We loved the first five series of ITV crime drama Unforgotten and are thrilled that series 6 is on its way! It sees the return of Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jessica "Jessie" James, alongside Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunil "Sunny" Khan.
As with earlier seasons of the popular ITV drama, we’ll once again be plunged into a tangled case where body parts are found, and a group of four seemingly unconnected individuals find themselves drawn into a police investigation.
Unforgotten series 6 release date
Unforgotten season 6 will return to ITV and STV in Scotland on Sunday 9th February at 9pm. You'll have the opportunity to stream the whole series in one go, as the full boxset will be available to stream on ITVX, or you can savour it and watch one a week.
The second episode will air on Monday 10th February, also at 9pm.
Unforgotten series 6 cast
Sinéad Keenan is 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 have to say, everyone was brilliant this year. In those interview scenes, you are up close and personal, watching some brilliant actors do their thing. But watching and acting with Victoria Hamilton was quite something. She is so brilliant and so lovely with it. That was a real pleasure. I was very lucky.”
Sanjeev Bhaskar is DI Sunny Khan
Main 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.
The last time we saw him, Sunny was carrying—along with his iconic backpack—the grief of losing a colleague and friend, but thankfully, in this series, "he is definitely in a better place and a little more hopeful."
"I think he has re-found, not that he ever lost enthusiasm for the job, but he’s re-found his enthusiasm for the work environment that he’s in, so he’s definitely in a better place than he was", says Sanjeev.
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 is Juliet Cooper
Victoria Hamilton (COBRA, Life, Doctor Foster) plays Juliet Cooper, a History Lecturer and Faculty Head at a central London University. For Victoria, this job was "one of the happiest" she's ever had. "The highlight really was the entire project. They get absolutely everything right; they do everything they can possibly do to facilitate you getting the performance you want to do."
"You can genuinely feel the love that goes into the project, and the respect that each department has for each other. There is an amazing feeling on this set; they know what they’re making, they’re passionate about it and they all really want to be there. There is a belief in the fact that they're making something important that they're telling important stories."
MyAnna Buring is 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.
MyAnna expressed her joy at getting to work with Sanjeev and Sinéad: "I have a prevailing gratitude to them because one of my very first scenes to film was an interrogation scene, and it was done over Zoom. Their parts were going to be filmed on another day. And production had asked me, if I want them to come in and read for me and I thought, these guys are working flat out pretty much every day, they're traveling far, absolutely not.
"But on the day, I arrived, and both Sanjeev and Sinéad had come in, specifically to sit off in a corner and read lines and I think that's just the height of professional generosity. I have enormous admiration for both of them. They are the beating heart of this series, and they are brilliant at it."
Elham Ehsas is Asif Syed
Oscar shortlisted writer, director and actor Elham Ehsas has been cast as Asif Syhed, an Afghan man who speaks fluent English and is in training for his UK citizenship test.
“He comes from Afghanistan, but he has assimilated to the British way of life. He's built up a life and a world for himself that he's really proud of, especially with who he is and where he comes from. Nothing scares him much, because he's had to go through that darkness in his own country.", Elham told ITV.
"Asif is a helper, and he's incredibly loyal and sometimes that can come back to bite him. So we find him in a moment where he feels that maybe everything he's built is slowly trickling through his hands, and he's losing his life.”
Max Fairley is Martin ‘Marty’ Baines
Marty is autistic and lives in Deal, Kent with his mother, Dot. He is played by new actor Max Fairley, who is a recent graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
“I’ve been a fan of Unforgotten since it first came out in 2015, I’d watch it every week with my parents. So to end up on it has been incredibly surreal!", he said in Q&A session with ITV.
"Marty in particular has been superbly written by Chris Lang and is a depiction of an autistic individual which I don’t feel has been explored quite so in-depth on TV before, so to be trusted with the part has been a real honour."
Andrew Lancel as Steve James
Andrew Lancel (The Bill, Marcella) will be reprising his role as Jess’s husband Steve.
Kate Robbins as Kate
Dinnerladies and The Couple Next Door actor Kate Robbins will also be back playing Jess's mother Kate.
Jan Francis
Actress Jan Francis is joining Unforgotten series 6 as Marty's mum. She has appeared in Just Good Friends and Stay Lucky.
Emmett J. Scanlan as Patrick
Patrick is Melinda's husband who has recently become disabled due to a car crash that they were both involved in. He is played by Emmett J. Scanlan who rose to fame in Hollyoaks as "bad boy" Brendan Brady.
The actor has since gone on to have a successful career in drama, having worked on The Tower, Kin, Fool Me Once and The Teacher.
Damien Molony
Irish actor and The Split, Brassic and The Suspects star Damien Molony is also taking on a role in this series of Unforgotten.
What is Unforgotten series 6 about?
Since the end of the previous series, Jessie and Sunny have formed a healthy working relationship. Sanjeev says, "They’re still getting to know each other and there are still areas of each other’s lives that they don’t know, but they have an understanding now, and that makes them more of a team."
"I feel like they’re definitely sucking on diesel, as they say.", Sinéad told ITV. "They obviously don’t yet have the long-standing partnership Sunny and Cassie did, but they’ve got their own little groove going now, and I think they genuinely respect and like each other, and hopefully that continues.”
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.
'As the investigation unfolds, viewers are introduced to a diverse new cast of characters: Melinda Ricci (MyAnna Buring), an outspoken television commentator based in Ireland; Martin 'Marty' Baines (Max Fairley), an autistic man living with his mother Dot in Deal, Kent; Asif Syed (Elham Elas), an Afghan training for his UK citizenship test; and Juliet Cooper (Victoria Hamilton), a history lecturer and faculty head at a London university.
'While these characters live seemingly separate lives, they are intricately connected by their pasts. It’s up to Jess, Sunny, and their dedicated team to uncover these hidden links and ultimately expose the truth behind the cold case murder.'
Unforgotten series 6 trailer
ITV have shared the trailer for series 6 of Unforgotten on their social media accounts. Take a look at the new and returning cast in action:
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.