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BBC audiences were left utterly stunned by The Capture's dramatic season three finale as it returned one final time.

Rachel Carey (played by Holliday Grainger) confronted her most formidable challenge yet as the finale delivered shocking moments and extraordinary revelations right through to the closing credits, prompting fans to demand a fourth season.

In the penultimate episode of the BBC thriller, Rachel had pledged to dismantle E Squadron once and for all, with fans hoping she would honour her commitment.

As her investigation into Isaac Turner's (Paapa Essiedu) death drew to a conclusion, one aspect of the storyline remained unresolved.

Here is everything you need to know about what transpired in the season three finale of The Capture.

Rachel was appointed Commander of Counter Terror as Noah Pierson's (Killian Scott) position required urgent filling.

Deputy Commissioner Julian Talbot (Andrew Buchan) and Rachel agreed to release the previous evidence they had compiled publicly, ensuring arrests for those culpable.

However, shortly afterwards, Rachel was kidnapped by Colonel Christopher Figgis (Linus Roache), who disclosed that AI Simon was finding it difficult to analyse her, and he had coerced Tom Kendrick (David Tennant) and others into serving him.

He presented Rachel with footage of her sister Abigail (Daisy Waterstone) with a firearm pointed at her head, though Rachel maintained it was a deepfake. Abigail was shot and Rachel was shown the bloodstains, yet she still harboured some doubts as to whether the footage was genuine.

Rachel believed she too was about to be executed, but the entire squadron then vacated the room, leaving a gun on the floor for Rachel to discover.

It was later revealed that Abigail had survived and it had in fact been a deepfake.

Elsewhere, former home secretary Sir Rowan Gill (Andy Nyman) was summoned before the enquiry into Correction.

He exposed Gemma Garland's (Lia Williams) identity as the individual who had overseen the Correction programme, effectively drawing her into the open.

She arrived to give testimony regarding Correction, and in the build-up to her appearance, Wizard (Kenneth Collard) repaired Noah Pierson's heart device and dispatched him to rescue Rachel.

However, he took an unexpected detour, appearing at the enquiry to shoot Gemma dead, with all footage subsequently wiped save for that captured by BBC journalist Natasha Hayes (Jude Mack).

James Whitlock (Joe Dempsie) was released on bail but was instantly killed by those in the employ of E Squadron.

Pierson arrived to rescue Rachel, but, having learnt what he had just done, she shot him with the gun that had been left for her.

Before succumbing to his injuries, Pierson maintained he had genuinely intended to save Rachel, but had been assigned a new mission to eliminate Garland, as her death would lead the public to believe Correction had died with her.

Following Gemma's shooting, it was revealed that James Whitlock had carried out the attack, rather than Noah Pierson. This demonstrated that Correction had genuinely been a force for good within society, and had the programme still been operational, Whitlock would have remained behind bars and the assault on Garland would never have taken place.

It was further disclosed that Natasha Hayes had been working for E Squadron, and had coerced Paige (Leah Eckardt) into carrying out her orders.

Rachel uncovered the truth about Hayes and Paige, leading to Hayes' arrest while Paige divulged every last detail, which Rachel believed could be used to dismantle E Squadron.

However, they retaliated by circulating false information claiming Pierson had been a Russian agent, before she could expose E Squadron's involvement.

Rachel concluded that nobody could ever triumph in a confrontation with E Squadron, given their overwhelming power and formidable organisation.

In the closing scene, Rachel returned home to discover Abigail safe and unharmed in her flat.

Abigail snapped a selfie of the pair seated on the sofa, with a window visible behind them, and the two shared an emotional conversation about moving in together.

After Abigail retired to bed, Rachel scrolled through the selfies and was startled to notice that, in the background peering through the window, stood Gemma Garland.

Given the property was part of an apartment block, there was simply no conceivable way Gemma could have been there, and upon glancing back at her phone, Gemma had vanished from the image.

Viewers were left puzzling over the significance - had Rachel's ordeal finally taken its toll on her sanity? Or had the phone somehow been compromised to briefly insert Gemma's image? Fans pleaded for a fourth series to provide further answers, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to voice their opinions.

One devoted viewer wrote: "@BBCOneDrama There needs to be a fourth series of #TheCapture. It is sooo good. S3E6 was superb and left us wanting another series. Soon."

Another queried: "Is Gemma dead?" before adding: "I don't trust these scriptwriters anymore We need answers!!! We need S4!!"

The Capture season 3 is on BBC iPlayer