’d be bonkers not to recommission.
A series 2 could see DC Lewis Brimah confronting DI Emma Crane over the Amber Dodd case, as well as follow the pair on a new case.
Michelle Keegan recently pulled out of a major upcoming ITV legal drama just weeks before filming was scheduled to begin. The actress was set to play the lead role of a working-class barrister in a big-budget production written by Sherlock creator Steve Thompson.
However, she chose to walk away before officially signing her contract due to a conflict with her family life. Jodie Whittaker subsequently took over the role. Michelle has revealed she’d become more picky about what roles she chooses, as they must fit around her daughter Palma.
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