Unforgotten’s Sanjeev Bhaskar teases new romance for Sunny after battling heartbreak and grief as ITV series returns

UNFORGOTTEN'S Sanjeev Bhaskar has teased a new romance for DI Sunny Khan after battling heartbreak and grief.

The hit ITV drama returns tonight for its sixth series and will see Sunny and DCI Jess James take on the new case of a dismembered body found on Whitney Marsh.

Unforgotten viewers will see the pair start to work more smoothly together after a rocky start in the last series, following the tragic death of Sunny's former work partner, DCI Cassie Stuart.

But they will also witness Sunny starting to come to terms with his grief over her death, and his heartbreak following the end of his engagement to fiancee Sal.

One scene involves him heading out for a meal in a restaurant on his own, and while some viewers may feel sorry for him, actor Sanjeev thinks it's proof his alter ego is coming out the other side of his problems.

He said: "Gosh, I didn't have the nerve to do that when I was on my own -  table for one and a glass of wine.

"Yeah, I think he's managed the grief I think he had over Cassie. And at the end of the previous series his relationship didn't quite work out.

"So I think, to my mind, him being able to go out for a meal... Or in the first episode he's ringing his daughters to say: ‘Could you fill a weekend?’, he's actually much more proactive than he would have been previously.

"And possibly in the six months we haven't seen him.

"Whereas I imagine after the relationship with Sal broke down, I'm sure he wasn't going out to a restaurant the next day and having a glass of wine.

"So for me he's in a slightly more positive place than he was."

But whether that means Sunny is in a position to date again remains to be seen.

He enjoys a night out with pathologist Dr. Leanne Balcombe and Sanjeev said: "Well the thing that also connects them is they were the last two people to see Cassie.

"So there is a connection he's had there and she's been there for, now we've seen a couple of series.

"I mean, who knows? I mean I know. The answer to that question is: ‘I know but I'm not telling you!’"

Unforgotten returns tonight at 9pm on ITV1.