The future of ITV's hit cold case drama Unforgotten is uncertain after creator Chris Lang announced he will step down as writer following the next series. Lang, who has written 42 episodes over six series, told the Royal Television Society he plans to 'pass the baton on' after the upcoming seventh series, though he will remain involved in some capacity.
The show has faced backlash over its political themes in series six, with some viewers criticising what they described as 'woke nonsense' and excessive 'political commentary'. One viewer posted on X: 'I was a fan of each previous series. 2 episodes in and I'm finding the political commentary way too much, I think it detracts from the story and makes the whole thing less credible.'
Lang defended his approach, saying: 'I wouldn't write it if I didn't have something to say about the state of the nation. Because Unforgotten has an inherent and robust structure, that allows me space to hold up a mirror to British society — it's a Trojan horse show.' He added that he wants to avoid repeating himself after writing so many episodes.
Despite the criticism, the drama remains popular, with the first episode of series six drawing 7.4 million viewers. Many fans have also defended the show, with one calling it 'THE best thing on television' and praising Lang's writing and the performances of Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar.
The show underwent a major change two years ago when lead actress Nicola Walker, who played DCI Cassie Stuart, was replaced by Sinéad Keenan after her character died in a car accident in series four. Keenan took over as DCI Jessica James from series five onwards.
