Unforgotten is a British crime drama television series, which initially aired on ITV on 8 October 2015. It was created and written by Chris Lang and directed by Andy Wilson. The programme follows a team of London detectives led by DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) (Series 1–4), DCI Jessie James (Sinéad Keenan) (Series 5) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) as they solve cold cases of disappearance and murder.[1][2]
Each series consists of six episodes. Series 1 to 4 were broadcast in the UK in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2021. On 30 March 2021 a fifth series was announced, scheduled for release in 2023,[3] and it was confirmed that Sanjeev Bhaskar would reprise his role.[4][5] A year later it was confirmed that Sinéad Keenan would replace Walker as Bhaskar's new partner, DCI Jessica "Jessie" James.[6] Filming for the fifth series began on 14 March 2022.[7] The first episode of series 5 premiered on ITV in February 2023.
Each series deals with a new case, introducing seemingly unconnected characters who are gradually revealed to have some relationship with the victim. As the murder mystery unfolds, the emotional ramifications of the crime on the lives of those affected are also explored.[2]
Series 1 focuses on the murder of James "Jimmy" Sullivan (Harley Alexander-Sule), a 17-year-old who disappeared in 1976. His remains are discovered during the demolition of a house in North London.[10]
Series 2 follows the murder of David Walker (Daniel Gosling), a Conservative Party consultant who went missing in 1990. His saponified remains are found in a suitcase in the River Lea in north-east London.[11]
Series 3 investigates the murder of schoolgirl Hayley Reid (Bronagh Waugh), who disappeared from a seaside resort town on New Year's Eve 1999. Her skeleton is discovered by workmen repairing the central reservation of the M1 motorway in London.[12]
Series 4 follows the discovery in 2020 of Matthew Walsh's headless and handless corpse, apparently frozen since his disappearance in 1990 when he encountered five police trainees celebrating their graduation from the academy.[13]
Plots and themes spanning series
Series 1 to 4 include the story of DCI Cassie Stuart's personal life: of the typical but growing conflicts in her immediate family, of her spartan arms-length relationships with individuals who like her, of her drive to solve cases and of her coping both successfully and unsuccessfully with the relentless strain of her job. During the historical cold cases Cassie verbalizes her driving motives: find the truth of what happened, provide closure to the living and possibly bring a criminal to justice. An inner motive surfaces when she says she hopes solving a current case will help "... [me] move on... If we can do this right, if we can ignore who they are and do it by the book, then all the questions [and faces] might all go away. And I might be able to sleep at night."[14]
Cast
Nicola Walker as DCI Cassandra 'Cassie' Stuart (series 1–4)
The series was originally developed, by Lang, as a serial titled 27 Arlington Crescent.[15] Filming for the first series began in March 2015 and lasted for twelve weeks. Locations included Liverpool, the London suburbs, Kingston upon Thames, the Essex coast, Westminster and the Fens.[16]
After the unexpected success of the initial series, ITV commissioned a second series, with Lang returning as writer and Wilson as director.[17] It was shot on location by the River Lea, in the Cotswolds, and along the promenade in Brighton.[18]
A third series order was announced on 2 March 2017, following strong viewing figures.[19] Scenes were set in Lymington, Hampshire (which substituted for the fictional Middenham and its estuary), Uxbridge, Middlesex, Amersham in Buckinghamshire, Clifton in Bristol, Ealing in West London, and King's Lynn and Hunstanton in Norfolk. An empty mansion at Bulstrode Park near Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire provided the setting for the police station and lab.[12] Only seven weeks after filming wrapped, the third series began broadcasting in the UK on 15 July 2018.
A fourth series was scheduled to be made in autumn 2019; however, ITV only confirmed in January 2020 that filming had commenced, with the planned broadcasting timeframe having been delayed. In September 2020, it was announced that filming had recommenced and the series planned on being screened in 2021, with actors Walker, Bhaskar, Reeves and Egan all reprising their roles.[20][21] The new series eventually began screening in February 2021.
Filming for the fifth series began on 14 March 2022, with the airing of the series beginning on 27 February 2023.[22]
In April 2023, ITV had renewed the crime drama for a sixth series and it is scheduled to air in 2024.
A skeleton found in the cellar of a building being demolished prompts an investigation from DCI Cassie Stuart and her colleague DI Sunny Khan into the murder of a young man that could potentially date back thousands of years. Discovery of what they believe to be a car key near the body not only dates it to within the last 65 years, but also leads them on a trail in the hope of identifying the victim. At the end of the trail is a diary belonging to Jimmy Sullivan, a young man missing since 1976, who appears to be the victim. The final pages of the diary contain several names and addresses: amongst them are Beth, Father Rob, Frankie C and Mr Slater, four seemingly unconnected people living separate lives. It is now down to Cassie and Sunny to find out what happened to Jimmy and to finally get him home.
2
2
"Episode 2"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
15 October 2015 (2015-10-15)
6.41
Once the body in the cellar has been identified as Jimmy Sullivan, the search for his murderer begins. Cassie and Sunny investigate, starting with identifying the names featured in Jimmy's diary. Cassie travels to Liverpool to see Jimmy's mother, Maureen, to get a sense of who Jimmy was. She is met by a woman who is in fact relieved that she might finally find out what happened to her son 39 years after he went missing. 'Frankie C' is identified as Sir Phillip Cross, the government's recently appointed entrepreneurial tzar, who denies ever having met Jimmy. 'Beth' is identified as Lizzie Wilton, living in Croydon and married to Ray, a second-generation Jamaican man. Lizzie also denies knowing Jimmy but is clearly a different person from who she was in the 1970s before her marriage. 'Father Rob' is Robert Greaves, who at the time of Jimmy's death, was working in the local church close to Arlingham House. 'Mr Slater' is Eric Slater, a wheelchair user and a retired bookkeeper living with his wife Claire in Cambridgeshire.
3
3
"Episode 3"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
22 October 2015 (2015-10-22)
6.29
The investigation into Jimmy's death continues. Cassie and Sunny pay a visit to Father Robert Greaves, who remembers Jimmy fondly, but is unable to help identify the mysterious 'Jo-Jo', the person who it appears gave Jimmy the diary. Cassie and Sunny also meet Eric Slater, a former bookkeeper to Arlingham House, who remembers Jimmy well.
4
4
"Episode 4"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
29 October 2015 (2015-10-29)
6.61
As the investigation into the cold-case murder continues, the forensic team discovers that the marks on the victim's body are consistent with known gangland torture methods. With this in mind, Cassie and Sunny question Sir Phillip about his involvement with a prominent East End crime family 40 years ago. Did the businessman or any of the shady associates of his youth have anything to do with Jimmy's disappearance or murder? Meanwhile, Eric and Claire's anniversary gets under way. Ray returns home to find Lizzie gone, broken glass where a brick was thrown through a window, and a note with the word "Sorry" on it.
5
5
"Episode 5"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
5 November 2015 (2015-11-05)
5.95
Following the revelation that a second victim may be buried at the bottom of the Slaters' garden, Cassie and Sunny gatecrash their 45th anniversary party and begin searching for a second body, and it's not long before they find one. Eric Slater is arrested, but denies all charges made against him. After some initial reluctance, Curtis agrees to help Ray go in search of Lizzie. Father Robert confesses that he was the one who stole money from the church charity fund, and that after his secret affair with JoJo, she became pregnant and he has been using the money to pay the way for his illegitimate child. Before the news breaks of Eric Slater's arrest, Sir Phillip Cross has already made a deal with his son's Turkish contacts and before he is able to change his mind, the witness who came forward with evidence against him is killed in a house fire, made to look like an accident caused when the man 'fell asleep smoking'. Evidence found in Eric Slater's home links him to the location of the last known whereabouts of the second victim, and following the revelation that Jimmy had been selling himself for sex as a way of repaying the debt he owed to the Fenwicks, Cassie and Sunny finally realise that the connection between both murders may be Eric Slater's hidden hatred for homosexuals.
6
6
"Episode 6"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
12 November 2015 (2015-11-12)
6.01
Father Robert's revelations prove to have lasting repercussions, especially for Caroline when she goes into premature labour. Bella and Josh deliberate over the best way to deal with their father's criminality, the search for Lizzie continues and Maureen is finally able to lay Jimmy to rest, after the identity of his murderer is revealed.
^ Episodes 1 – 5's ratings are based on 28-day data from BARB for ITV and ITV+1 and 7-day data for ITV HD. Episode 6's ratings are based on 28-day data from BARB for ITV, ITV+1 and ITV HD.
Workers dredging the River Lea in London discover a body in a suitcase that may have been in the water for a long time. Cassie and Sunny are assigned the case and try to identify the victim through his watch and pager. Meanwhile, in Brighton, criminal barrister Colin Osborne (Mark Bonnar) and his husband, Simon (Charlie Condou), are adopting a six-year old girl. They are blackmailed by her birth mother's partner, Tyler, who witnessed Colin keying the car of a homophobe. In London, Marion Kelsey (Rosie Cavaliero) works as a nurse on a children's cancer ward and is struggling to balance supporting her patients, her marriage and dealing with her family. In Salisbury, teacher Sara Mahmoud (Badira Timini) attends an interview for a headmistress position. In the Cotswolds, Jason Walker who struggles to maintain relationships with women, is visited on his birthday by his mother Tessa Nixon (Lorraine Ashbourne), a detective inspector in Oxford. Sunny identifies the watch's owner as David Walker, who disappeared in May 1990. Cassie and Sunny notify Tessa, his widow, who has remarried.
8
2
"Episode 2"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
12 January 2017 (2017-01-12)
7.08
As the investigation into David Walker's murder continues, the team try to decode a series of messages found on the victim's pager. One message appears to be an address in King's Cross, which is soon discovered to have been a brothel at the time of Walker's death. Cassie and Sunny interrogate Sara Mahmoud, who was known to have been working as a prostitute from the address at the time – but she denies even knowing Walker, and claims that she was on holiday in Italy at the time of the murder. A telephone number in the victim's diary leads Cassie and Sunny to Colin Osborne, who also denies ever having known Walker. Osborne, meanwhile, continues to feel the pressure from Tyler. Tessa Nixon's boss, Detective Superintendent Gill (Nathalie Armin), asks her to take restricted duties while the investigation takes its course, which she angrily refuses to do as she has not been named as a suspect in her husband's death. Cassie begins to suspect that her father, Martin, is hiding something from her when she discovers a train ticket in his pocket, and a series of unknown payments on his credit card.
9
3
"Episode 3"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
19 January 2017 (2017-01-19)
7.04
The discovery that Walker was sexually abused during his time in primary education leads the team to suspect that the perpetrator, if still alive, would be in his early 80s. Sunny interviews Walker's best friend, James Gregory (Richard Hope), who claims that in the days leading up to his death, Walker confronted the abuser, who denied being involved in any such abuse. Cassie visits the address found on the back of Walker's business card, and interviews Marion's mother and sister, Joy and Elise, who claim at the time of Walker's death, Marion was the only one living at the house and could be the only person to have given out the address. Checks on Marion's criminal history reveal she was arrested in 1988 for assaulting a police officer during a protest march, and that she was living at an address with a known IRA conspirator. Meanwhile, Sara is forced to tell her husband, Hassan, about her past life, and Colin reveals that he had a mental breakdown and was sectioned just days before Walker disappeared.
10
4
"Episode 4"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
26 January 2017 (2017-01-26)
6.52
Sara's life begins to fall apart when her son overhears details from her secret past, and inadvertently manages to tell all of his friends. Meanwhile, Cassie discovers that Colin was sacked from his City job in 1989 for reportedly sexually assaulting one of his female colleagues during an office party, a fact which leads her to believe that Colin was framed for the attack. Meanwhile, Marion is suspended from work after Zoe absconds from her parents' care. As the investigation into Walker's past continues, Sunny discovers that he was heavily into S&M, and sexually attacked at least one woman with whom he slept. Concerns that his private fantasies may have spilt over into his charity work are confirmed when Ellen Price, a resident at one of the care homes where Walker volunteered, comes forward to tell the police that Walker interfered with her and other children at the home. Tyler continues to blackmail Colin, leading Simon to make a drastic decision. Paul, Tessa's second husband, fears that Jason may have inherited his father's traits.
11
5
"Episode 5"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
2 February 2017 (2017-02-02)
6.77
Sara's long lost father turns up out of the blue with some long-buried secrets about her past. Colin is shocked to discover that the rape allegation made against him was concocted by David Walker, who paid the supposed victim £5,000 to fake the story. Ellen Price revisits the location where Walker and his friends used to hold 'parties' where children were abused. Tessa's denial of David's activities is called into question when Ellen recalls David's wife having turned up at one of the parties, which forced a row in front of many of the guests. As Marion's home life continues to spiral, she tries to make things up with Zoe. Simon makes the heartbreaking decision to cease the adoption unless Colin can convince Tyler to back off. While Sara denies every possibility put to her by Cassie, the scenes are cut with Sara's father telling an opposite scenario of Sara's life at age 13 to Sara's husband. Sara's husband uncovers evidence which confirms she was in Naples at the time of the murder. With all of the possible suspects now carrying a solid alibi, Cassie and Sunny are stumped as to who the killer might be. Sunny tries to reveal his true feelings for Cassie.
12
6
"Episode 6"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
9 February 2017 (2017-02-09)
6.77
With each of the suspects having a motive, opportunity or connection to David Walker, Cassie and Sunny try to join the dots to discover who actually killed him 25 years earlier. Though Sara has provided reliable evidence that she was in Italy when the murder took place, Cassie suspects that it is too good – that it is something put together by someone who knew that one day she would need an alibi. The team wonder whether the case is part of a wider revenge plan. On that new line of investigation, the team find that Sara and Colin had been in the same psychiatric hospital at the same time, and could have met then. The team's notion is that each one killed the abuser of another, not their own abuser. After talking to Marion's sister and mother about the abuse suffered by Marion at the hands of her father, Cassie follows Marion to speak with her. She is in the back room of a pub, talking with Colin and Sara. In the next scene, Cassie then speaks with Colin alone. Colin tells her the details of the abuse in his childhood, at the hands of a friend of his parents. Each of the three, Colin, Sara and Marion, are shown telling the story of their past to their present spouse. Cassie decides, and is supported by Sunny, that as all three have suffered all their lives and work in jobs of high value to society, there seems to be no value in pursuing prison for them. There is also insufficient data for a solid court case, especially as one of the bodies was never found and the other death is recorded as suicide.
When workmen carrying out carriageway repairs on M1 uncover human remains in the central reservation, Cassie and the team investigate. Despite suspicions the remains could be archaeological, forensic analysis reveals the victim was a young female who could not have been buried before 1991. The only clue is a titaniumsurgical plate that appears foreign and has no serial number. Sunny identifies the plate as having been manufactured by a Greek Cypriot company in the mid-1990s, and working on the assumption that the victim may have broken her wrist on holiday, the team begin to trawl through hundreds of missing persons files in the hope of finding an identity. They discover Hayley Reid, a 16-year-old who disappeared on New Year's Day in 2000, and her twin sister, Jessica, confirms she broke her wrist while on holiday in Cyprus in 1995 and had a plate inserted.
14
2
"Episode 2"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
22 July 2018 (2018-07-22)
6.64
Cassie and Sunny visit Hayley's family in Middenham, Hampshire, and break the news that it appears Hayley was strangled. Jessica warns Cassie that reopening the investigation could potentially bring a swarm of negative press back to the town, which wiped out the town's remaining tourism trade for years after Hayley's disappearance. Cassie and Sunny meet with former DCI John Bentley, second in command for the original investigation into Hayley's disappearance, who describes his guilt for the police initially dismissing Hayley as a runaway. The police had investigated Hayley's boyfriend, Adrian Mullery, but he was never charged. After DNA confirms the remains were Hayley, one of her friends informs Cassie and Sunny that two days before her disappearance, Hayley subbed for her cleaning a holiday rental. News of the discovery reaches the four key potential suspects in the investigation. Jamie Hollis, who hosts a television quiz show, declines to speak to the police without his lawyer and panics after the police leave.
15
3
"Episode 3"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
29 July 2018 (2018-07-29)
6.74
Cassie and Sunny learn from Jamie that he and three friends shared the holiday rental with their families before the New Year, and that they spent New Year's Eve at the house before returning to London on 2 January. The detectives note the friends attended school close to where Hayley was buried, and three who were married divorced shortly afterward. All four are troubled: Jamie is struggling to deal with his ex-wife and drug addict son, Eliot, who suffers from gender dysphoria; bipolar artist Chris Lowe lives in a van off-the-grid; Pete Carr is a failed salesman; and GP Tim Finch was investigated for verbally abusing an elderly patient. Pete sees the circumstances as a solution to his financial problems, and surprisingly tells the police he saw Hayley cleaning the rental house; he claims he knew nothing of her disappearance as he returned to Hong Kong, where he was living at the time, shortly after. The rest of the team look at the timelines and leads from the original investigation, including a burglary at a church and a black sedan seen driving erratically. Jamie's ex-wife, Melissa, reveals the men were drinking and some using cocaine, and that after Chris had a mental breakdown, the four left before midnight.
16
4
"Episode 4"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
5 August 2018 (2018-08-05)
6.84
Detectives investigate why the four men not only lied about staying in on New Year's Eve 2000, but colluded in that lie. Jamie is besieged by journalists after a blogger, Sandra Rayworth, exposes his connection to Hayley. Pete, who served time in a Hong Kong prison for defrauding a disability charity, admits to the church robbery after DNA ties him to the scene. Tim's ex-wife, Derran, says he is a controlling and abusive man. Chris's daughter says her parents' marriage and his business were destroyed because he was arrested for child porn, but police cannot find any record of this. Melissa, an author, gives an interview discussing her experience as a wife of a perpetually unfaithful man, resulting in multiple emails from women who had sexual liaisons with Jamie, who liked rape fantasies. Pete tries to blackmail Jamie, saying he "knows things" about Jamie's son the night of Hayley's murder. Police investigate Eliot after discovering he had already been arrested several times, including for stealing his father's car. After Cassie leaves his file in a café and his past is exposed, Pete is stabbed by an unknown assailant.
17
5
"Episode 5"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
12 August 2018 (2018-08-12)
6.81
After barely surviving the attack, Pete dies, putting Cassie's career in jeopardy. Tim tells the police that prior to the attack, Pete told him that on New Year's Eve 2000, he saw Eliot sneaking into the house after 2 am. Fran believes that Hayley's diary uses codewords to describe drug use and sex, and that she was looking to buy drugs for a New Year's Eve party. Chris states that despite his arrest, he was not the one who visited child porn websites, and investigators were able to prove his credit card info was stolen, leading to all charges being dropped, but his life destroyed. Jamie's former car matches the one seen driving erratically, and Melissa claims that her husband had told her he hit a deer that weekend. Jamie tells police he believed his son accidentally killed Hayley while driving drunk, her body fallen into the river and washed out to sea. After Pete's death, Sandra is arrested for inciting the vigilantism that ultimately killed him. Police arrest Tim after discovering he was pulled over for speeding outside Middenham on 3 January 2000 – the day after he'd returned to London
18
6
"Episode 6"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
19 August 2018 (2018-08-19)
7.31
Tim claims that the scrunchie, woman's knickers and a cross necklace found in a lockbox in his cellar were purchased at a fete for his daughters, but DNA results prove they belonged to Alison Baldwin, a 14-year-old from Earlridge, Cambridgeshire, found raped and strangled in 1997. Tim denies involvement, but after it's revealed he was staying in Earlridge for a medical conference when Alison was abducted, he confesses to being a serial rapist and murderer of young girls. Without any remorse, Tim nonchalantly explains how he abducted, raped and strangled Hayley while coming across her by chance on New Year's Eve, and later takes them to the remains of another one of his victims. He confesses to there being many more victims but does not give their details. Chris reconciles with his fiancée, Jamila, and Cassie visits her father, who encourages her to take time off from work. Several months later, Cassie and Sunny bring flowers to a memorial garden for Hayley.
In 2020 DI Sunny Khan and DC Fran Lingley are called in to identify a headless and handless body found in a freezer on a scrap heap. The victim's name (Matthew Walsh) and probable time of death (March 1990) are quickly learnt from a candy wrapper, a tattoo and a missing person report. The first suspect – Rob Fogerty, who owned the freezer – is now deceased and had a drink driving arrest in March 1990. DCI Cassie Stuart's request to retire early on medical grounds is denied, so she returns to work for just three months in order to qualify for a full pension. Ram Sidhu visits his family to wish his mother a happy birthday. Later he joins his partner Anna for the first ultrasound of her pregnancy. Therapist Fiona Grayson enters a Family Counselling Centre after she, her partner Geoff and two young children leave their country home. In Cambridge, Liz Baildon visits her angry home-bound mother and speaks with the home care worker, who tells her she needs a pay increase. Later on Liz meets with her same-sex fiancé. Dean Barton signs papers and contracts in his home office and then at his business. Later on he returns a call from "Felix," who asks him for a favour. Dean says "I don't do that anymore," but then asks "How much are we talking?" Cassie and Sunny review records and find the last sighting of Matthew Walsh was 10:55 pm on March 30, 1990, and Rob Fogerty's drink driving arrest was 40 minutes later, less than a mile from where Matthew was last seen. They note a line in the report stating there were four other people in the car. The arresting officer remembers the arrest well because "It was so odd. . . . All five were newly qualified coppers" celebrating their passing out.
Cassie wants to review the complete file on Fogarty's arrest to see if any of the four passengers are still serving police officers. Fiona drives to a cemetery and lays flowers at the grave of her parents. The gravestone says "[He] was a copper's copper." Ram, who is a DCI, has been accused of misconduct for the second time – this time sexual harassment – and claims it is racially motivated. Liz, who is a DCC, is interviewed by an official panel regarding her candidacy for chief constable. DS Murray finds that Matthew's parents are now dead but his brother Clive could be alive somewhere. Matthew's girlfriend was pregnant, gave birth to a boy named Jerome, and died from an overdose. Cassie meets with Jerome, who doesn't feel any connection to his father but might be able to put her in touch with Clive. The search of the remaining belongings from Fogarty's home turns up a key ring with faded writing on the labels. Liz's mother says to her carer, "I could tell you a thing or two about our Elizabeth that would make your hair turn gray."[25] Dean takes a ferry to France and a taxi to a parking lot, where he picks up a van. He counts the cash in an envelope and drives the van onto a ferry. After arriving back in England, he calls Felix, tells him where the van is parked and warns him against asking for any more favors. Ram learns his accuser is filing a complaint and then uses another officer's computer to search for information about her. Fiona and her partner sign a contract for a new counselling office. Sunny finds the hand-written notebook of the officer who stopped Fogarty. There are four first names: Ram, Fiona, Dean and Liz. The personnel department identifies a class of 20 that had their had their passing ceremony on March 30, 1990 and included officers with those four names: two – Ram and Liz – are still-serving police officers, while Dean and Fiona left the police. Cassie and Sunny decide to release to the media information about the discovery of Matthew's body – including that it may have been kept in a freezer. All four suspects see the request for help during the late news on TV.
The morning after the TV announcement, Ram sneaks out of the house. Dean carries on. Liz receives a call telling her, unofficially, that she has been promoted to CC. Fiona calls in sick and then calls her solicitor, asking if there is any way to stop the deposit payment for the new office. Ram waits for his accuser at her home, stops her from closing the door with his foot, and says, "I have a financial proposition." Later he walks into his supervisor's office, provides a plausible motive for her accusation, plays a recording of her using a racial slur, and says, "It's over." Cassie interviews Liz, who gives qualified answers with no more information than what she is asked. She says she does not remember Fogarty until Cassie mentions the drink driving arrest. Liz does remember that and ends the conversation with, "No recollection of anyone getting out to load a dead body into the boot if that's what you mean."[26] Sunny interviews Fiona, who says she remembers Fogarty and Ram but not Liz and Dean. She admits she became a cop entirely for her dad but hated it. On the night of the ceremony she poured "anything I could find down my throat" and does not remember what happened. Later Fiona tells her partner's brother there is something in her past that the mortgage company could discover. She asks if her last name on the application could be changed to her partners' and eventually admits having a criminal conviction. Cassie briefly interviews Dean who had tried to avoid her. He says he does not remember much about the night and admits, "We'd all had a few, so I can't swear."[26] Sunny interviews Ram, who refuses to answer any questions without his solicitor present. Fiona walks up to Liz outside a police station. Liz says, "Are you insane?" and arranges to meet Fiona the next day. DC Fran interviews a witness who says he saw Walsh being chased on that night by two men, one Asian and one unusually tall. DC Jake finds one of the keys from Fogarty's possessions opens a storage unit containing a small freezer that holds Walsh's head and hands.
Fiona and Liz meet in a park where Liz frisks Fiona for a wire. Liz asks, "You remember the truth like we agreed?" and they go over Fiona's story. Liz says "They won't find out about the pub," but Fiona is afraid they might "find out what you did for me". DS Murray reports that, three weeks before Matthew disappeared, he was cautioned for serious assault in a pub frequented by probationers. The report deliberately minimized the event to keep the brawl and the probationers' names out of court. It turns out that Matthew had sexually assaulted Fiona, and Ram intervened and got the worst of it. Dean and Ram meet in a forest, and Ram agrees to keep an eye on the historical case. Dean thanks Ram for the short-notice help with Calais, and both agree it was a "one off." Matthew's brother Clive says he was with his brother that night. He was relieving himself in the bushes when he heard "Oi Walshy boy!" He saw an Asian man get out of a car and chase Matthew. Then the tall driver and a third man got out and followed, and finally two women got out from the back seat and also followed. Clive "never saw them or my brother again." He says everyone thought Matthew was lying low, but he was afraid Matthew had died and never said anything because he was ashamed of not intervening. The team now knows all five are suspects because they all got out of the car and followed the victim. A search of their background records does not find a birth certificate or pre-1991 census records for Dean. In response to her question about the police interview, Dean says to his wife, "They can't connect us to that now." Cassie and Sunny interview Ram at the station. He says he remembers leaving the celebration with Rob and Liz because of Rob's arrest and Liz taking them home. He is confronted with Matthew's photograph, the witness accounts, and the pub report, to which he responds that the evidence is weak and may be racially motivated. He says "You have nothing here," and leaves. Fiona reveals to her partner Geoff her 1993 conviction for dangerous driving, which killed a child in the other car. DC Kaz reports on Fiona's arrest, noting that a blood sample was taken due to the smell of alcohol but went missing from the police station. Liz worked at that station at the time, and a couple of years before the arrest, Fiona and Liz lived at the same address. An x-ray of Matthew's skull reveals a long slender object stuck into his brain, potentially the murder weapon.
The team learns that Dean Barton changed his surname from Quinn three months before applying to the academy and that the Quinns were a criminal family. The former landlady of the pub tells DS Murray about the incident. Among the probationers was a girl who drank too much and arrived with "Busy Lizzy." Matthew grabbed the drunk girl in the alley behind the pub, Ram intervened, and Matthew "made a mess" of Ram's face. Fiona tells Geoff that, while her therapeutic training and her PhD are real, she bought the counselling license for a hundred quid online because of her criminal conviction. Cell phone data shows Dean and Ram were close to each other three days after the police announced discovering Matthew's body. Cassie and Sunny agree it is likely that one of the suspects killed Matthew and the others agreed to cover it up. Posters asking for information are hung on a fence near where they believe the murder occurred. An elderly man testifies he remembers what happened that night because it was his 40th birthday. He saw two people carrying something wrapped in a tarp. There may have been another who opened the boot, but he definitely remembers a woman and man arguing. Liz asks her mother, "How long have you known . . . what I told Dad?" Her mother insults her, and Liz demands respect and threatens to suffocate her mother. Dean's mother tells Cassie and Sunny that, when he announced he was joining the police force, he was barred from the local pub and beaten by two of his brothers while his father watched. DC Jake reports that Liz was on duty the night the blood sample went missing and had volunteered for overtime. Liz is meeting with her superior when she sees DCs Jake and Murray coming for her. She tells him she is withdrawing her candidacy for CC.[27] Fiona is emotionally unravelling while explaining her past to her family. She tells them how she hated being a cop, began drinking too much and says "I killed a child in a car crash!" which is overheard by DC Fran, who has come into the room. Fiona says to her, "You've come about the body, haven't you?" Cassie interviews Liz, confronting her with the eyewitness testimony. Liz is evasive about having lived with Fiona. Sunny asks her about the day of Fiona's accident, and Liz denies losing the blood test results. Cassie tells her that they don't know the specifics about how Matthew died, but they do know his death had something to do with the five in the car, and they colluded to hide the body, to which Liz responds, "No comment." The pathologist reports that the object in Matthew's skull is a gold-tipped fountain pen that probably was not inserted post mortem. Cassie interviews Fiona and details what they know about the pub incident, her relationship with Liz and the accident, speculating that Liz lost the blood test results because of what Fiona knew about the 1990 incident. She tells Fiona that Matthew appears to have died from a stab wound to the head. Fiona sincerely responds that Matthew was never stabbed, and that Ram told them it was an accident.[27] She talks non-stop for a long time, telling all that she knows in the sequence it happened. She indicates that all five eventually gathered around the unconscious Matthew and realized he was dead. Rob was so upset after they loaded the body into the car that Ram gave him a few swallows of whiskey, which is why he was over the limit when he was stopped afterwards. Cassie meets with the pathologist who identifies the probable brand of the pen, which may have a serial number that could identify the purchaser. The exhausted Cassie is driving home, looks down at her phone before proceeding from a stop, and her car is violently broadsided.
Sunny and Cassie's family gather at the hospital, where she has brain surgery. Sunny takes over the team. DC Fran reports that Dean's older brother Stephen was killed in 1989 and that Stephen was "not like the other brothers." DS Murray reports large sums of money transferred between accounts controlled by Dean and by Ram. The latter is arrested and confronted with the growing evidence of his involvement in Matthew's murder and Dean's drug importation. Ram admits that he and Rob chased Matthew because of the tussle in the pub. After several untruthful answers, he finally says, "I didn't kill him. I found him on the ground, bleeding from the head, next to a wall. I tried to save him. Ask the others, they were there, I gave him CPR."[28] Dean is arrested and interviewed. He initially says he remembers falliing asleep in Rob's car. Sunny confronts him with the data about the money transfers between his and Ram's accounts, tells him that a customs officer has been arrested and is being cooperative, and asks what leverage he had to corrupt Ram into smuggling drugs? Dean repeatedly says, "No comment" to that question and others directly asking about Ram's involvement in the murder. Reviewing the information with the team, Sunny deduces the missing connection. Confronted by the fact that the pen used to kill Matthew was purchased for Dean by his brother Stephen, Dean confesses to murdering Matthew, who had killed Stephen the year before. Dean says he found the fallen and unconscious Matthew before the others and shoved the pen into the existing wound. He left, circled back, and saw Ram giving him CPR. Dean emotionally expresses remorse over the murder and his failure to remove himself from his roots in the violent Quinn family. Dean is charged with murder, and the other three with preventing a lawful burial. Dean and Ram also are charged for their cocaine smuggling operation. Liz is suspended and charged over the blood samples which she has admitted losing. Fiona is charged with practising psychology without a license. The car that hit Cassie's was driven by a young car thief who had no connection with any of the suspects. Cassie dies without regaining consciousness, and Sunny delivers a moving eulogy at her funeral.
Final appearance of Nicola Walker as DCI Cassie Stuart.
Jessica James succeeds Cassie Stuart as DCI, after two interim leaders, but takes time to gain the trust of her new colleagues. A skeleton leg is discovered in a refurbished house in Hammersmith, and the investigation determines that the victim was a short woman wearing vintage clothing. Thinking the body is more than 55 years old, Jessica initially dismisses the case as obsolete, but further forensics shows that she actually died less than six years ago. Struggling to move forward from Cassie's death and to adjust to Jessica, Sunny drafts but does not send a letter of resignation. He also tells Jessica that he'd been offered her job several times but had always turned it down. Jessica deals with her own personal issues, having discovered that her husband has cheated on her.
26
2
"Episode 2"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
6 March 2023 (2023-03-06)
8.10
Jessica's husband tells her that he doesn't "want to be married to someone who feels like a flatmate" and that they both need some time apart; so he will move out. The victim's cause of death is identified as a gunshot, and evidence suggests she was a drug user. Sunny attempts to keep the flow of information on the case between only him and his colleagues. His partner Sal tells him she is pregnant. Jessica tells Sunny that any new evidence should come to her first, and he states that when she is in the office, he'll make sure that happens. The victim is identified as Precious Falade, who had a history of drug offenses and arrests for sex work and theft. DS Fran tracks down information on Precious's mother Ebele, a recovering alcoholic who runs a small, successful restaurant with her husband Dave Adams. Jessica and Sunny inform Ebele of Precious's death. They disagree in their impressions of Ebele's reaction to the news and her response to questions.
27
3
"Episode 3"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
13 March 2023 (2023-03-13)
8.41
Forensics discovers blood on the floor of the room where Precious's body was found and evidence that someone had tried to clean it. Interviewing Ebele, Jessica and Sunny find that Precious left home at 15 to join a cult in Wales and was pregnant at the time. Precious stayed with the cult on and off for several years and had little involvement with her son Joseph. DS Fran finds out from social services that Precious was affected by fetal alcohol syndrome and her relationship with Ebele was "terrible." Her last contact with social services was with social worker Karol Wojski, who met with her at the Hammersmith house and resigned the next day. Now living in Paris, Karol is struggling with financial pressures. Jessica asks Sunny to go to Paris to meet with Karol. En route, he receives a call from Sal, who fears she is losing the baby. Jessica questions Lord Anthony Hume, whose sister-in-law owned the Hammersmith house. He says he'd paid a group of squatters to leave the house and denies recognizing a photo of Precious. Jay, a young man in jail for a mugging, leaves a voice message, saying "My mother was Precious Falade and I was there that night. I was there and I saw it all."
28
4
"Episode 4"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
20 March 2023 (2023-03-20)
8.34
Sunny arrives in Paris to interview Karol, who had just made arrangements to sell some expensive watches he'd stolen from one of his jobs. He denies that his last meeting with Precious had anything to do with his resigning from social services. On his way back to London, Sunny receives news that Sal has lost the baby. He and Jessica meet with Jay, who corrects them when they call him Joseph, to tell him about Precious's death. He denies what Karol had reported about his relationship with Precious and claims that cult leader David Bell had been physically, emotionally and sexually violent towards both of them. Having acquired a new solicitor, Jay is released on bail and brought to meet Tony Hume, the recipient of his call in the previous episode. Sunny speaks to people from social services, a foster parent and a corrections officer about Jay/Joseph's history. He confronts Jessica about her frequent absences and erratic behaviour and expresses the need for a reset. She agrees and each of them share the problems they've been having in their personal lives. The forensics report on a bullet found in the Hammersmith house matches it to one associated with an earlier robbery by a known associate of Joseph Bell.
29
5
"Episode 5"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
27 March 2023 (2023-03-27)
8.20
DS Murray travels to Wales to find Jay's supposed father, cult leader David Bell, and learns that Bell had died. Sunny's partner Sal decides to move out and take a break from their relationship. Under questioning by Jessica and Sunny, Ebele vehemently denies killing or physically harming her daughter. Later she tells her partner Dave that, when she was 17 and pregnant with Precious, her grandfather forced her to drink half a liter of vodka in an unsuccessful effort to induce an abortion. DC Kaz discusses Tony Hume’s sudden shift from a staunch conservative to more liberal political principles with his former colleague Hussein. He witnessed Tony arguing with a woman who resembled Precious at around the same time, a few months before Precious’s death. Kaz also finds that, early in his career, Tony had worked at the investment firm where, several years later, Ebele walked in with a gun, demanding to see “my dad . . . Tony f***king Hume!” Jay reveals to Jessica and Sunny that he is not Joseph Bell. He’s Joseph’s half brother, whose birth was never registered to prevent his being taken into care. His father, a traveler named Eric Royce, died a year before Precious did. He admits adopting Joseph’s identity to gain benefits but refuses to say what happened to Joseph. An anonymous caller to the station reports knowing where Joseph Bell is buried, and search of the area finds a body.
30
6
"Episode 6"
Andy Wilson
Chris Lang
3 April 2023 (2023-04-03)
8.06
The body is male and was killed with two bullets to the head, possibly around the same time as Precious’s death. DNA confirms that it is Joseph Bell and that Jay is the son of Precious and Eric Royce. Karol admits that Precious was blackmailing him over upskirting photos on his laptop, which he left at the Hammersmith house on the last day he saw her. When he returned the next day, he found the laptop and encountered an older man who had just mopped the floor, whom he identifies as Tony Hume. Tony is arrested before flying out of the country. He admits that Ebele was his daughter and that he let Precious stay in the Hammersmith house. He says that, on the day of Precious’s death, her son Joseph threatened him with a gun. Precious lunged for the gun, but it went off, hitting Joseph in the head. Precious then grabbed the gun and shot herself. Tony disposed of Joseph’s body while Ebele, who arrived after the deaths, held Precious through the night before pushing her body up the chimney. Ebele says that Tony had raped her mother, who worked as a cleaner in his office building. Jay reports that he was upstairs on the night of the shootings and came partway down when he heard shouting. He says that Tony slammed Joseph against the wall and started to choke him. Joseph pulled out the gun, but when Precious lunged and the gun went off, she is the one who was shot. Tony took the gun from Joseph and shot him in the back of the head. Jay ran back upstairs and hid for two days. Tony does not deny Jay’s account and asserts that he has tried to make amends since then. Ebele arrives at Jay’s apartment, introduces herself and tells him how sorry she is. He admits lying – Tony’s original story was true, but since he was responsible for so much of the family’s pain, Jay said that Tony had killed Joseph. Sunny tells Jessica that Tony will be charged with rape – a 57-year old crime – and murder. She asks him to call her Jessie.
Prior to the UK broadcast of the third series, the first series premiered on 8 April 2018 in the United States, as part of PBSMasterpiece Mystery. After two back-to-back episodes were aired each week, the second series was similarly broadcast as three weekly parts from 29 April 2018 to 13 May 2018.[29] Series 3 premiered on 7 April 2019. Series 4 premiered on 11 July 2021. Series 5 Premiered on 9 September 2023.
Home media
The first three series have been released on Region 2 DVD individually. A box-set release of the first two series was made available shortly after the broadcast of the second series. A further box-set release of the first three series came out shortly after the broadcast of the third series. The fourth series has also been released on Region 2 DVD on its own. The first four series have been made available on Amazon Prime in some countries.
^Listed in the credits in the first three series as DS and sometimes also referred to as such in dialogue; more commonly referred to in dialogue as DI and, in series 3, this rank is shown on his warrant card.
^Credited as DS in series 4, but still referred to as DC in dialogue.
