We loved the first five series of ITV crime drama, Unforgotten and are thrilled that filming has begun on series 6! It sees the return of actress Sinéad Keenan from Being Human, alongside actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, most famous for Goodness Gracious Me.
Sinéad Keenan (who you may also recognise from ITV's Deep Water) joined the cast as DCI Jessica 'Jessie' James in Unforgotten series 5, while comedian and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar (known for The Kumars and The Indian Doctor) plays her deputy, DS Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan and has been in the show since the beginning.
Unforgotten plot
Here's the official synopsis from ITV: "When suspected human remains are discovered on Whitney Marsh, Jess and Sunny are called to the scene, ditching their respective plans for the evening much to Jess’s husband Steve’s chagrin.
"With Dr Balcombe’s expert analysis of the human spine, it’s evident the remains are relatively recent and her guess is the body was put there already dismembered. With this knowledge, Jess and Sunny begin to search the area believing other body parts may not be too far away."
Unforgotten series 6 cast
Sinéad Keenan, DCI Jessica 'Jessie' James
After taking over the role of DCI from the much-loved and respected Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker), Jessie James is still solving cold cases with her work partner, Sunny Khan.
Sinéad says she's happy to be back. “I am absolutely delighted to be stepping into the world of Unforgotten once more. To be involved with the incredible team at Mainstreet on yet another set of stellar scripts from Chris Lang, with the brilliant Andy Wilson at the helm is a real treat. And to get to work again with Sanjeev, Carolina, Jordan, Pippa, and Georgia is an absolute joy. To call it *work* is a total misnomer. I can’t wait to get started!”
Sanjeev Bhaskar, DI Sunny Khan
Regular cast member Sunny Khan has been in the show since the beginning. He is well respected by his colleagues and he was particularly close to his colleague and partner-in-crime DCI Cassie Stuart.
Speaking of playing Sunny again, Sanjeev said: “I’m humbled and excited to be back as Sunny Khan, bearing the backpack for series 6 of Unforgotten. Chris’s scripts, as ever, are intriguing, detailed and empathetic. Andy’s direction and the skill of Sinead and the cast make this a warm and creative experience that so much more than a job. Once again I feel lucky to be a part of it."
Victoria Hamilton, Juliet Cooper
Victoria Hamilton (COBRA, Life, Doctor Foster) plays Juliet Copper, a History Lecturer and Faculty Head at a central London University.
MyAnna Burning, Melinda Ricci
Melinda Ricci is played by actress MyAnna Buring (In the Dark, Responder). She's based in Ireland and is an outspoken television commentator who is renowned for her forthright views.
Elham Ehas, Asif Syed
Actor and writer Elham Ehas has been cast as Asif Syhed, an Afghan man who speaks fluent English and is in training for his UK citizenship test.
Max Fairley, Martin ‘Marty’ Baines
Marty is autistic and lives in Deal, Kent with his mother, Dot. He is played by Max Fairley.
How did Cassie die in Unforgotten?
*Contains a potential spoiler for those that haven't watched the previous series.*
Nicola Walker played DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten from series 1-4 (2015-2021), but sadly her character was killed off in the fourth series in a car crash.
Nicola says she could never be a DCI in real life. “While I have the utmost respect for the work the police do, I couldn’t do it. In one of the first scenes, you see Cassie finding the skeleton in the cellar. I wouldn’t be able to take something like that in my stride – just acting it has an effect on me and I try not to take it home with me. I want to affect the audience, not my poor family.”
Discussing her take on the Unforgotten, Nicola said: “Essentially, Unforgotten poses questions like – ‘How do you live when you have something in your past which you have to completely bury because it’s so awful?’,” Nicola explains. “How does a person live a life, having murdered someone, without it showing?"
“What’s very special about The Unforgotten is that it shows the lives of the four suspects before it’s confirmed they have anything to do with the murder. You really get to know their characters and you start caring about them and their families. I also like the fact that it’s a far more realistic representation of a police force investigating a crime than we’re perhaps used to seeing on TV. That’s what initially drew me in when I first read the script. Obviously I’m not going to drop any hints about who the murderer turns out to be but the viewers will be surprised, I think. I certainly was when I found out.”
Previous stars (and suspects) that have worked on Unforgotten include Sir Tom Courtenay, Trevor Eve, Peter Egan, Gemma Jones, Bernard Hill, Hannah Gordon, Cherie Lunghi and Ruth Sheen.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who enjoys cooking and spending time with her many pets.