Writer Jimmy McGovern has revealed he doubted whether his controversial new drama about child abuse would ever make it to air, but praised the "brave" BBC for commissioning the project. The Liverpool-born scriptwriter said he felt compelled to write Unforgivable despite concerns about potential backlash.
The 75-year-old told PA he thought the corporation would reject the drama, which tells the story of a convicted sex offender and how his family are affected. McGovern based the script on an account he heard from a child psychologist about an abuser who revealed details of his own abuse after being released from prison.
BBC praised for brave decision
McGovern said he worried throughout the writing process about whether the drama would ever be broadcast. He explained his concerns to PA: "I wanted to get it right, but the thing that bothered me most was, why am I doing this? Because I have a very strong feeling that the BBC will never do this, because it was not only condemning child abuse, it was trying to understand all the issues about child abuse, and that's not easy for people to take."
The writer acknowledged the BBC has faced criticism recently but praised the corporation's courage. "I know that they've been subject to attack at the moment, but it is an extraordinarily brave organisation at times, particularly over drama," he said.
Writer addresses potential backlash
McGovern admitted he worried about public reaction "more over this particular project than any other" from people who might think it offered a sympathetic view of child abusers. However, he defended his approach by arguing that people are more complex than their crimes.
"People are more than the crime they have committed, aren't they? There is more to any criminal than the crime they committed," he said. "So, it's finding that within the child abuser that helps you tell the story."
Personal experience shapes understanding
The writer said he understood public anger towards child abusers, recalling his own reaction when he believed someone had tried to touch his children. McGovern described driving around Liverpool's Sefton Park with a neighbour, searching for a suspect they only knew wore blue running shorts.
"We went, we toured around Sefton Park looking for a man, any man, in blue running shorts and we were going to kill him. Thank God we did not find such a man," he said. "I excuse myself by saying probably most men would have reacted that way."
Star-studded cast assembled
McGovern said he always wanted actor Bobby Schofield, who appeared in his prison series Time, to play abuser Joe Mitchell. "He's tremendous in it. He doesn't curry favour at all. What he does do is he plays self-disgust really well and he is a man who hates himself," the writer explained.
The one-off film also features Anna Friel and Anna Maxwell Martin, both previous collaborators with McGovern. For the first time, he worked with David Threlfall, whom he had admired since seeing him as Frank Gallagher in Shameless.
Unforgivable will air on BBC Two at 9pm on Thursday and will be available on BBC iPlayer from the same day.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
