Tony Curran smiling and Tom Glynn-Carney signing in Mayflies
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Mayflies finale leaves viewers in tears: Unanswered questions after BBC One drama ends

Someone pass the tissues!

The Mayflies ending played out on BBC One tonight (December 29), and we needed a lot of tissues.

The series has kept us all hooked on Tully’s cancer journey and his unbreakable bond with his life-long best friend Jimmy, played by Martin Compston.

But if you’re like us, you might still be left with so many unanswered questions.

Here are four questions we have after Mayflies’ heartbreaking ending.

Tony Curran and Ashley Jensen hugging in Mayflies
Ashley Jensen played Tully’s wife Anna in Mayflies (Credit: BBC)

Mayflies ending explained: Why did Tully try to take his own life in the sea?

In episode two, we were all left speechless after Anna (Ashley Jensen) found a goodbye note written by her husband Tully.

Devastated, the distraught newlywed rushed to the beach where she found a drunken Tully about to drown himself in the sea.

After many helpless cries, Anna eventually managed to stop him from taking his own life and he walked back to shore.

Tully then explained that he was just “taking a swim in the sea” to try and calm Anna down.

But why did he attempt to take his life so soon and what happened to his plans to go to Switzerland?

Mayflies episode two: How did Limbo die?

In episode two, we also saw Tully, Jimmy and Tibbs standing together at a grave.

But whose grave was it?

We were all shocked to discover that the grave actually belonged to their friend Limbo.

From getting drunk to standing up on the stage at a rock concert in Manchester, the spirited teen was often seen in the flashbacks causing trouble with the lads.

In the flashbacks, we also saw Limbo decide to not return back home after their trip to Manchester.

So what actually happened to him and how did he die?

Rian Gordon and Tom Glynn-Carney sitting by the pool in Mayflies
Rian Gordon and Tom Glynn-Carney play a young version of Tully and Jimmy (Credit: BBC)

Is Tully’s father’s death the reason he doesn’t want to do chemo?

In the final episode of Mayflies, a young Tully was devastated to reveal that his father had a heart attack.

He said: “If Limbo doesn’t watch it, he’ll end up like my old man. He had a heart attack on Wednesday.

“He’s in the hospital now. He’s come through with this one but it’s the start isn’t it?

“My mum had to wipe his chin.”

In another flashback we then see Tully (Tom Glynn-Carney) being with his father when he passed away.

Tully was seen hunched over his father as he died of another heart attack.

Talking about the incident with Jimmy, he revealed: “I was trying to help him, I had this feeling that he’d infect me.

“He was trying to tell me something ‘You never really knew me son’.”

So is this why Tully was so against chemo, because he was afraid of becoming like his father?

Tony Curran looking serious in Mayflies
Tony Curran played Tully in Mayflies (Credit: BBC One)

Mayflies episode two: Is Tully dead?

Mayflies’ heartbreaking ending left us all in tears as Tully decides to go through with his plan.

Tully flies to Switzerland with Anna, Jimmy and Jimmy’s wife Iona as he prepares to take matters into his own hands and end his own life.

We see Tully take the first dosage, but before he takes the second dosage that’s supposed to kill him, he decides to go outside and play football with his wife.

So is Tully actually dead?

Although we don’t actually see Tully drink from the second cup, we can assume that Tully has probably passed away.

Read more: Viewers have same complaint about Martin Compston drama Mayflies

All episodes of Mayflies will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

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What did you think of the final episode of Mayflies? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.


Aaliyah Ashfield
Digital Marketing Apprentice