Red Eye: Six-part thriller coming to ITV1 and ITVX this spring

Well, it used to be, back in the day. But now? Not so much.

Recently, ITV1 broadcast the mind-boggling but gripping and occasionally bloody Passenger in the slot, and although it returned to comfier show last week with a new episode of perennial favourite Midsomer Murders, this time it’s giving us something rather punchier to keep us on our toes after another round of Britain’s Got Talent auditions.

Red Eye is, according to Polly Hill, the station’s Head of Drama, “a brilliantly addictive thriller with an international story taking place on the red eye flight from Heathrow to Beijing. Thanks to Peter A Dowling’s scripts, the story will have the audience gripped and continually surprised throughout.”

Those in the know suggest it will appeal to fans of Line of Duty, Vigil and Bodyguard, and is the latest high-class production from Bad Wolf, the company founded by former Doctor Who executive producer Julie Gardner and the BBC’s ex-Head of Fiction, Jane Tranter.

“Red Eye is Bad Wolf’s first contemporary action thriller and we’re so happy for it to have found its home at ITV,” claims Director of Content, Dan McCulloch. “We’re delighted to be working with such a talented cast. Peter’s scripts are the very definition of a page turner and will keep you guessing to the last minute. The producing team aspire to the highest ambition whilst (director) Kieron Hawkes’ craft and performance-focused direction all makes for true appointment-to-view TV.”

That ‘talented cast’ is headed by Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp, Jemma Moore and Jing Lusi, each playing characters who become caught up in a global conspiracy.

Armitage takes the role of Dr Matthew Nolan, who arrives at Heathrow Airport after attending a medical conference in Beijing. While there, he’d been involved in a car crash, and is arrested as soon as he steps back on home soil – a corpse was found in the vehicle, and he’s now suspected of murder, although he insists he’d been driving alone.

Hong Kong-born Met officer DC Hana Li (Lusi) is ordered to accompany Nolan on a flight back to China, an idea she hates. Nevertheless, the task becomes rather more intriguing as the body count begins to mount, making Li realise there’s far more to the case than meets the eye.

Soon her journalist half-sister Jess (Moore) lands herself in danger while investigating what’s going on, while MI5, in the form of Madeline Delaney (Sharp) also becomes embroiled and suspects that certain members of the government know more than they are willing to admit…

“Red Eye marks a turning point in British Asian representation and I am beyond thrilled and proud to be leading this series alongside the wonderful Richard Armitage,” says Lusi, while Armitage remarks: “I’m excited to be boarding Red Eye. This action-packed espionage thriller is one of the best scripts I have read in a long time… what a ride!”

We can’t wait to begin the journey too, even if it does mean our Sunday evenings are going to be rather more tense than expected for the next six weeks.