Theatre student’s TV success after starring in powerful BBC drama

An up-and-coming actor from Manchester Met’s Manchester School of Theatre has made his TV debut over the summer in the hit BBC drama Unforgivable.

Second year BA (Hons) Acting student Finn McParland undertook an intensive audition process and secured one of the leading roles playing Peter Mckinney Jnr in the hit drama from award-winning screenwriter Jimmy McGovern. 

Set and filmed in McParland’s hometown of Liverpool, the fictional drama centres around the Mitchell family who are dealing with the aftermath of an act of sexual abuse perpetrated by a member of their own family who, after two years, is about to leave prison. 

McParland put his acting training to good use in this role, performing alongside a stellar cast of industry greats including Emmy-winner Anna Friel (Marcella, Pushing Daisies), Bobby Schofield (Time, Anne), BAFTA-winner Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland, A Spy Among Friends) and Manchester School of Theatre alumni and BAFTA-winner David Threlfall (Shameless, Nightsleeper). 

The drama addresses the hard-hitting subject of child sexual abuse and received glowing praise with The Guardian’s 5-star review stating, ‘Jimmy McGovern’s mesmeric new drama is even better than adolescence’ and describing the cast as ‘putting in faultless performances’.

Filming took place last September for two months on location across the Liverpool region, after McParland successfully auditioned following a chance meeting with an agent. An actor since childhood, it is his first television role.

Mc Parland said: “Being part of Unforgivable was a fantastic experience. Being on set with so many incredible actors and Jimmy McGovern was amazing.

“Acting for TV is very different to theatre, as there isn’t really much opportunity to run through scenes beforehand. My first scene was with Anna Friel, who has so much experience, and she was so patient and kind, as were all the actors.

“One of the main things I learned was how to separate from yourself to get into character and then separate from the character again. Obviously, we were dealing with heavy subject matter, so it’s important to be able to leave that behind at the end of the day.

“The University was very supportive of me taking this opportunity. A key lesson I’ve taken away is to make the most of every opportunity and spend time meeting people in the industry – you never know where those connections might take you!”

Sofia Jones, Programme Leader for BA Acting at Manchester Met’s Manchester School of Theatre, said: “We take great pride in our students’ achievements as professional actors, and we understand the importance of nurturing and helping to progress the careers of local acting talent. It was a joy to watch Finn making his screen debut in such a powerful and moving drama. 

“He played his part so well and rose to the challenge of taking on a role that explored such difficult and sensitive themes. We’re looking forward to seeing what’s in store next for Finn!”

Manchester Met’s Manchester School of Theatre continues to build its long-standing reputation for training professional actors, theatre makers and performers with notable alumni including John Bradley (Game of Thrones), Zawe Ashton (Fresh Meat), Yasmin Mwanza (Spiderman: Far From Home), Elliot Knight (The Color out of Space) and multiple award-winner Julie Walters.

Unforgivable originally aired on BBC Two and is available to watch again on BBC iPlayer.