Unforgotten
Unforgotten is a British crime drama television series, which initially aired on ITV on 8 October 2015. It was created and written by Chris Lang and directed by Andy Wilson. The programme follows a team of London detectives led by DCI Cassie Stuart , DCI Jessie James and DI Sunny Khan as they solve cold cases of disappearance and murder.
Each series consists of six episodes. Series 1 to 4 were broadcast in the UK in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2021. For Series 5, which premiered on ITV in February 2023, Sinéad Keenan replaced Walker as Bhaskar's new partner, DCI Jessica "Jessie" James.. Series 6 aired starting 9 February 2025. In February 2025, ITV renewed the crime drama for a seventh series.
Each series deals with a new case, introducing seemingly unconnected characters who are gradually revealed to have some relationship with the victim. As the murder mystery unfolds, the emotional ramifications of the crime on the lives of those affected are also explored.
Unforgotten has received critical acclaim. Tom Courtenay won the 2016 BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for the first series and Mark Bonnar won the 2017 BAFTA Scotland for Best Actor in Television for the second series.
Plot
Series 1 to 4 include the story of DCI Cassie Stuart's personal life: of the typical but growing conflicts in her immediate family, of her spartan arms-length relationships with individuals who like her, of her drive to solve cases and of her coping both successfully and unsuccessfully with the relentless strain of her job. During the historical cold cases, Cassie verbalizes her driving motives: find the truth of what happened, provide closure to the living and possibly bring a criminal to justice. An inner motive surfaces when she says she hopes solving a current case will help "... move on... If we can do this right, if we can ignore who they are and do it by the book, then all the questions might all go away. And I might be able to sleep at night."Series 1 focuses on the murder of James "Jimmy" Sullivan, a 17-year-old who disappeared in 1976. His remains are discovered during the demolition of a house in north London.
Series 2 follows the murder of David Walker, a Conservative Party consultant who went missing in 1990. His saponified remains are found in a suitcase in the River Lea in north-east London.
Series 3 investigates the murder of schoolgirl Hayley Reid, who disappeared from a seaside resort town on New Year's Eve 1999. Her skeleton is discovered by workmen repairing the central reservation of the M1 motorway in London.
Series 4 follows the discovery in 2020 of Matthew Walsh's headless and handless corpse, found inside an old freezer removed during a house clearance in north London. His body had apparently been frozen since his disappearance in 1990 when he encountered five police trainees celebrating their Passing Out from the academy.
Series 5 investigates the murder of Precious Falade, whose body is found in the chimney of a house undergoing renovation. While DCI James tries to deal with the revelation that her husband has been having an affair with her sister, she and the team assemble the circumstances surrounding the death, including the troubled lives of the dead woman's mother, son and key social worker.
Series 6 follows the discovery of body parts belonging to a man called Gerry Cooper, in a London marsh. DCI James resumes contact with her sister, but finds it difficult. Sunny and pathologist Leanne Balcombe begin dating.
Cast
- Nicola Walker as DCI Cassandra 'Cassie' Stuart
- Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan
- Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jessica 'Jessie' James
- Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting
- Lewis Reeves as DC Jake Collier
- Pippa Nixon as DC Karen 'Kaz' Willetts
- Peter Egan as Martin Hughes, DCI Stuart's father
- Jassa Ahluwalia as Adam Stuart, DCI Stuart's son
- Colin R. Campbell as DSI Clive Andrews, DCI Stuart's boss
- Carolina Main as DC Fran Lingley
- Alastair MacKenzie as ex-DCI John Bentley and later Cassie's partner
- Georgia Mackenzie as Leanne Balcombe, pathologist
- Michelle Bonnard as Sally Fields, Sunny's partner
- Janet Dibley as Jenny, Martin's partner
- Andrew Lancel as Steve James, DCI James’ husband
- Kate Robbins as Kate, DCI James’ mother
Series 1 (2015) cast
Series 2 (2017) cast
Series 3 (2018) cast
Series 4 (2021) cast
Series 5 (2023) cast
Series 6 (2025) cast
Production
The series was originally developed, by Lang, as a serial titled 27 Arlington Crescent. Filming for the first series began in March 2015 and lasted for twelve weeks. Locations included Liverpool, the London suburbs, Kingston upon Thames, the Essex coast, Westminster and the Fens.After the unexpected success of the initial series, ITV commissioned a second series, with Lang returning as writer and Wilson as director. It was shot on location by the River Lea, in the Cotswolds, and along the promenade in Brighton.
A third series order was announced on 2 March 2017, following strong viewing figures. Scenes were set in Lymington, Hampshire, Uxbridge, Middlesex, Amersham in Buckinghamshire, Clifton in Bristol, Ealing in West London, and King's Lynn and Hunstanton in Norfolk. An empty mansion at Bulstrode Park near Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire provided the setting for the police station and lab. Only seven weeks after filming wrapped, the third series began broadcasting in the UK on 15 July 2018.
A fourth series was scheduled to be made in autumn 2019; however, ITV only confirmed in January 2020 that filming had commenced, with the planned broadcasting timeframe having been delayed. In September 2020, it was announced that filming had recommenced and the series planned on being screened in 2021, with actors Walker, Bhaskar, Reeves and Egan all reprising their roles. The new series eventually began screening in February 2021.
Filming for the fifth series began on 14 March 2022, with the airing of the series beginning on 27 February 2023.
In April 2023, ITV renewed the crime drama for a sixth series, which was launched on ITV1 on 9 February 2025.
The opening and closing credits are accompanied by the song "All We Do", written and performed by the English duo Oh Wonder.