Interview: Sinead Keenan couldn't wait to return to Unforgotten

In Unforgotten, Sinead Keenan plays Jessie, a cold-case detective whose job is to dredge up the past, for good or ill, and get to the truth.

It’s just that the last time we spoke, we managed to do the opposite.

In 2023, Dubliner Sinead spoke to The Sunday Post ahead of her debut in the hit ITV detective drama and she revealed how she loved Scotland having spent time starring in shows like The L Word and Taggart.

She also had a Scottish grandad called Frank who she adored.

“The problem is, the last time I spoke to you I said he was born in a tenement in Sauchiehall Street,” cackles Sinead. “But then my mother’s cousin, who lives in Scotland, got in touch with my mum and apparently that’s wrong!

“He lived in the centre of Glasgow but not Sauchiehall Street. I was SURE it was Sauchiehall Street, where would I have got that street name from? It’s all up for question now.

“He’s now dead so we can’t even ask him.”

Sinead Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar return as Jessie and Sunny in the new series of Unforgotten.

His precise origins might be a mystery not even her character Jessie and her colleague Sunny (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar) could uncover, but it’s clear Sinead’s family have a lot of affection for Frank.

“What I can say was that he was brilliant. He was deaf as a door nail! He was one of five boys, and all five brothers went off to war, and I think all five were in the RAF.

“They all came back, which was very lucky, but all five came back deaf because of the noise from the planes. Getting them in a room together at a family occasion was an experience. The volume…everything was turned up to 100!”

The world of Unforgotten

Which is pretty much the opposite of the vibe that has made Unforgotten a mainstay on British television. The show debuted a decade ago, with Spooks and The Split star Nicola Walker opposite Bhaskar, and now it’s back for a sixth series, with Sinead, 47, once more taking the lead.

Fans were stunned when Walker’s character Cassie was killed at the conclusion of the fourth series (a decision apparently made before the first episode of series one was even broadcast), and Sinead admitted to being wary of the thankless task of stepping in as a replacement.

Sinead won a Bafta for the powerful drama Little Boy Blue in 2017, about the murder of 11-year-old schoolboy Rhys Jones in Croxteth in 2007, and initially she told her agent she wasn’t going to be “the eejit who follows Nicola Walker”.

Changing her mind was one of the smartest decisions she’s ever made, though.

“Unforgotten has been going for so long, and that’s a testament to Chris Lang’s writing and the characters he’s created,” she says. “It’s crazy to think he’s written every single episode and Andy Wilson has directed every single episode. There’s a lovely continuity with the show which is so rare with TV shows. They’re a well-oiled machine, and everyone knows what’s expected of them.

“Whenever there’s a new series, everyone wants to come back because it’s such a lovely job to do.”

Unforgotten isn’t the most violent, nor is it the most cerebral, or even the most cosy detective series. Yet it is enduringly popular among a busy field. Why is that?

“It’s not a flashy series, maybe we’re in Steady Eddie territory. It doesn’t lean into car chases and guns,” Sinead ponders. “These guys do steady, thoughtful work.

“It’s so simple, you start the series with a problem and, hopefully, by the end of it, you have an answer. Ideally it’s the right answer. Yeah, there’s something comforting. Nine times out of 10 it will get fixed.

“I think that Unforgotten is good at pinning down and pointing out the oddities and humanity in people’s relationships.

“And with each new series there are all these completely different characters, from different worlds with different worldviews.”

New series

As ever, the two mismatched detectives are tackling one case across the course of the series, and this one has a typically gloomy start.

The spine of a disabled person is pulled from a bog, before we’re introduced to another group of the aforementioned mismatched people from a variety of backgrounds.

As well as an Afghan illegal immigrant and an autistic man, there’s a university professor in the process of being cancelled by her students and colleagues, and a right-wing TV commentator, played by MyAnna Buring, on a GB News-style channel who throws around phrases like “woke” and “libtard” during right-wing rants like they’re Molotov cocktails.

“It’s just reflective of the world and what’s been happening around us for the past decade or so,” adds Sinead. “People hold these views: Some are very left-leaning and some are right-leaning.

“I think the beauty of the Unforgotten characters, though, is that nothing is black and white, much like in real life.

“I think the show puts forward any arguments very well and, hopefully, delicately. I don’t think you’re getting hammered over the head with it, anyway…”

Co-star Sanjeev comes across as one of the entertainment world’s nice guys, who seems genuinely delighted to be working in showbusiness. He made Sinead welcome on a tight-knit production.

“He is so very thoughtful and kind, he makes sure anyone that comes on set is comfortable and has what they need,” says Sinead. “He is very warm and engaging. And he’s a great man for the anecdote, sitting around chatting. That is who he is, that’s not just a front, he’s a lovely fella.”

Viewers’ response

Lovelier still was the response from viewers who watched the last series.

“I was very, very relieved with the feedback, and people were incredibly kind and generous.

“I couldn’t have asked for better, really, in terms of response, because I know it’s a big ask of an audience for a show that has such a committed and dedicated following, for them to suddenly get on board with somebody new, particularly when their beloved character has been killed, and they’re expected to follow on through with some new interloper.

“So I was very pleased and delighted with the response, which was thankfully overwhelmingly positive.”

The only difficult part of Unforgotten for Sinead is trying to square it with being a mum.

“The most challenging aspect with this job – and actually, it’s with any acting job, it’s not unique to Unforgotten – is being away from home,” she says. “But the production were brilliant. As soon as I had a day off, I was in a car straight down the M40 to see the kids. That’s always the toughest bit. But it’s the price you pay, which is hopefully worth it. But, yes, that’s the toughest bit.”

‘Script is just like a novel’

Sinead Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar return as Jessie and Sunny.

For Sanjeev Bhaskar, one of the pleasures of Unforgotten is the moment the script arrives through his letterbox.

And not just so he can see which scenes he’s in… for once.

“A lot of the time, you get a script for something, and you flick to the bits that you’re in, that’s fine!” he says. “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 think what Chris (Lang, the writer) is brilliant at is empathy in his writing. For the investigators, and its empathy for the victims, but also empathy for the perpetrators. That makes for interesting reading.”

And, of course, there is Sunny’s iconic backpack. Each season, the wardrobe team has filled his bag with mystery items, which he delights in posting on social media. Previous objects have included a doll’s house, a book of Dolly Parton quotes, a she-wee and some saucy charades.

“The only thing that I would say is that we had a new costume team, and they dutifully followed the tradition of filling Sunny’s backpack with strange and weird stuff that I took pictures of,” says Sanjeev. “And as the series goes out, I will again be posting those.”

Unforgotten returns to ITV and ITVX next Sunday from 9pm.