Each six-part series begins with the discovery of a long-hidden body. The duo doggedly uncover what happened, narrowing down their investigation to a seemingly unconnected guest cast of suspects. (The first three series are available on streaming services.)
Now comes the fourth chapter, which opens with the discovery of a headless, handless, deep-frozen corpse in a London scrapyard. Cassie and Sunny set about identifying him and unravelling his tragic story.
Viewers learn that Cassie had a nervous breakdown and has been on long-term sick leave. But her plans to take medical retirement are thwarted and she’s forced to reluctantly return to work.
This storyline is rooted in reality, too. “I read a very good book about a front-line murder detective in London who had a breakdown,” says Lang. “He detailed what it’s like, trawling through the very worst that humans do to each other. You’re constantly seeing all this chaos and damage. You’d be inhuman if that didn’t take a toll … It goes back to my original impulse to show coppers as real people, not caricatures, who are affected by the job they do.”
Neither does Unforgotten shy away from the unglamorous reality of police work. It isn’t all hunches and high-octane chases. “We show a lot of the donkey work – knocking on doors and going through files,” agrees Lang. “Watch police documentaries and you’ll see the diligent, studied quality of serious crime departments. Their offices aren’t beautifully designed temples to law enforcement, with people running around shouting. It’s professionals, sitting quietly at their slightly ugly desks, ploughing through paperwork. There’s a lot of rummaging in brown boxes, especially with historic crime because it’s all pre-digital.”
Sensitive, caring Cassie also represents a break from the past, when female TV detectives had to be ball-breakers in a man’s world, from The Gentle Touch’s DI Maggie Forbes (the late Jill Gascoine) to Prime Suspect’s DCI Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren). More recently, the likes of Sarah Lancashire in Happy Valley, Anna Friel in Marcella and Gillian Anderson in The Fall have been tougher and more sexually liberated than their snowflake-ish male colleagues.
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“The likes of Lynda La Plante were writing at a time when there weren’t many senior female officers,” says Lang. “Tennison had to be more male than the men. That was borne out by reality. I worked with Jackie Malton, upon whom Tennison was based, when she was a consultant on The Bill. She had to be tough to prevail. But that was 30 years ago. Things have moved on. There’s a woman [Dame Cressida Dick] in charge of the Met now. Women aren’t under the same pressure to prove themselves. Yet I hope Cassie adds something to the lineage of female detectives we’ve all grown up watching.”
Unforgotten (season 4) premieres on BBC First, Wednesday, 8.30pm. Seasons 1- 3 are on Stan.
The Sunday Telegraph
