A gripping five-part crime thriller set 15 years before Waking the Dead.

Set in 1984 – a world without DNA, CCTV, mobiles, or the internet – The Unforgiven, reveals how the iconic Waking the Dead team got together, before they became an official cold case unit. 

Trouble erupts as a serial killer launches a huge legal appeal against his conviction, claiming police corruption, and pointing the finger directly at young DC Peter Boyd – and implicating forensic scientist, Frankie Wharton. With Boyd forced to disappear, criminal profiler, Grace Foley, and cops, Spencer Jordan, and Mel Silver, join Frankie to clear their names and save Boyd from disgrace and possible prison. Told over five days, with each character taking turns to tell their story, this heart-stopping case sees them racing to beat the clock as the unthinkable unfolds. 

Written by Barbara Machin, who created Waking the Dead for BBC1, this electrifying drama stars the original cast of the Emmy-winning hit TV series – Sue Johnston, Holly Aird, Claire Goose and Wil Johnson.