"Unforgotten"

Radio Times has hinted that screenwriter Chris Lang is working on a fourth season of the ITV police drama. I have mixed feelings about this. The series started off well and, unlike so many sequels, subsequent seasons became more interesting. The back stories, especially those of the two leading police investigators, got richer. At the same time, the enormity of the crimes investigated has increased. My worry is that Mr Lang might try to top them with something more extreme.

One thing that will clearly prove impossible to top is the revelatory final interrogation in the series just ended. It was low-key, with no incidental music (thank goodness) to prompt ones emotion, but it hit one like a blow to the stomach and kept one riveted. It needed actors of the quality of Alex Jennings and Nicola Walker to pull it off - and, of course, superb directing and editing.

There were incidental pleasures, such as the swipe at the power without responsibility of "citizen" bloggers retailing fake news. Nor was Mr Lang afraid to show that the best of detectives make mistakes - in the recent case, one that contributed, albeit not directly, to a fatality. His dialogue was realistic as one might expect from one who is also an actor.

If it were me producing the show, I would lighten the tone for the next season. Perhaps this is nerdish, but the process of investigation can be as involving as the nature of the crime. Does one really need a plethora of dead bodies? A historic robbery or a long-standing disappearance could provide the mainspring for the plot. |Besides, there were clear signs that the nature of her investigations was getting too much for DCI Cassie Stuart and we were left with the impression that she might take early retirement. Could the show afford to lose Nicola Walker? And then there is the opportunity to give a fifth season more impact by contrast ...