Jimmy McGovern's new BBC drama Unforgivable has become one of the most talked-about programmes this summer, praised for its raw depiction of a family shattered by child sexual abuse. The 90-minute film, now on BBC iPlayer, stars Anna Friel as a mother struggling to hold her family together after her teenage son is abused by her brother.
The inspiration for the drama came from a single letter that landed on McGovern's desk. A mother wrote to him describing how her son, a victim of abuse, was left on a waiting list for therapy while the offender received structured support in prison. McGovern told The Big Issue that the letter was one he could not ignore, and it became the seed for Unforgivable.
The drama highlights systemic failures in the UK, including long NHS waiting lists for therapy. The family in the story discovers that the victim will have to wait 21 weeks for help unless he attempts suicide, mirroring real-life experiences shared with McGovern. The writer, known for Time and Hillsborough, has long focused on such injustices in his work.
Unforgivable also explores the uncomfortable reality that the perpetrator was himself abused at the same age, adding complexity without excusing his crimes. McGovern has said the drama reflects the 'messy grey areas' of social justice, a theme central to much of his career.
Anna Friel described the role as one of the most challenging of her career, telling The Big Issue that the grief in the script 'never left me, even after we wrapped.' The drama has been praised for its unflinching honesty, with The Guardian calling it 'mesmeric' and 'sorrowful in exactly the way it should be.'
