Anna Friel Shares Personal Side Ahead of ‘Unforgivable’ Release
It’s not every day an actor talks about the power of an Oasis gig and then pivots to discuss one of the darkest roles of their career. But that’s what Anna Friel has done as she prepares for the release of Jimmy McGovern’s new BBC drama, Unforgivable. In the middle of promoting this hard-hitting project, Friel admitted that catching an Oasis concert gave her a genuine lift—just what she needed before sinking into the role’s emotional depths.
The story Friel tells is almost a snapshot of her life right now: juggling personal joys and serious, challenging work. For her, the Oasis show wasn’t just another night out. It was a chance to shake off stress and gear up for a project unlike anything else on TV this year. She described the experience as “invigorating”, especially needed considering what lay ahead in front of the cameras.
Unforgivable: A Brutal Portrait of Family Trauma
Friel stars as Anna in Unforgivable, a single 90-minute drama scripted by Jimmy McGovern, well-known for facing society’s hardest truths head-on. This time, he’s zeroing in on a Liverpool family ripped apart by sexual abuse—both its raw aftermath and the impossible choices everyone must face. The drama airs 24 July 2025 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
The story tracks the Mitchell family after Joe, Anna’s brother (played by Bobby Schofield), returns home from prison where he served time for abusing a young person. The show doesn’t try to gloss over anything. It follows Joe’s attempts at rehabilitation, including his therapy sessions with ex-nun Katherine (Anna Maxwell Martin) in St Maura’s, a setting that’s as gritty as the characters are believable. All the while, Anna tries to hold her own family—her sons Tom and Peter (Austin Haynes and Fin McParland), and their father Brian (David Threlfall)—together as they’re thrown into chaos and forced to rethink trust, responsibility, and forgiveness.
The drama isn’t just a fictional take; it reflects the ongoing conversations around rehabilitation, accountability, and the impact of abuse that ripple through real families and communities. McGovern’s writing has always leaned into that realism, from his work on Time to Accused. He doesn’t shy away from the difficult stuff, and Unforgivable is no exception. Viewers are brought face-to-face with the uncomfortable reality of how abuse devastates families not only in the moment, but for years after.
Filmed on location in Liverpool, the city’s stark backdrops add to the show’s sense of realism. The cast’s performances are already being talked about—marking out Anna Friel, David Threlfall, Anna Maxwell Martin, Bobby Schofield, and the supporting cast (including Mark Womack and Phina Oruche) as one of the most powerful line-ups in a single TV event this year.
All this makes Friel’s recent Oasis anecdote not just personal trivia but a sharp contrast to the harrowing role she’s about to share with the world. While she found her own bit of reinvigoration in music, her new project will likely leave viewers needing a breather themselves after the credits roll.
