Here’s When Unforgotten Series 6 Will Air On TV

After record breaking ratings for ITV, crime drama Unforgotten is about to return to our TV screens after a two-year wait. After the departure of DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) at the end of series 4, DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) is back, joined by his new-for-series-5 crimefighting partner DCI Jessie James (Sinéad Keenan). Here’s everything else we know so far about Unforgotten series 6.

Unforgotten Series 6: Plot, Cast, Release Date

Unforgotten was renewed for series 6 in April 2023, hot on the heels of the huge success of series 5, which aired in February of that year. However, filming didn’t begin until March 2024.

Created and written by award-winning screenwriter Chris Lang, the gripping series centres on cold cases and unsolved crimes, with lead stars DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jessie James unearthing long-buried truths along the way. With Keenan joining the cast for series 5, an initial clash between Jessie and Sunny soon made way for a more positive dynamic that we hope will be utilised to decipher a complex mystery in series 6.

SANJEEV BHASKAR as DI Sunny Khan and SINEAD KEENAN as DCI Jess James in Unforgotten series 6. (Jonathan Ford/Mainstreet/ITV)

What Will Happen?

Unforgotten series 6 will return us to Bishop Street CID and the north London lives of Sunny and Jessie, both experiencing strains at home. A new cold case reveals itself: a spine is dredged out of Whitney Marsh, and a new case – with a fresh host of unreliable suspects – starts building. Expert analysis reveals the remains are relatively recent, and the body was probably dumped in the marsh already dismembered – meaning other body parts might lie nearby. Juliet, Melinda, Asif and Marty all have something to hide – but who is the murderer?

Other than that, details are pretty scant – but we do know the story has been developing in the mind of Unforgotten’s creator and lead writer Lang for many years. ‘I’m incredibly excited to be about to start filming the sixth series of Unforgotten, with a story that has been gestating for nearly eight years, since 23 June 2016, when our country seemed to fracture in two,’ he said in March 2024. ‘The UK, and indeed the world, has today never seemed more divided, and series 6 attempts to try and understand how we got to where we are now, and perhaps more importantly, where we can go from here.’

‘I’m humbled and excited to be back as Sunny Khan, bearing the backpack for series 6 of Unforgotten.’ Bhaskar added. ‘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 is so much more than a job. Once again I feel lucky to be a part of it.’

SANJEEV BHASKAR as DI Sunny Khan in Unforgotten series 6. (Jonathan Ford/Mainstreet/ITV)

The Cast

Regular, returning cast members include:

• Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan
• Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jessica ‘Jessie’ James
• Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting
• Pippa Nixon as DC Karen ‘Kaz’ Willetts
• Carolina Main as DC Fran Lingley
• Georgia Mackenzie as Leanne Balcombe
• Andrew Lancel as Steve James
• Kate Robbins as Kate

New stars for series 6 include:

• Emmett J Scanlan as Patrick
• Victoria Hamilton as Juliet Cooper, a history lecturer at a central London university
• MyAnna Buring as Melinda Ricci, an outspoken TV commentator based in Ireland, known for her forthright views
• Maximilian Fairley as Martin ‘Marty’ Baines, an autistic man who lives with his mother in Deal, Kent
• Michele Dotrice as Dot, Marty’s mother
• Elham Ehsas as Asif Syed, an Afghan man training for his UK citizenship test
• Jan Francis
• Damien Moloney

‘I am absolutely delighted to be stepping into the world of Unforgotten once more,’ says Keenan. ‘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 can’t wait to get started!’

SINEAD KEENAN as DCI Jess James in Unforgotten series 6. (Jonathan Ford/Mainstreet/ITV)

When Is Unforgotten Back On TV?

Unforgotten series 6 kicks off at 9pm on Sunday 9 February 2025 on ITV1 and ITVX.

Unforgotten Series 6 Episode Release Schedule

Unforgotten series 6 will be made up of six episodes, airing on Sunday and Monday evenings on ITV1 for three weeks. The episode schedule is as follows:

• Episode 1: 9pm Sunday 9 February 2025
• Episode 2: 9pm Monday 10 February
• Episode 3: 9pm Sunday 16 February
• Episode 4: 9pm Monday 17 February
• Episode 5: 9pm Sunday 23 February
• Episode 6: 9pm Monday 24 February

Once the episodes have aired on TV, they will be available to stream on ITVX.

WATCH

Unforgotten returns to ITV1 at 9pm, Sunday 9 February. Catch up with the first five series now at itv.com