Unforgotten star on 'ironic' part of working with "brilliant" friend Lenny Henry in The Split Up

Unforgotten star Sanjeev Bhaskar has opened up about working with his "brilliant" friend Lenny Henry on The Split Up. The Split spin-off, which is set to premiere on BBC One on 20 September, follows the day-to-day cases of a powerhouse family law firm, Kishan Law, in Manchester.

Bhaskar stars as Dhruv, the patriarch of the firm, who is preparing his fast-rising lawyer daughter Aria (Ritu Arya), to take over, following the recent death of her mother.

Several huge stars are set to appear in The Split Up, including comedy icon Henry as one of Kishan Law's clientele, alongside the likes of Jameela Jamil and Jane Horrocks.

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Bhaskar has been friends with Henry for several years, with Henry previously appearing on Bhaskar's sitcom, The Kumars at No. 42, in a guest appearance.

Speaking to Digital Spy, Bhaskar opened up about working alongside Henry and how "brilliant" he thought he was in The Split Up.

"I saw Lenny last week actually, and I told him how brilliant I thought he was in it, and I think he was quite surprised at his own performance," he began. "I think it’s a testament to the writing and to the directing to get that out of him."

The veteran actor added: "It's also weird that Lenny and I have known each other on and off for about 25 years, but this was the first time we'd ever shared screen time, so I wish the scene had been longer.

"I mean, it was longer; much of the stuff is on the proverbial cutting room floor. I wish I'd had scenes with Jane Horrocks because I think she's brilliant as well."

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He also said: "I think also it was just huge irony that you know that Lenny and I finally get to do a scene together, and it's not in a comedy."

Polite Society actor Aryu opened up to Digital Spy about working with both Bhaskar and Henry, saying it had been a "wonderful" experience.

"I had so much fun with them. I had more stuff with Lenny," she said. "I had a little bit with Jane, but yeah, [Henry had] this sort of openness, and I felt like I was just super committed.

"I felt so warm, [he was] just a delight to work with. And [he had] this vulnerability that I thought was so beautiful.

"I feel very grateful that I got to have that experience with him. I think he's awesome."

The Split Up begins on BBC One on 20 September.

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn

Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies. 

She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.