Unforgotten; Big Boys

“The Unforgotten formula is essentially no different to that of Death in Paradise or its nearest equivalent, Silent Witness (or any other Agatha Christie-style whodunit for that matter). The difference is in the ambition of Chris Lang’s writing and the care that has gone into the characterisation. This is reflected in the calibre of the acting talent attracted to each series.”
Gerard Gilbert, The i

“Chris Lang’s characters are so well-drawn and the scripts so expansive, their many strands skilfully interlaced, that it sucks you in. Sunny and Jess have more chemistry now that her ice-queen act has thawed. True, not as much as with Cassie, but it’s still early enough days.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The cold-case crime serial Unforgotten would be an instant record-breaker for its extraordinary ability to spin half a dozen simultaneous plots without ever letting one wobble. Better still, writer and creator Chris Lang does this so expertly that we know the act will conclude with a flourish as he gathers up his plates into one neat stack, all fitting together perfectly. It’s a treat to see such virtuosity, even if my head is spinning.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Beneath all the political stuff lies one of Chris Lang’s well-plotted, engrossing murder cases, which will keep you guessing. Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar make such a good pairing that you will barely miss Nicola Walker, who anchored the first four series. Keenan made her debut in 2023 as DCI Jess James, and has settled in well. Bhaskar’s DI Sunny Khan remains one of my favourite TV detectives, his manner so calm and soothing that he could have a side career voicing meditation apps.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The problem is that Unforgotten is trying to do an awful lot of things with an awful lot of hot-button topics. This is not out of character; the last series was about austerity. But it now feels as if it is hamfistedly stuffing the plot with politics, and doing neither plot nor politics very well as a result.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“Jon Pointing [Danny] deserves to win major awards for his goosebump-inducingly poignant depiction of how depression can look from the outside and how it can feel from the inside. It’s heartbreaking, it’s beautiful, it’s a valuable companion in itself: sitcoms don’t get much more deep and meaningful than this.”
Rachel Aroesti, The Guardian

“What puts Big Boys above other comedies of this type is the way that it weaves in the serious stuff: friendship, loss, depression. It is wonderfully open-hearted. Set-pieces are very funny, from the opening episode holiday in Faliraki to Jack’s ill-fated foray into spoken-word poetry events. But it’s the tender moments that stay with you, all featuring Jon Pointing as Jack’s troubled friend, Danny.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph