A town centre car park is set shut as film crews arrive for a long-awaited ITV drama.

Middle Street Car Park in Deal will be transformed into a film set as the cast and crews of Unforgotten arrive.

Written by multi-award-winning screenwriter Chris Lang and produced by Mainstreet Pictures, filming for a sixth series has begun.

The drama sees Sanjeev Bhaskar and Sinéad Keenan star in a gripping cold case as detectives working tirelessly to unravel long-held secrets.

The show previously starred Nicola Walker but she left after series four.

Middle Street car park is subsequently out of bounds from 6pm this evening until the same time tomorrow.

Ahead of the start of filming, actress Sinéad Keenan said: “I am absolutely delighted to be stepping into the world of Unforgotten once more.

“To be involved with the incredible team at Mainstreet on yet another set of stellar scripts from Chris Lang, with the brilliant Andy Wilson at the helm is a real treat.”

Sanjeev Bhaskar added: “I’m humbled and excited to be back as Sunny Khan, bearing the backpack for series six of Unforgotten.

“Chris’s scripts, as ever, are intriguing, detailed and empathetic. Andy’s direction and the skill of Sinead and the cast make this a warm and creative experience that so much more than a job.

“Once again I feel lucky to be a part of it.”

Each of the six new episodes will be written by Chris Lang, who is also known for his work on Innocent, The Hookup Plan, Dark Heart, A Mother’s Son and BAFTA nominated ITV1 drama The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe.

During 2023, Unforgotten was the third most-watched drama across all channels and the 9th most-watched show.

The new series has been commissioned for ITV1 and ITVX by head of drama Polly Hill and drama commissioner Huw Kennair Jones, who will oversee production on behalf of ITV.

Chris Lang said: “I’m incredibly excited to be about to start filming the sixth series of Unforgotten, with a story that has been gestating for nearly eight years, since June 23, 2016, when our country seemed to fracture in two.

“The UK, and indeed the world, has today never seemed more divided, and series six attempts to try and understand how we got to where we are now, and perhaps more importantly, where we can go from here.”

Some actors joining Sinéad and Sanjeev for this series include Victoria Hamilton who has also been in Cobra and His Dark Materials.

Each character in the series lives a separate life, yet they are intrinsically linked by their past.

It is for Jess, Sunny and their team to unravel these connections in search of the truth, and ultimately, who perpetrated the cold case murder.

The series so far can be streamed on ITV X.