Guest cast announced for Unforgotten's seventh series on ITV1 as filming begins

DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jess James reunite to investigate a new, complex and emotionally charged cold case.

As filming begins on the seventh series of ITV1's hit drama Unforgotten, the full story and guest casting have been announced as Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan both return as DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jess James, who reprise their acclaimed on-screen partnership as the team investigates a complex and emotionally charged cold case.

Series 7 opens with the chilling discovery of human remains in the crawl space of a house in Ladbroke Grove, London.

Early forensic analysis suggests the body is that of a child and has been deliberately concealed for several years, and 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.

The investigation into the young victim's life leads the team to a new cast of characters whose present-day lives conceal dark secrets, including troubled social worker, Mary Brock, played by Sophie Rundle, respected inmate Lacee Cook, played by Kirsty J Curtis, struggling addict Hugh Swafham, played by Julian Rhind-Tutt and tenacious journalist Ruby Allenford, played by Natalie Simpson.

Jess and Sunny’s loyal police team also reassemble, featuring Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting, Carolina Main as DS Fran Lingley, and Pippa Nixon as DC Kaz Willets. Georgia Mackenzie also returns as Pathologist Dr Leanne Balcombe.

Other returning cast members include Andrew Lancel as Jess’s ex-husband, Steve, and Kate Robbins as her mother, Kate.

Also joining Sanjeev and Sinéad and the returning cast members for the seventh series will be Jo Hartley, Paul Kaye, Nicholas Burns, Andrew Tiernan, Ben Bailey Smith, Dominic Coleman, David Fynn, India Brown, Sonya Nisa, Joshua Sher, Rachel Atkins, Roger Dipper, Cameron Jack, Mark Jax, Joe McNamara, Yazdan Qafouri as well as celebrated British actors Paula Wilcox and Philip Martin Brown.

The new series will showcase a diverse range of locations across the UK, setting the scene for the new investigation. These include the central London location of Ladbroke Grove, the coastal setting of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and locations in Coventry and Halifax, as well as Reading Prison.

The sixth series launched to an audience of 9.2 million viewers, averaging 8.5 million across its run, and became the biggest returning drama of 2025 across all channels and streaming platforms.

Written and created by Chris Lang, series 7 of Unforgotten will be made by Mainstreet Pictures and MASTERPIECE, directed by Andy Wilson, who has overseen all six previous series, and produced by Deborah Morgan, who served as line producer for series five and six.

Unforgotten will return to ITV1