Protection is the gripping new TV drama Line of Duty fans will love
If you ask us, nothing beats nestling into the sofa, bowl full of snacks to hand, to watch the latest buzzy TV drama. So when news reached us that a gripping new series about the murky world of witness protection system is coming soon to ITV, our ears pricked up. Better yet, Protection will be led by Siobhan Finneran and Katherine Kelly, who are reuniting on screen after starring together in BBC smash-hit, Happy Valley.
So far, so very good, so here's everything we know so far...
Protection release date
ITV has confirmed to Red that Protection is slated to air as a six-part series in spring 2025, so we don't have too long to wait. We'll update this page as soon as we're given an exact release date.
Protection plot
Set to be a must-watch thriller that Line of Duty fans will love, Protection will take viewers behind the veil of witness protection, delving into an often dark and complex area where not only innocent witnesses are kept safe from harm, but also criminals. "It's a life of moral compromise," ITV said "It also involves maximum secrecy, false identities and a world where you can't trust your own colleagues."
Based on a long-serving witness protection officer's first-hand experiences, Protection will show what happens when this fragile system breaks down. "It's about a police officer, Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, who finds herself at the heart of such a breach: personally compromised by an affair with a colleague, but determined to fight back, and uncover the true source of corruption within her unit. To redeem herself, the reputation of her lover, and to keep her witnesses safe. Even if they don’t always deserve it," the official synopsis reads.
"Navigating the morally-grey, clandestine world of witness protection, Liz’s mission to find the truth will take her deep into the heart of the criminal underbelly and beyond as she becomes more and more torn between caring for her family, her loyalty to her lover and her duty as a police officer. This is the story of a smart, tough cop, out of her depth in a world where nothing is as it seems.
"With a deft narrative that engages from the outset, [screenwriter] Kris Mrksa creates suspenseful twists and with every hairpin turn perfectly navigates the story to ensure the audience won’t know who to believe and who is telling the truth."
Mrksa said: "Protection is a suspenseful conspiracy thriller, but it also explores some complex moral questions, about how far we should be prepared to go in order to serve the greater good. The murky world of witness protection, where hardened criminals are often sheltered, in the hope that they will help bring down other criminals, provides the perfect context for examining these thorny issues. I'm incredibly excited to be working with the team at New Pictures again, in bringing this complex world to life."
Protection cast
Siobhan Finneran will play Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, with Katherine Kelly and Nadine Marshall also taking leading roles, making Protection a show centred around what its producers have called "incredible female characters".
The trio will be supported by the likes of Barry Ward (Bad Sisters), Chaneil Kular (Sex Education), David Hayman (Sid and Nancy), Nichola Burley (The Gold) and Akiya Henry (Silent Witness).
Filming took place in the summer of 2023 in north-western locations including Liverpool, Birkenhead and Runcorn.
Stay tuned for more updates on Protection as we get them...
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