How vital Unforgotten moment paved the way for season 6

At the helm of the show since its inception, Sunny has become a fan-favourite character, but last season saw the beloved detective dealing with the grief in the aftermath of former partner Cassie's (Nicola Walker) death.

With her departure came the arrival of Jess (Keenan), who wasn't initially welcomed with open arms in the police station.

However, by the end of the fifth season, fans watched on as Sunny and Jess opened up to each other about the hard times in their personal lives that they'd both been struggling with.

Well, it seems as though that moment has only opened up the avenues of communication for the pair going into season 6, according to its stars.

Chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Bhaskar said of their dynamic: “I mean for me, it’s a continuation of their relationship that started in season 5. For me, by the end of season 5, they have that one scene where they kind of open up to each other. That was a really vital moment in their relationship.

"There’s an element of trust in their working relationship now, Jess doesn’t think that Sunny’s a threat, he doesn’t think that she’s a threat to the way he works and everything. In terms of their personal lives, I don’t think they know each other that well yet. So, they do hold back on that, as you would with co-workers.”

Although they shared small snippets of their personal lives, we're sure season 6 will continue to show the fallout of both of their decisions. Of course, Sunny and Sal broke up after realising that they didn't want the same things, and Jess was left to deal with her husband's Steve's (Andrew Lancel) emotional affair.

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Naturally, coming into the lead role, many were also focussing on Keenan's arrival into the series as well, with the reception to her character coming as a "relief" to the actress.

Also chatting to RadioTimes.com, Keenan said of the reaction to season 5: “It’s lovely. It’s a relief that we were allowed to go again and that Jess’s arrival eventually, with the audience, I think they’ve got onboard.

"I mean, initially, I don’t think there was an awful lot of love for her, which nor should there have been.

"I think the response went down well and I’m just delighted to come in for another go.”

The new season of Unforgotten follows Jess and Sunny as they investigate the discovery of some suspected human remains on Whitney Marsh. While they're used to dealing with cold cases, it's soon discovered that the remains are relatively recent and that the body was placed on the marsh already dismembered.

The guest cast for the series includes MyAnna Buring (The Witcher), Elham Ehsas (Shantaram), Victoria Hamilton (COBRA) and newcomer Max Fairley, as well as Jan Francis (Just Good Friends) and Damien Molony (Brassic).

Unforgotten season 6 will premiere on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 9th February at 9pm.

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