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Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan in Unforgotten© ITV

Unforgotten: ITV reveals future of drama following dramatic series five finale

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan star in the drama

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
April 4, 2023
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ITV has confirmed the future of its popular police drama, Unforgotten. Following the dramatic series five finale, which aired on Monday night, it was revealed that the beloved series will be returning for a sixth season. 

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan will be reprising their roles as DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan and DCI Jess James in the show's sixth outing. 

WATCH: Did you know this Unforgotten series five scene happened in real life?

While plot details for the upcoming season have been kept under wraps, ITV has teased that series six will "follow DI Khan and DCI James as they investigate cold cases and unsolved crimes from the past, unravelling secrets and unearthing buried truths along the way."

The broadcaster added that further casting for the new series will be announced at the time of production. 

Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan as DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan and DCI Jess James© ITV
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan as DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan and DCI Jess James

The renewal comes as no surprise as the series, which is written by Chris Lang, brought in over eight million viewers and is ITV's standout drama of the year to date.

MORE: Unforgotten fans left shocked by episode five's major twist

MORE: Unforgotten star Sanjeev Bhaskar's famous wife revealed

The latest series began with a major change as Sinéad Keenan joined the show as one of the lead detectives, taking over from Nicola Walker following her character, DCI Cassie Stuart's tragic death at the end of season four. 

On her decision to leave, the Last Tango in Halifax star told Radio Times: "Chris Lang and I had been discussing the storyline for Cassie since the first series. By the time we got to her nervous breakdown in series three, we were already talking about where that story might naturally go, so her sudden death was very much a joint decision."

Unforgotten series five cast© ITV
Unforgotten will return for a sixth series

Speaking about joining the series, Sinéad said: "When you come into an established show, it's very, very different. And obviously, I'd seen the show, and Nicola is brilliant, so I was initially reticent about even reading the scripts. 

"But then I read the scripts, and they were brilliant," she told Radio Times.

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