Getting to know...Sanjeev Bhaskar

The star of ITV police drama Unforgotten tells us how he gets into character and all about the contents of that backpack!

- MITYA UNDERWOOD

Not having Nicola there [Walker, whose character died in the last series] felt really odd. She is such a close friend, I felt slightly lost in the way that Sunny does. But the fact that it was about Cassie/Nicola made it easier to get to those places. I hope that comes across.

I contacted Sinéad [Keenan, playing DCI Jess James] after she'd been announced, and I said, "If you want to meet up or want to talk, I'm here." I thought Sinéad was in a very similar position to Jess, in that she was coming into an existing team where you assume that everyone has a shorthand, and everyone gets on, and you don't want to be the person who comes in and messes it up. I didn't want her to arrive on day one of filming carrying that kind of baggage as Sinéad.