Striking first-look images have been released for Unforgivable, a bold and emotionally charged new drama from multi-award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern.
The BBC have released the first set of photos from the new series from McGovern (the powerhouse behind Time, Cracker, and The Street). Unforgivable is produced by Liverpool-based LA Productions (Broken, Anthony, and Care) and will premiere later this year on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Set and filmed in Liverpool, the series centres on the Mitchell family as they struggle to navigate the devastating aftermath of an unthinkable act committed by one of their own.
The photos offer a glimpse into the powerful performances ahead, featuring Emmy-winner Anna Friel (Marcella, Pushing Diaries), Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne, SAS Rogue Heroes), BAFTA-winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Ludwig, Until I Kill You) as Katherine, BAFTA-winner David Threlfall (Nightsleeper, Shameless (UK)) as Brian, and rising star Austin Haynes (Adolescence, The Railway Children Return) as Tom.
Unforgivable will follow Joe Mitchell (Schofield) as he arrives at St Maura’s, a residential institution offering support and rehabilitation after release from prison. There, under the guidance of Katherine (Maxwell Martin), a compassionate former nun, he begins a difficult journey of therapy and self-examination.
Meanwhile, his sister Anna (Emmy-winner Anna Friel, Marcella, Pushing Daisies) is left to pick up the pieces. As she protects her two sons, Tom (Austin Haynes, The Railway Children Return) and Peter (Fin McParland, in his television debut), and cares for their ailing father Brian (BAFTA-winner David Threlfall, Nightsleeper, Shameless), Anna must reckon with a reality that refuses to stay buried.
Told through multiple perspectives, Unforgivable unashamedly examines the ripple effects of abuse: from its deep emotional scars to its moral complexities, and the possibility of healing in the aftermath.
The cast also includes Mark Womack (The Responder, Moving On), Paddy Rowan (Time, This Town), Phina Oruche (Anthony, Magpie Murders), and the above-mentioned Fin McParland in his television debut.
With a vast collective of talent both in front of and behind the camera, Unforgivable promises to be a powerful and unflinching drama, marking another landmark collaboration between McGovern and LA Productions.
Unforgivable will premiere later this year on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Words by Joseph Jenkinson
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