This Overlooked Drama Starring Nicola Walker & Sarah Lancashire Is Quietly Winning Hearts Again, And Viewers Can’t Believe They Slept On It!Before Happy Valley and Unforgotten, Nicola Walker and Sarah Lancashire shared the screen in a tender, deeply human series that fans are now rediscovering — and calling “a masterpiece in disguise.”
Unforgotten
ITV
The award-winning, six-season long ITV show stars Walker from the first to fourth seasons as DCI Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Stuart. Each series focuses on the investigation of a cold case, be it murder or a mysterious disappearance. Viewers also see the underlying motives of DCI Stuart’s personal life – her family conflicts and work demands – also intervene.
Spooks
BBC/Kudos/Angus Muir
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Walker joined the cast of Spooks in the second season, which first premiered back in 2003. The spy drama picked up endless awards and sees the likes of Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes in the main cast, alongside Walker’s character, Ruth Evershed. Fun fact: Walker joined the Cambridge Footlights theatre company during her university years, and this was where she met Spooks writer David Wolstencroft.
The Split
BBC
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Fans of legal dramas have to watch The Split. Starring alongside Stephen Mangan, Walker portrays as Hannah Stern, a divorce lawyer, whose siblings all work in the rival family firm. Unsurprisingly, tensions arise when the family’s long-lost father returns to the fold demanding his stake in the business.
Last Tango in Halifax
PHOTOGRAPHER: MATT SQUIRE
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Written by Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack), the much loved romantic comedy series was on screens from 2012 to 2020. Celia Dawson and Alan Buttershaw – both in their 70s – fancied each other back in the 1950s. Fast forward a few decades, and the two are separately persuaded to join social media by their grandchildren. Alan begins to pursue his undying love for Celia. Walker plays Alan’s daughter Gillian, who is a part-time supermarket assistant and part-time farmer. Sarah Lancashire plays Celia’s daughter Caroline (pictured, right).
Annika
BBC
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Based on the BBC Radio 4 Drama, Annika Strandhed is the lead of the Glasgow-based Marine Homicide Unit in this TV dramas. As the crimes wash upon the shores of Scotland, Annika is devoted to unveiling the truth in unexplained murders, and must grapple with the pressures of her job as well as maintain a strong mother-daughter bond.
Inside Men
Leon Neal//Getty Images
