Gritty three part drama Unforgiven follows the story of Ruth Slater who is released from prison at the age of thirty four after serving a life sentence for killing two policemen when she was 17. Desperate to get in contact once more with her sister Lucy who she hasn’t seen since she was six and has seen been adopted by Michael and Rachel Belcombe, Ruth also struggles to come to terms with the outside world as well as having to deal with the fact that the sons of one of the men she killed are determined to get their revenge once they hear she has been released.
Ruth is taken under the wing of family Lawyer John Ingram and his wife Izzie (who don’t know about her past but live in her old house, which just so happens to be where the murders were committed) and whilst working at her factory job in Halifax she begins to fall for Brad.
Part thriller, part human drama with three or four plot strands all coming together, the Yorkshire set Unforgiven touches all the right ITV Drama buttons, the script by the always excellent Sally Wainwright is the real highlight though.
production details
UK / ITV1 – Red Productions / 3×60 minute episodes / Broadcast 12 – 26 January 2009
Writer and Co-Executive Producer: Sally Wainwright / Music: Malcolm Lindsay / Costumes: Emma Rosenthal / Script Editor: Emily Feller / Production Design: Grant Montgomery / Executive Producers: Nicola Shindler. Hugo Heppell / Producer: Karen Lewis / Director: David Evans
cast
SURANNE JONES as Ruth Slater
DOUGLAS HODGE as Michael Belcombe
MATTHEW McNULTY as Steve Whelan
WILL MELLOR as Brad
JEMMA REDGRAVE as Rachel Belcombe
JACK DEAM as Kieran Whelan
SIOBHAN FINNERAN as Izzie Ingram
PETER DAVISON as John Ingram
EMILY BEECHAM as Lucy Belcombe
FLORA SPENCER-LONGHURST as Emily Belcombe
FAYE McKEEVER as Hannah Whelan
DARYL FISHWICK as Carol Crossland
JOHN AXON as Tony Wolfenden
TONY PITTS as Adam Boothroyd
GEORGE COSTIGAN as Eddie Acroyd
LIZ HUME-DAWSON as Lindsay Metcalfe
SHERRY ORMEROD as Cheryl
DAVID PROSHO as DC Summergate
SOPHIE DOWNHAM as Young Katie
JASON FURNIVAL as Colin Whelan
REBEKAH STATON as Tracy Broadbent
SUZANNE NICHOLE PRESTON as Waitress
ROB NORBURY as Police Officer
PHIL JERVIS as Prison Officer
MARIE ELKINS as Receptionist
SEBASTIAN SHAW as PC Higginbottom
MATTHEW HALL as Rufus Ingram
FREDDIE JACKSON as Charlie Ingram
BILL RODGERS as Alan
FLO WILSON as Amanda Liddle
CLAIRE BENEDICT as Psychotherapist
WASIM ZAKIR as Post Office Man
ANGELA FORREST as Female Customer
JUDE VAUSE as Sophie
JUNE BROUGHTON as Izzie’s Mum
TONY BROUGHTON as Izzie’s Dad
KAREN ROSARIO, DANNY RAHIM as Students
