Sanjeev Bhaskar’s DI Sunny Khan has a new boss to help him solve a decades-old murder case – DCI Jessica James, played by Sinéad Keenan
Unforgotten Season 5 premiered on ITV1 on February 27 at 9pm.
The new investigation happens after the shocking ending of the fourth series of Unforgotten when DCI Cassie Stuart was killed in a horrific road accident. Not only did Cassie’s sudden death leave her family emotionally shattered, her police colleagues are hurting too, not least her detective partner DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) with whom she’d worked with on a number of baffling cold cases.
Now Sunny has a new sleuthing partner for the new six-part season 5, as Cassie has now been replaced by DCI Jessica James played by Sinéad Keenan.
The ghost of much-loved former colleague Cassie Stuart looms large over the team and Jess knows there will be big shoes for her to fill. This will need resolve, professionalism and a great spirit if she’s to live up to her much-admired and respected predecessor.
When human remains are found inside the fireplace of a newly renovated Victorian London house, DI Khan is on the case. However, he’s also contending with a new boss, DCI Jessica James, and things get off to a very strained start. She’s reeling from the news that her husband has been having an affair. With both detectives out of kilter, their first day working together is fraught with repressed emotions and differences of opinions.
The first case for Jess and her team is the discovery of human remains in a newly renovated period property in Hammersmith, West London. But it seems the body has been there a very long time — it seems as though the murdermay dating back to the 1950s. Sunny Khan is frustrated and angry when his new DCI announces that she is reluctant to waste resources on a murder victim who may have been dead for 70 years. Working in the background, he and other members of the team discover that the clothing used to date the crime had actually been bought at a vintage shop only six years earlier. Faced with this new evidence, DCI James has no choice but to prioritise what is no longer such a cold case. Why did the victim’s former social work flee to France within days of her last sighting? And how does the murder involve former Tory MP, Lord Tony Hume, who has clearly been hiding big secrets…
All episodes of Unforgotten Season 5 are available to stream on ITVX
Critical Acclaim for Unforgotten Season 5
‘The 5th series of Chris Lang’s consistently rewarding and affecting police drama shows no sign of losing its way…it’s among the best crime dramas of my viewing lifetime.’
– Daily Telegraph
‘They said the nation’s favourite crime drama couldn’t continue without Nicola Walker. But they were wrong’.
– The Observer
‘This is so good…succeeds magnificently.’
– Mail on Sunday
‘Another series of this brilliantly intricate whodunit. With a quality cast, impeccable writing and gripping mysteries, this is one of the most addictive crime dramas on TV’
– The Sun
‘One of the finest crime dramas of recent years — there’s no one better than writer Chris Lang at controlling these multiple storylines. Bhaskar is outstanding.’
– Daily Mail
‘It is so classily put together that I am now securely strapped in for the ride’.
– The i
‘The beauty of this drama is the way it allows us to invest emotionally in both police and suspects. Every character seems entirely believable. Keenan slots in effortlessly, and the sharp writing of Chris Lang remains…..so good. Great drama this.’
– The Times
‘Another Unforgettable run’.
– Daily Star
‘Cracking crime drama. Chris Lang’s show is as taut and tense and pleasureable as ever. I love Unforgotten wholeheartedly.”
– The Guardian