On 9 February 2025, the sixth season of the acclaimed crime drama ‘Unforgotten’ launched on ITV1. On the cast sheet for season six is Maximilian Fairley, a former HSDC South Downs student who plays Martin ‘Marty’ Baines.
Max studied at South Downs from 2015-2017, where he was on the BTEC in Acting for Stage and Screen. After leaving college, Max went on to two prestigious and accredited Drama schools – East 15 Acting School and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, where he graduated in 2022 with a BA (Hons) in Acting.
Recently, Max spoke to HSDC about his post-College life and his time on ‘Unforgotten’, calling the experience “surreal”:
“I was in a state of disbelief when I found out that I’d gotten the job! I’d been asked back for a tape by Chris (writer), Andy (director) and Camel (producer) at the beginning of 2024, and found out I had been cast at the end of January! Considering I was already a fan of the series, it was amazing!”
In ‘Unforgotten’, Marty is an autistic character who is described as feeling ‘lost’. Max, who is autistic himself, described the representation of neurodivergence on the show as “invaluable”:
“I was initially worried about accidentally portraying a caricature of autism, but at the end of the day, Chris has done a fantastic job of exploring neurodivergence in a nuanced and sensitive way. He does the hard parts for me!”
When asked if he felt any added pressure or responsibility in portraying Marty authentically, Max said:
“Even if my experience of autism manifests itself differently to Marty’s, I felt a strong connection and understanding straight away. His story is about the desire to connect with people, and in my opinion this experience is universal to all of us. Considering it’s very common for autistic characters in the media to be reduced to simply their neurodivergent traits, it was incredibly refreshing to portray Marty as a fully fleshed-out character.”
Max hopes that Marty’s story can highlight the challenges that neurodivergent people continue to face, particularly the restrictive stereotypes that remain incredibly prevalent in modern society:
“Autism has a lot of stereotypes and assumptions surrounding it, meaning that society has a very static view on how it looks and behaves. The truth is that it’s an incredibly broad spectrum which affects people very differently – we shouldn’t be boxed in by our diagnoses. I’m not an ‘autistic actor’, I’m just an actor!”
The South Downs Campus played a pivotal role in preparing Max for life in the entertainment industry, and, whilst he has faced challenges to get to this point, he is incredibly thankful for his time at College in helping him:
“The vocational approach on the course was essential, because analysis and essays aren’t going to get you very far as an actor. South Downs allowed me to get up and actually act – I learnt to trust my instincts, which is a skill that I continue to use whenever I act to this day! The training at South Downs is very similar to what you’d get at a drama school, and the social aspect was amazing! I’m still friends with some of the people in my cohort, even though that was over 8 years ago!”
Max’s story is one of resilience and passion, and everyone at South Downs is incredibly proud of his new role! During his time at college, Max was taught by Sally Barlow and Karen Leadbeater, both of whom knew from the start that he was going to go on and be successful.
Speaking about her time teaching Max, Sally said:
“Max’s talent and dedication were undeniable from the start! His success is well-deserved, and it’s a significant step forward for authentic representation of neurodiversity in the industry.”
We asked Max about the challenges that he faces in the industry, and the advice that he would give to other aspiring young actors:
“The biggest challenge for any new actor is how infrequently we get to work. I was out of acting work for nearly eight months before Unforgotten, and even now, I have no idea when I’ll get to act next. I’ve always got that sense of determination that one day, something will come along. It’s so easy to beat yourself up when things aren’t going your way, but acting is a marathon, not a sprint, and my experience in booking the job for Unforgotten is a testament to that!”
To find out more about Acting at South Downs, please visit: https://www.hsdc.ac.uk/courses/south-downs-campus/vocational/performing-production-arts-acting-for-stage-screen-level-3/
To find out more about the Level 4 Professional Diploma in Performance at South Downs, please visit: https://www.hsdc.ac.uk/courses/south-downs-campus/vocational/performance-pivotal-performance-company-level-4/