A beloved TV police drama is returning to ITV in a matter of days. Unforgotten, which has been hailed by fans as ‘flawless’ and ‘better than Line of Duty’, hasn’t been on air since 2023 but Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhasker will be back as DCI Jessica ‘Jessie’ James and DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan next month. The sixth series of Chris Lang’s award-winning series will start on ITV1 on February 9, with the second episode coming just one day later, so you’ve not got long if you need to catch up.

Jess and Sunny return after human remains are discovered in a marsh, with the duo realising the body was dismembered first. As well as the fan-favourite duo, new characters will be introduced including an autistic man who lives with his mother, a history lecturer, an outspoken TV commentator, an Afghan man training for his UK citizenship test and more. Despite their ‘separate lives’, all the characters are ‘intrinsically linked by their past’ as the team try to figure out the connections.

The synopsis released last year continues: ‘When suspected human remains are discovered on Whitney Marsh, Jess and Sunny are called to the scene, ditching their respective plans for the evening much to Jess’s husband Steve’s chagrin. ‘With Dr Balcombe’s expert analysis of the human spine, it’s evident the remains are relatively recent and her guess is the body was put there already dismembered.

‘With this knowledge Jess and Sunny begin to search the area believing other body parts may not be too far away.’. Andy Wilson will continue his streak of directing every single episode of Unforgotten after helming all six in the new series. Creator and writer Lang previously teased a story which has been building ‘for nearly eight years, since the 23rd June 2016, when our country seemed to fracture in two’.

He added back in March: ‘The UK, and indeed the world, has today never seemed more divided, and series six attempts to try and understand how we got to where we are now, and perhaps more importantly, where we can go from here.’. In the past, viewers have heaped praise on Unforgotten for its character work, and even placed it above iconic BBC drama Line of Duty. ‘Dark, unsettling , gripping and suspenseful are some of the things that immediately come to mind when I think of this one,’ wrote one Google user, adding: ‘Brilliantly scripted, flawless execution along with a great cast who give it their all speaks volumes of the content provided by the makers.’.

‘This has without question been one of the best shows I’ve watched. Fabulous acting, great writing, beautiful locations,’ said another, while a third fan wrote: ‘Unforgotten is one of the best drama series that I’ve seen in many years.’. ‘Another recommendation for Unforgotten – better characters than Line of Duty,’ @ruskin147 previously saidon X. ‘I think, taken as a whole “Unforgotten” is a better series than “Line of Duty,”‘ suggested @bazlyons in 2021, while @alifoxy81 added: ‘I loved Unforgotten I thought it was better than Line of Duty x.’.

Londoners are flocking to this ‘bustling’ neighbourhood 10 miles from the centre. What I Own: I bought my £820,000 Nine Elms flat through a little-known saving scheme. If you live at this house number, your property could be 'cursed'. We moved into a beautiful floating lakehouse and only pay £2,210 a year in 'rent'. The London neighbourhoods 'on the up' in 2025 revealed. Unforgotten returns to ITV1 at 9pm on February 9.

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