Unforgotten fans have a real-life cold case to watch while waiting for season 7
Fans of ITV’s Unforgotten who enjoy watching detectives untangle decades-old mysteries have another cold-case investigation to explore while waiting for the drama’s seventh series.
The Real Unforgotten is a two-part true-crime documentary centred on the 1981 murder of Carol Morgan in Linslade, Bedfordshire. Unlike the fictional investigations of DI Sunny Khan and DCI Jess James, this series follows real detectives as they spend years revisiting an unresolved case and searching for evidence that could finally explain what happened.
The documentary was originally broadcast by ITV in February 2025 and has since attracted renewed attention after appearing among Netflix’s most-watched shows in the UK and Ireland in September 2026. Netflix’s official Top 10 data placed The Real Unforgotten at No. 3 among TV shows in Ireland for the week of September 14 to September 20, 2026.
For viewers who have already watched Unforgotten several times, the appeal is obvious. The documentary offers a rare look at what a real cold-case investigation looks like when detectives have to work through old evidence, revisit witnesses and deal with the mistakes and dead ends left behind by an earlier investigation.
A 1981 murder that remained unresolved for decades
Carol Morgan was 36 when she was murdered in 1981. She was found dead in the storeroom of the corner shop she ran with her husband, Allen Morgan, in Linslade.
The original investigation did not identify her killer. Police initially treated the case as a burglary that had gone wrong, but important leads were missed during the investigation.
More than three decades later, the case was reopened in 2018. The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit began a new investigation, re-examining the evidence and speaking to people connected to the original case.
That investigation eventually became the focus of The Real Unforgotten. Production followed the detectives for six years, giving the documentary unusually close access to the process of revisiting a murder that had remained unresolved for more than 40 years.
The programme follows investigators as they return to the original evidence, reconsider the circumstances surrounding Carol’s death and pursue new leads. It also includes interviews with members of the cold-case team and people who knew Carol.
The investigation eventually led to a conviction
The documentary also shows how the renewed investigation developed into a case against Carol’s husband, Allen Morgan.
In 2024, Allen Morgan was convicted of conspiracy to murder after prosecutors established that he had arranged for someone to kill his wife. The person who actually carried out the murder has never been identified.
A significant breakthrough came when a witness who had been 17 at the time of the original investigation came forward with information. Detectives described the new testimony as a turning point in the case.
The documentary captures the investigation as it unfolds, including interviews, arrests and the discussions surrounding the preparation of the case for court. ITV’s description says the production was given access to the police investigation as well as meetings with the Crown Prosecution Service and King’s Counsel.
The identity of Carol’s alleged killer, however, remains unresolved.
Viewers describe it as powerful and difficult to watch
The subject matter makes The Real Unforgotten a considerably heavier watch than a conventional crime drama.
Viewers have described the documentary as fascinating, upsetting, shocking and powerful, while others have commented on how frustrating the long-running investigation can be.
One viewer who was already a fan of Unforgotten said they found it refreshing to see a real cold case investigated in detail rather than through a fictional storyline.
Another viewer described the documentary as an upsetting watch, while a further reaction called it “very powerful and shocking”.
For people living in Linslade, the story can feel even more personal. One local viewer said it was particularly affecting to watch a case that happened so close to home and expressed sadness that it had taken so long for the investigation to reach a conclusion.
The documentary’s focus on the human cost of a decades-old murder is also central to the way the production approaches the story. ITV describes the programme as an examination of the real-life cold-case work behind the kind of investigations fictionalised in Unforgotten.
What about Unforgotten season 7?
While The Real Unforgotten provides a real-life alternative, fans of the ITV drama are still waiting for the next fictional cold case.
ITV confirmed in January 2026 that filming had begun on the seventh series of Unforgotten. Sanjeev Bhaskar is returning as DI Sunny Khan, alongside Sinéad Keenan as DCI Jess James.
The new series follows the detectives as they investigate another complex cold case. ITV has also announced a large supporting cast, including Sophie Rundle, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Jo Hartley, Paul Kaye, Nicholas Burns and Natalie Simpson.
The original article reports that the seventh series is not expected to air until 2027. ITV’s January 2026 announcement confirmed filming was underway but did not itself give a 2027 transmission date.
That leaves The Real Unforgotten as a particularly fitting stopgap for anyone missing the slow-burn investigations, buried secrets and decades-old mysteries that define the fictional series.
Where to watch The Real Unforgotten
The Real Unforgotten is a two-part documentary series, with each episode following the investigation into Carol Morgan’s murder and the detectives’ attempts to build a case decades after the crime.
The series is currently available on Netflix, and the two episodes are also listed on ITVX.