Unforgotten's Sanjeev Bhaskar has been left thoroughly impressed by the new cast members who joined the popular ITV drama, expressing his awe after working with them.

With Unforgotten off-air for a couple of years following DCI Cassie Stuart's (Nicola Walker) dramatic exit, DCI Jessica James (Sinead Keenan) stepped in to join forces with DCI Sunil "Sunny" Khan (Bhaskar) as they tackle a tough new case.

In an upcoming series, they discover a body at Whitney Marsh and delve into the lives of four individuals connected to the crime.

Viewers will see a fresh line-up including MyAnna Buring as the forthright Melinda Ricci, Maximilian Fairley as Martin "Marty" Baines who lives with his mum, Elham Ehsas as Afghan refugee Asif Syed, and Victoria Hamilton as academic Juliet Cooper.

Commenting on the experience of working alongside such talent, Bhaskar shared his excitement with ITV: "It was just fantastic. It's one of the joys of this series.

“MyAnna Buring and Max Fairley – I think it was Max’s first job. Elham Ehsas, Victoria Hamilton.

"It's a privilege for me to watch them work, just be sharing scenes with them, but to be sitting a foot away from them, having to convey quite complex things, and watching them do it with such grace and skill."