You ultimate guide to Unforgotten series 5
Nicola Walker won't appear in the new series
Following the heartbreaking ending to series four of ITV drama Unforgotten, a new series arrived on Monday 27th February. At the end of the last series we saw main character DCI Cassie Stuart, played by actress Nicola Walker, die from brain injuries following a tragic car accident.
Although Nicola has now left the show, Irish actress Sinéad Keenan has been brought in alongside the loveable DS Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, played by Sanjeev Bhaskar.
When does Unforgotten start?
Series 5 of Unforgotten started on Monday 27th February 2023 at 9pm.
How can I watch Unforgotten?
Series five airs on ITV1 and ITVX, with episodes airing weekly every Monday night at 9pm.
Old episodes of the hit drama are also available to watch on ITVX.
What will happen in series 5 of Unforgotten?
Although we don't want to give away too many spoilers, ITV have given a synopsis for the opening episode.
It reads: 'When a severed leg is discovered in a bricked-up chimney flue the team get to work identifying the victim and cause of death.
'Cassie’s replacement on the force, DCI Jess James, has a rocky start as she clashes with a grieving Sunny.'
Trailer for Unforgotten:
A 40-second trailer was released on Friday 17th February for the fifth series of Unforgotten, with the caption: 'The team are back, but there’s a new boss in town…'.
Watch the trailer below:
Cast of Unforgotten:
It was announced in March last year that Irish actress Sinéad Keenan, famous for her roles in Little Boy Blue, Three Families and Showtrial, had joined the cast as DCI Jessica James for series five.
Speaking about her new role, she said: “I have long been an admirer of Chris Lang’s work so I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Unforgotten team. I’m very much looking forward to working with the extraordinary cast led by the brilliant and incredibly lovely, Sanjeev Bhaskar. And I’m hoping that if I play my cards right I might even get to take a peek in Sunny’s backpack!”
Sinéad has now also spoken about her character, saying: "Jess is the new DCI. She was a fast-tracked cop, one of these ones who have a degree and can skip a few levels. She is very good at her job, very ambitious, and has a promotion. She’s got a husband, two children, perfect life. And then she starts this new job, and on the first day she gets some news on the way to work that completely blindsides her that has implications in terms of how she is at her job. So that’s simmering in the background."
As he has since series one, BAFTA nominated actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, who plays the role of DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, will also appear.
Speaking about his character being 'lost' at the beginning of series five, Sanjeev said: “It was weird, because not having Nicola there felt really odd. In a way, she is such a good and close friend, I felt slightly lost in the way that Sunny does. But the fact that it was about Cassie/Nicola made it easier to get to those places. I hope that comes across.
“Grief does affect people in deep and profound ways. And I think one of the ways that it does affect people is you do feel lost, because it’s such a mixture of different emotions. There’s loss, there’s regret, there’s having to recalibrate what your life is. And for Sunny, all of those things, all those existential things, are sitting behind everything he does."
Ian McElhinney ,Hayley Mills, Martina Laird and Mark Frost have also joined the cast for series five.
See the full cast list for Unforgotten series five below:
DI Sunny Khan: Sanjeev Bhaskar
DCI Jess James: Sinéad Keenan
DS Murray Boulting: Jordan Long
DC Kaz Willets: Pippa Nixon
DC Fran Lingley: Carolina Main
Leanne Balcombe: Georgia Mackenzie
Sal: Michelle Bonnard
Lord Tony Hume: Ian McElhinney
Lady Emma Hume: Hayley Mills
Ebele Falade: Martina Laird
Dave Adams: Mark Frost
Jay: Rhys Yates
Cheryl: Hebe Beardsall
Is Nicola Walker still on Unforgotten?
Nicola Walker will NOT appear in series five of Unforgotten.
Following on from that tense series four finale in March 2021, which saw the heartbreaking death of DCI Stuart, ITV bosses confirmed she'd left the show.
In a statement, ITV said: "ITV would like to thank Nicola Walker for playing the brilliant role of Cassie Stuart in four series of Unforgotten which has become one of the best loved and most critically acclaimed police dramas on TV.
“Nicola and writer Chris Lang decided that Cassie's story would come to an end last night, but that Unforgotten would continue, in series 5, with a new case, and a new 'Partner in Crime' for DI Sunny Khan.”
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