Unforgiven (TV series)


Unforgiven is a three-part British television drama series, written by Sally Wainwright and directed by David Evans, that premiered on ITV in January 2009. Set in Yorkshire, Unforgiven follows Ruth Slater, a woman found guilty of murdering two police officers when she was a teenager. Upon release from prison, Ruth is determined to find her sister, who was adopted shortly after the incident. Unforgiven won the award for Best Drama Series or Serial at the 2009 Royal Television Society Awards.

Synopsis

Ruth Slater, a woman found guilty of murdering two police officers when she was a teenager, is released from prison. She is determined to find her sister, who was adopted shortly after the incident.

Cast

Production

Unforgiven was written by Sally Wainwright and directed by David Evans. Cinematography was by Sean Bobbitt. It was produced by the Red Production Company.
''Unforgiven is set in Yorkshire, specifically the village of Boothtown in Halifax.''

Broadcast

Unforgiven premiered on ITV on 12 January 2009. Broadcast across three consecutive Mondays at 9:00 pm, the series averaged 7 million viewers across its run.
The series was released on DVD on 2 February 2009.
In 2012 it was broadcast on STV.

Critical response

Writing in The Guardian, Gareth McLean praised Evans' direction and Jones' performance, saying "Measured and mesmerising, the script is taut and true, and Unforgiven has a bleak beauty about it." Brian Viner of The Independent also praised Jones' acting and gave the show five stars, writing: "There are moments when our credibility is, if not quite strained, then certainly challenged but on the whole it is an engrossing, believable story, cleverly and thrillingly told."

Accolades

Unforgiven won the award for Best Drama Series or Serial at the 2009 RTS Awards, and writer Sally Wainwright won the Writer of the Year Award for her writing.

Adaptation

A film adaptation of the series, named The Unforgivable, starring Sandra Bullock and directed by Nora Fingscheidt, was released in cinemas in the United States on 24 November 2021, prior to streaming on Netflix on 10 December 2024.