Today marks the day that Jimmy McGovern’s highly anticipated latest TV project lands on BBC iPlayer.
The new one-part drama, Unforgivable, stars Anna Maxwell Martin as Katherine, an ex-nun and therapist who works at an institution called St Maura’s.
Anna was introduced as DCS Patricia Carmichael in BBC One’s crime drama Line of Duty back in 2019, a character known for her passive aggressive and unpleasant demeanour.
In Unforgivable, Katherine works alongside lead character Joe (Bobby Schofield) as he finishes his two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a family member.
Brookside star Anna Friel plays Joe’s sister, Anna, who is tackling the aftermath of her family’s trauma whilst protecting her two sons.
Anna’s contact with her inmate brother infuriates her father Brian (David Threlfall), who can’t stand the fact that she is in contact with her brother, Joe.
The Liverpool-set series also features Adolescence child actor Austin Haynes alongside Phina Oruche, Mark Womack and Fin McPartland in his TV debut.
As well as being a best-selling author, screenwriter Jimmy has worked on many shows over the years that tackle social issues and injustice.
Over the years, he’s worked on Channel 4’s Brookside, the docudrama Hillsborough and most recently the Bafta award-winning series Time, starring Sean Bean and Stephen Graham.
Speaking to the BBC about his previous work on screen, McGovern said: ‘It’s got to seize my soul and if it doesn’t do that then I won’t be able to sit at the computer to write.’
A description of Unforgivable reads: ‘The Mitchell family deal with the devastating aftermath of an act of sexual abuse committed by a member of their own family who, after two years, is about to leave prison.’
When the cast for the series was first confirmed, Jimmy told Radio Times: ‘I can’t believe the cast and crew that have been assembled for this production. It’s a challenging film, yes, but I can’t wait for it to be shown.’
The release of Unforgivable comes shortly after Netflix added all four episodes of a ‘gripping’ spy thriller starring another Line of Duty star.
Set in 1886, the drama The Secret Agent follows a man called Verloc (Toby Jones), who owns a sex shop in Victorian-era Soho.
On the side, he’s an informer for the Russian embassy tasked with spying on revolutionary groups, with Line of Duty icon Vicky McClurer playing his wife, Winnie.
To round out the top of the call sheet, Stephen Graham joins them as the police Chief Inspector Heat.
Unforgivable is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.
An earlier version of this article was published on July 13, 2025.
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