{"id":30455,"date":"2023-02-23T17:46:57","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T16:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1790897"},"modified":"2023-02-23T18:53:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-23T17:53:52","slug":"why-did-nicola-walker-leave-unforgotten-cassies-fate-explained","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/why-did-nicola-walker-leave-unforgotten-cassies-fate-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Why did Nicola Walker leave Unforgotten? Cassie\u2019s fate explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I almost wanted to join Twitter to tell everyone that I didn\u2019t walk away from the show, nor did they ask me to leave.” <\/p>

By Morgan Cormack\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 23 February 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The fifth season of Unforgotten<\/a> is almost here<\/a> and with it, excitement and anticipation for the new series lead, DCI Jessica \u201cJessie\u201d James.<\/p>\n

The new DCI is played by Sin\u00e9ad Keenan<\/a> and takes over the main investigator role from Nicola Walker, who starred in the previous four seasons as DCI Cassie Stewart.<\/p>\n

The shocking season 4 finale<\/a> saw Walker\u2019s Cassie die from brain injuries sustained in a tragic car accident, and we already know that the new season promises tensions aplenty with the new series lead. It\u2019s already been teased that Jessie and Sanjeev Bhaskar\u2019s Sunny might not get on particularly well at first, with the pair being at \u201cloggerheads<\/a>\u201d with one another.<\/p>\n

But after acting in the main Unforgotten role since its debut in 2015, why did Nicola Walker leave the ITV crime drama? Read on to find out.<\/p>

Why did Nicola Walker leave Unforgotten?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Unforgotten<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

After being in the role of Cassie for six years, Walker departed the series in the unexpectedly shocking season 4 finale. When the episode aired on 29th March 2021, there was speculation on the cause of her exit. However, speaking to Radio Times magazine<\/strong><\/a>, Walker states that just wasn\u2019t the case and was actually a joint decision between her and Chris Lang, the creator of Unforgotten.<\/p>\n

When speaking about her recent role<\/a> in BBC One\u2019s Marriage<\/a>, she said: \u201cI\u2019ve worked with [Unforgotten creator] Chris Lang more than any other writer and we are friends. From the very beginning, we talked about Cassie\u2019s story being finite; Chris was always putting her through a story arc that would damage her emotionally. The buzzword was that she was an empath, and the problem with being an empath is that eventually, you break. I felt that to have her keep coming back would make her seem like a superhero. So it was very much a joint and long-planned decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut on reflection \u2013 we all feel the same \u2013 if we\u2019d known COVID was coming, we would have given people a less depressing storyline. I feel guilty because, when it came out, I thought, \u2018Crikey, we could have given them something more cheerful. The last thing they need is to be made to feel really sad about this brilliant cop.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She also commented<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m not on social media, but when the final episode went out, I almost wanted to join Twitter to tell everyone that I didn\u2019t walk away from the show, nor did they ask me to leave. It was simply that Chris and I thought it was a fantastic, impactful story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the irony of this brilliant woman dying an accidental death that wouldn\u2019t be investigated in a show about complicated investigations \u2026\u00a0We hoped people wouldn\u2019t feel we were being cruel by serving up this incredibly sad story.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happened to Cassie Stewart in Unforgotten?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Nicola Walker as DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re wondering whether there could be the prospect of a Cassie Stewart return, you\u2019ll be sorely disappointed.<\/p>\n

Cassie of course met her unlikely demise at the end of season 4 when she was involved in a fatal car accident. She died from brain injuries sustained in the crash and left her team \u2013 namely, Sunny \u2013 grieving her shock exit.<\/p>\n

In this new fifth season, we follow new DCI Jessie as she joins the team and is tasked with investigating the discovery of human remains in a newly-renovated period property in Hammersmith, London. But is this actually a cold case that can be traced back to the 1930s, or could the team be looking at a more recent murder case?<\/p>\n

Speaking about Keenan\u2019s new character while on set, series showrunner Chris Lang added that Jessie is \u201cin a very different place to Cassie, because Cassie was on something of a descent, both emotionally, but also in terms of her career\u201d.<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cShe was at an age where she\u2019d done it for 30 years, and she\u2019d had enough. And I always thought that was a really interesting dynamic \u2013 to have a hero cop who didn\u2019t want to do the job anymore.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Jessie is just completely the opposite. She\u2019s absolutely at the peak of her powers. I think this is her first job as a DCI, and she\u2019s got a lot of energy. And she\u2019s very different to Cassie. The relationship between her and Sunny will be very different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n