Unforgotten: unforgettable drama unravelling dark mysteries from the distant past

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Unforgotten: unforgettable drama unravelling dark mysteries from the distant past

January 12, 2017 - 18:17
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A decomposed body dredged from the bottom of a river is so often a police drama cliche. But in Unforgotten the discovery of a corpse that has been rotting for 20 years is the beginning of the iciest of intriguing cold cases.

Unforgotten

By Henrietta Knight @henriettak

A decomposed body dredged from the bottom of a river is so often a police drama cliche. But in Unforgotten the discovery of a corpse that has been rotting for 20 years is the beginning of the iciest of intriguing cold cases.

The first series in 2015 unravelled the events that lead to the death of Jimmy Sullivan in 1976, but this series, also written by Chris Lang, promises to be an even more fascinating historic whodunit. The haunting thriller has a new mystery to solve and there's a whole host of potential murderers in the frame.

While we soon discover the identity of the dead man, it will take six episodes to peel away the layers and learn about the suspects’ dark secrets and how they're connected. Who killed David Walker, bundled him into a suitcase and threw him into the River Lea? That is the question that dynamic duo DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and DS Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) must delve into the distant past to answer.

There are four main possible culprits who are linked by long-ago grim deeds. Tessa Nixon - a copper in Oxford - was married to nightclub boss Walker when he disappeared, but she didn’t report him missing until two days later. She is devastated to learn of his death but, as Cassie says, an experienced detective would know how to fake a reaction. After all, Nixon (Lorraine Ashbourne) points out that 63 per cent of murder victims are killed by their partners.

Then there is highly respected Brighton-based barrister Colin Osbourne (Mark Bonnar) who in a former life worked in the City and lived in a fashionable London apartment. He has a dangerous temper. We see him exact revenge on a man who makes vile homophobic remarks in the supermarket by keying his car. Colin is gay and keen to adopt a daughter with his partner. But will his relationship with the deceased derail his family plans?

Meanwhile, teacher Sara Mahmoud (Badria Timimi) discusses why women kill in her class on Macbeth. She asks if Lady Macbeth could be more evil than her husband. All too obvious perhaps, until we learn that she used to be a prostitute in the capital's Kings Cross red light district. Was the late Mr Walker a client?

Nurse Marion Kelsey (Rosie Cavaliero) is the character who I can’t quite figure out. What is her real problem with her sister that would make her storm out of her mother’s birthday party - played by veteran actress Wendy Craig? My bet is that she was also a Kings Cross hooker, but I could be barking up the wrong tree.

Loner Jason (Will Brown) lies to his mother Tessa about having a big party and his neighbour being the last to leave. The only birthday card he received apart from the one she gives him is one from his local Chinese take away. Upon learning that his long gone father died, he has a meltdown. Since he was only five years old in 1990, he is probably not the killer, but has been adversely affected by his traumatic childhood.

DCI Cassie Stuart’s father is played by Peter Egan who has been on a few blind dates and complains that the women are “all little old ladies”, adding a little light-hearted relief before the gruesome autopsy unfolds. The putrid remains are examined revealing that the deadly weapon was a kitchen knife. And a pager found in Walker's pocket may hold the key to unravelling this ancient mystery.

Sunny and Cassie both have interesting back stories. He is an exasperated dad struggling with the frustrations of a growing family while she is a single mum whose father is keeping things from her. They make a great double act peppering their conversations with banter that provides an amusing alternative to the gruelling narrative.

Cassie's explanations about why historic cases are crucial. It's about closure for the relatives who have been lost in the fog of not knowing for so long.

After two compelling episodes, every character's story begins to emerge bit by bit. The pace really picks up at the end of the second show as the pieces of the jigsaw fit together. It's edge of your seat stuff and you can't wait to find out more because it is utterly engrossing.

It is a good-looking production with sleek camera work swooping along the River Lea, the streets of London, the Regency terraces of Brighton and the beautiful Cotswolds.

The opening credits may hold some hidden clues. Or are they just deliberately mysterious? There’s a candlelit dinner table with a crucifix, a pier, a keyboard, a fountain pen and cheque for £2,000, an H-block prison protest, a woman’s bound hands, bloody clothes in a sink, a drugs deal in a pub, lines of coke, a noose hanging from a tree, a drowning man, a church steeple, a tent, a couple having sex and an 80s bedroom with posters of Madonna and Nik Kershaw. But, hey, I’m probably becoming a bit too obsessive here.

There are 2 Comments

Wonderhorse's picture

Great series - acting was excellent and the storyline superb. Can't wait for the next series!