TV has released an exciting behind-the-scenes first look at Unforgotten season seven, which sees the return of Sanjeev Bhaskar (DI Sunny Khan) and Sinéad Keenan (DCI Jess James), alongside new cast members Sophie Rundle (After the Flood, Peaky Blinders), Andrew Tiernan (Joan, Happy Valley) and Joshua Sher (Lynley, Vera).

Created by award-winning screenwriter Chris Lang, Unforgotten follows a team of detectives as they investigate “complex and emotionally charged” cold cases. Filming for the new season of the hit crime drama was revealed in a behind-the-scenes photo of Sanjeev and Sinéad at the table read.

Sanjeev Bhaskar (DI Sunny Khan) and Sinéad Keenan (DCI Jess James) in Unforgotten season 7© ITV
Sanjeev Bhaskar (DI Sunny Khan) and Sinéad Keenan (DCI Jess James) in Unforgotten season 7

The sixth series drew an impressive 9.2 million viewers, averaging 8.5 million across its run, and became ITV’s biggest returning drama of 2025.

Intrigued? Keep reading for everything you need to know about Unforgotten season seven.

What happens in Unforgotten season 7?

The new season begins in typically dark fashion when a “chilling” discovery of human remains is made in the crawl space of a house in Ladbroke Grove, London.

The synopsis continues: “Early forensic analysis suggests the body is that of a child and has been deliberately concealed for several years. The investigation takes a deeply personal turn for the team when a DNA match links the victim to a previously closed historic case, compelling DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jess James to revisit the original inquiry and unravel the truth behind a decades-old crime.

Six people looking into camera behind green landscape© ITV
Unforgotten season 7 has begun filming

Who are the new stars in Unforgotten season 7?

With a new season comes a host of fresh faces, including Sophie Rundle (After the Flood, Gentleman Jack, Peaky Blinders), Julian Rhind-Tutt (Kill Jackie, The Reckoning), Jo Hartley (Adolescence, Passenger) and Paul Kaye (The Hack, Game of Thrones). They are joined by Nicholas Burns (The Serpent Queen, Black Mirror), Natalie Simpson (Trigger Point, Outlander), Kirsty J Curtis (Joan, Harlots) and Andrew Tiernan (Joan, Happy Valley).

Sophie Rundle plays Joanna Marshall© MATT SQUIRE
Sophie Rundle joins the new cast

Ben Bailey Smith (The 6th Commandment, Black Mirror), Dominic Coleman (Bridgerton, The Jetty), David Fynn (Daddy Issues, Lazarus) and India Brown (Honey Bunch, Invasion) also feature. Other names include Sonya Nisa (Waterloo Road, Damsel), Joshua Sher (Lynley, Vera), Rachel Atkins (The Hack, Grantchester), Roger Dipper (Malice, Sherwood), Cameron Jack (River City, The Wheel of Time) and Mark Jax (Jack Ryan, Merlin).

Rounding out the new cast are Joe McNamara (Call the Midwife), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Paula Wilcox (Coronation Street, Trying) and Philip Martin Brown (Darkest Hour, Waterloo Road).

Who is the returning cast of Unforgotten season 7?

It wouldn’t be Unforgotten without Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan, and the pair are again joined by their police team, including Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting, Carolina Main as DS Fran Lingley and Pippa Nixon as DC Kaz Willets.

Other returning members include Georgia Mackenzie as Pathologist Dr Leanne Balcombe, Andrew Lancel (I Fought the Law, and The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe) as Jess’s ex-husband, Steve, and Kate Robbins (The Couple Next Door, Afterlife) as her mother, Kate.

Female wearing police lanyard sitting in office© ITV
Sinead Keenan plays DCI Jess James

What have the creatives said about Unforgotten season 7?

Huw Kennair Jones, ITV’s Drama Commissioner, said: “It’s always beyond exciting to return to the brilliant world of ‘Unforgotten’ and this series promises to be no different.

“Once again, Chris Lang has created a compelling set of characters interwoven in an intriguing and enticing story, one that will keep Jess and Sunny and the audience guessing until the very end.

“We’re thrilled that once again, Andy Wilson is directing every episode and with the brilliant team at Mainstreet Pictures producing, it’s going to be another fantastic series.”

Man in suit looking into the distance© ITV
Sanjeev Bhaskar is DI Sunny Khan

Meanwhile, Executive Producers for Mainstreet Pictures Sally Haynes and Guy de Glanville added: “It is a true honour and privilege to be making another series of Unforgotten for ITV. We are so excited to be bringing another powerful and deeply emotional story, written by the exceptional Chris Lang, to the screen, directed by the brilliant Andy Wilson, and brought to life by our stellar cast, led by Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar.

“The commission of a seventh series reflects the continued success of the series and the enduring loyalty of its audience, made possible by the incredible support of Polly Hill and Huw Kennair Jones at ITV, and Susanne Simpson at Masterpiece.”