.jpg?20250207')
Sanjeev Bhaskar, Sinéad Keenan talk about what it’s like reading Chris Lang’s scripts and how his writing is a true reflection of our times.
When British actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, 61, and Irish actress Sinéad Keenan, 47, receive a new script from British screenwriter Chris Lang, 63, they are almost certain that it’s going to be brilliant.
But when Lang decided what he wanted the sixth series of ITV’s Unforgotten to be about – back in late 2022 – he was worried that by the time Bhaskar returned as DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, and Keenan as DCI Jess James, it would feel irrelevant.
“In terms of reading scripts, it is just one of the most exciting things to know that they are coming, and when they land I do tend to clear my diary to read them. I’ll grab a cup of tea, and I luxuriate in it. It’s an interesting thing,” says Bhaskar, who starred in the BBC’s Goodness Gracious Me.
“A lot of the time, you get a script for something, and you flick to the bits that you’re in – that’s fine. Then you go back and read it. With this, I just read like it’s the latest novel from my favourite author. I start with that first page, the opening scene and I go from there. I love it. I absolutely love it. They’re always a joy.
“I think what Chris is brilliant at is empathy in his writing. That’s what makes the show stand out, certainly for me. The feedback I get from other people is similar. There’s empathy across the board. For the investigators, and [their] empathy for the victims, but also empathy for the perpetrators. That makes for interesting reading, because there are layers there that you are encountering and accessing as you turn the pages.
“I’ve never got it right. It’s that thing where you can change your mind every few pages. You go, ‘It’s him’, ‘No, it’s her’, ‘No, it’s them’. I always get it wrong. And that’s one of the joys. It’s like watching someone do a magic trick. When I was younger, I would get really stressed about trying to work out how they did the trick. And there’s a point at which you go, “That’s not the point. The point is to actually enjoy the magic.”
Keenan, who starred in BBC Three’s Being Human, agrees and adds that it’s highly unusual to have all six scripts given to you before you start shooting.
“Chris’s scripts are brilliant. You get all six, and you can sit down and dedicate a whole afternoon to what is inevitably a whopping page-turner. So I read those scripts as a viewer would watch the show. The ups and downs and twists and turns are brilliant,” says Keenan.
“Also, he always has something to say in his scripts, but he doesn’t necessarily shout about it. This year we’ve got themes of immigration, asylum seekers, social services, social media, which are very timely, but again, he’s very, very clever and economical with his writing while always getting the point across and making you think.
“Nothing is black and white in his scripts and his characters are never black and white – we all live in brilliant shades of grey. But, yes, they’re good. And it’s a brilliant story, I think, this season.”
If Lang could fast forward to where we are as a country right now, he wouldn’t have worried about writing scripts that were focused on a divided UK – which is what series six is all about.
Keenan and Bhaskar bring back their compelling on-screen partnership as they delve into unresolved crimes, promising another powerful exploration of hidden truths and long-buried secrets.
When suspected human remains are uncovered on Whitney Marsh, partners Jess (Keenan) and Sunny (Bhaskar) are immediately called to the scene, abandoning their evening plans, which Jess’s husband Steve James, played by English actor Andrew Lancel, 54, isn’t very happy about.
The analysis reveals that the remains are relatively recent and suggest a grim conclusion: the body was placed there already dismembered. With this insight, Jess and Sunny intensify their search, certain that other body parts may not be far away.
As the investigation unfolds, viewers are introduced to a diverse new cast of characters including Melinda Ricci, played by Swedish-British actress MyAnna Buring, 45, who stars in The Witcher, an autistic man living with his mother, and Dot, played by English actress Michele Dotrice, 76, who stars in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, just to name a few.
While these characters live seemingly separate lives, they are intricately connected by their pasts. It’s up to Jess, Sunny, and their dedicated team to uncover these hidden links and ultimately expose the truth behind the cold case murder.
“Our country seems more polarised than ever on all the key issues that affect the way we live today. From immigration, to ‘woke’, to the environment, Brexit, the handling of the pandemic, the media (the list could go on) we seem furiously entrenched in our positions, and profoundly reluctant to engage with contrary views,” says Lang.
“Indeed how we discuss these key issues has become a big part of the problem. Debate has become something to win, an opportunity to humiliate and destroy those you disagree with, rather than a tool to explore potential solutions to the increasingly complex issues affecting the way our society is organised.
“And it is the unique sense of frustration, betrayal, and ultimately of course, rage, this divide has created, that provides the backdrop for the murder in Unforgotten six.”
Series six of Unforgotten comes to ITV on Sunday, February 9
&uuid=(email))