While we were gutted about Nicola Walker’s departure from Chris Lang’s critically acclaimed crime drama, Unforgotten, at the end of series 4, the arrival of Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jessica James in series 5, certainly helped soften the blow. Tough and abrupt, she brought a whole new energy to the team dynamic and her partnership with fan favourite DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) – and now the pair are finally back for a sixth series.
Set to be quite the explosive series, there’s murder (of course!), lies and plenty of new arrivals coming to shake things up. In fact, creator and writer Chris Lang has said the season will tell "a story that has been gestating for nearly eight years, since the 23rd June 2016, when our country seemed to fracture in two." Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know about the new series, starting this weekend…
What is Unforgotten series 6 about?
As is often the case, the new series begins with the discovery of suspected human remains. Jess and Sunny are called to the crime scene at Whitney Marsh, abandoning their evening plans, much to the annoyance of Jess’ husband Steve.
Dr Balcombe’s expert analysis of the human spine shows that the remains are relatively recent, and she believes the body was already dismembered when it was dumped. Armed with this knowledge, Jess and Sunny begin to search the area believing that other body parts may not be too far away.
According to Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sunny and Jess are more of a team this series. “I think their working relationship is now pretty solid, there’s a deep kind of trust between them," he says.
"Neither sees the other as a threat, which I think happened in the previous series. They're not entirely open with each other about their personal lives yet - they haven't quite got to that stage - but it certainly feels like an organic kind of improvement on where they were."
Who's joining the cast of Unforgotten series 6?
As the investigation unfolds, we'll be introduced to a whole host of new intriguing characters. MyAnna Buring stars as Melinda Ricci, an outspoken television commentator based in Ireland; Max Fairley is Martin Baines, an autistic man who lives with his mother in Kent; Elham Elas plays Asif Syed, an Afghan training for his UK citizenship test; and Victoria Hamilton is Juliet Cooper, 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," the official synopsis reveals.
When can I watch Unforgotten series 6?
Unforgotten series 6 is set to premiere on ITV1 on Sunday 9th February at 9pm, with all episodes of the season available to stream on ITVX as a box set on the same day.
