Endeavour's Shaun Evans lands lead role in new ITV spy drama
Endeavour's Shaun Evans is returning to ITV for a new espionage thriller.
Betrayal stars the Vigil actor as John Hughes, a long-serving MI5 agent who first joined the service during the 'war on terror'. The series is set in London and Manchester, and filming will begin next year.
According to a synopsis, John was "at the forefront of averting the biggest terrorist plots on UK soil" earlier in his career.
Betrayal introduces viewers to John in the present day in his mid-forties. He's now married with two children and struggling to adapt to changes in the service – both in terms of shifting national security threats and embracing a more progressive working culture.
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Evans said he is "delighted" to return to the broadcaster for the "exceptionally well-written and timely project".
"It’s a great privilege to reunite with David Eldridge and bring to life his insightful take on the world of espionage," he continued.
"And it is of course a joy to be collaborating once again with the first-rate team at Mammoth Screen. I look forward to sharing it with ITV audiences soon."
Evans and Eldridge previously worked together on BBC drama The Scandalous Lady W.
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Further story details for Betrayal outline challenges in John's professional and personal life.
He decides to meet with a British Iranian man named Ehsan, who has links to Manchester's organised crime community and claims he has intelligence about a terror plot on UK soil.
After Ehsan is executed by a lone gunman, John in turn impulsively kills the culprit, sparking a chain of events which embroils him in a gang turf war – while struggling with his own mental health after killing Ehsan's assassin.
Meanwhile, as John conducts further research into Ehsan's past, his MI5 bosses are unhappy with the situation he's ended up in, leaving the spy in a position where "he knows he'll have to redeem himself if he's to save his career and reputation".
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Elsewhere, John develops an "electric" connection with intelligence operative Mehreen, who takes over his previous duties on the Iran desk, leading him to "wrestle with temptations his younger self would readily have surrendered to".
The synopsis continues: "Struggling with his own demons, his love for his family and his complicated loyalty to the institution he's been part of for over 20 years, John sets out to find the truth of the explosive security threat to the UK before it's too late."
Eldridge shared his excitement to be developing Betrayal, sharing in a statement: "I'm thrilled to be working with ITV and Mammoth Screen on Betrayal, an espionage drama rooted as much in the trials and betrayals of family life as in the bloody, dangerous business of spying.
"It's also a pleasure to be collaborating again with Shaun Evans for whom I have created the show's leading role – out of favour intelligence officer John Hughes."
Betrayal will start filming in early 2025.
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