Red Eye is an edge-of-your-seat thriller series set on an overnight "red-eye" flight from London's Heathrow to Beijing in China, which sees Fool Me Once and Spooks actor Richard Armitage as a doctor drawn into a terrifying conspiracy. Please note you can watch the whole series now on ITVX!
Richard is playing Dr Matthew Nolan, a medic accused of committing a murder in Beijing and forced to return to China on an overnight flight to face charges.
Crazy Rich Asians star Jing Lusi plays DC Hana Li, the London officer who reluctantly accompanies him, and Lesley Sharp plays the head of M15, who becomes drawn into an international conspiracy.
“I’m excited to be boarding Red Eye alongside Jing Lusi. This action-packed espionage thriller is one of the best scripts I have read in a long time,” says Richard Armitage, while his co-star Jing Lusi adds: “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.”
So here's everything you need to know about ITV1's six-part thriller Red Eye, which is getting decent reviews...
Red Eye release date
The six-part thriller Red Eye premiered on ITV1 from Sunday April 21 2024 at 9pm with weekly episodes at the same time. If you can't wait for the weekly episodes, the six-part series is now available as a box set on ITVX.
Red Eye will also be on STV and STV Player. It will be shown on STAN in Australia. If there's an air date and channel for the US we'll be sure to let you know.
Is there a trailer for Red Eye?
Yes there's a trailer now for Red Eye, which shows just how tense this flight is going to be. Take a look below...
Red Eye plot
In Red Eye, Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) attends a medical conference in Beijing and shortly before his flight home is involved in a car crash that almost kills him.
As he lands at Heathrow, a shocked Nolan is arrested for the murder of the woman who was in the car he crashed. But, despite his exhaustion, a confused Nolan is adamant that he was driving alone.
Nolan is sent back to China to face charges and is accompanied by DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi), who is none too impressed by the assignment or Nolan himself. But when there’s a death on board, Hana realises she’s embroiled in an escalating conspiracy.
Back home her sister, journalist Jess (Jemma Moore) is conducting her own investigation into Nolan’s extradition while the head of M15, Madeline Delaney risks her career to keep Hana and Nolan alive and expose the conspiracy that seems to implicate both China and those in her own government.
Here's our guide to the six episodes of Red Eye...
Episode 1
Drunk and disoriented Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage) races through the streets of Beijing and crashes his car. He's injured as he catches a flight home to the London, but then to his shock he is detained at the airport and accused of murder. DC Hana Li (Jing Lusi) is assigned to escort Nolan back to Beijing on the next North China Air flight. When a group of Nolan’s colleagues land at Heathrow, they’re asked to return and give witness statements. MI5 director Madeleine Delaney (Lesley Sharp) is leading the operation, keeping close communication with Chinese Minister Tang and the British Prime Minister. She must tread carefully, as a Chinese-British nuclear deal could be at risk. CIA officer Mike Maxwell is also helping on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Nolan tries to escape police custody at the airport and videos of him publicly declaring his innocence go viral. Hana’s sister and aspiring reporter Jess Li sees the video and jumps at the opportunity of a story. On the flight, an incident onboard shakes everyone. Nolan believes he’s being framed.
Episode 2
When Dr Matthew Nolan first told DC Hana Li he was being extradited to China for a crime he didn’t commit, she didn’t believe him! Yet as suspicious things continue happening on their night flight to Beijing, she starts to wonder if he’s telling the truth. This week, one of his colleagues is found dead....
Episodes 3 to 6
We'll be updating as the series progresses so do check back.
Red Eye cast — Richard Armitage on playing Dr Matthew Nolan
Richard Armitage plays Dr Nolan, who is accused of murder.
Richard says: "I got the script with [writer] Peter Dowling's name on it and I remembered watching this brilliant film he made with Jodie Foster called Flightplan. I was slightly obsessed with it at the time, I just loved the scale of the aeroplane and the fact that the whole movie was set on this labyrinthine beast in the air. When I read the Red Eye synopsis, I realised that he was taking inspiration from that movie and expanding it into a six-part series, and I thought the idea of setting such a claustrophobic story on a night flight was just brilliant.
"I liked the challenge of playing somebody of Nolan’s status and intellect, being thrown into a prisoner situation where he has no authority. In a way, the aeroplane is its own little democracy because he's not on any country’s soil, so he's thrown to the lions. I thought it would be really interesting to see somebody like him realising that he needs to fight for his freedom.
"After I read the first two episodes I just really hoped the show was going in the direction I thought, and actually it went much further, which was brilliant. I love the fact that the scale opens up and we find ourselves dealing with an international problem working up to a big finale. It’s always frustrating when dramas have a disappointing ending, but this is great. So much so that I want more, it was so delicious I’d love to see these characters thrown back into another political situation for a second season.
"We wanted to shoot the whole sequence in real time as far as possible, although I know in real life they would spend longer on the compressions, so our version was slightly contracted. I worked with a medic to just make sure we were using the defibrillator machine correctly. I was filming with a real person, so I couldn’t really do CPR on him because I didn’t want to break his ribs, but I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. Again we didn't overrehearse it, because we wanted to get real reactions out of the background artists, who didn’t know what was going to happen, I love working like that. You want it to feel as real as possible because the drama itself is heightened. There’s a high body count in quite a short amount of time (10 hour Red- Eye) , it reminded me of Agatha Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ but set on an aeroplane. There are a lot of shocking moments as the story unfolds and you have to lean into the reality of them. It was really nice that we could shoot most of the scenes in order, which is unusual, but when you’ve got full control over an entire set like the plane you can do that. And then once we get off the plane the story takes a different course."
* Richard Armitage previously starred as Lucas North in the BBC spy drama Spooks and played Guy of Gisborne in BBC One drama Robin Hood. He’s also had roles in Strike Back, The Hobbit, Captain America: The First Avenger, Ocean’s Eight, The Stranger and Stay Close.
Jing Lusi on playing DC Hana Li
Jing Lusi plays the detective Hana who takes Nolan on the red eye flight back to China.
Jing Lusi says: "Hana is spirited and authentic. She’s a real human, who is flawed, but not in a really obvious way – some characters in drama can feel quite extreme. Of course, these people exist in society, but often they seem to be the only ones that are portrayed on screen. For me, Hana is more like your everyday woman, who has her own struggles and her own history, but she feels very relatable."
"I thought the scripts were brilliant. Total page turners and very clever. I loved the character, the concept, the intrigue, and I was desperate to know what happened next. I was delighted at the prospect of playing Hana. She’s a complete breath of fresh air. I have never seen an Asian character portrayed so realistically and genuinely in a British show before. Hana is a regular girl, doing her job, minding her own business when she gets pulled into this insane story. I am so happy to not only see an Asian character portrayed like this, but even more so that I got to play her.
"When we filmed Crazy Rich Asians, the whole cast felt that needle turning moment. I had exactly the same feeling when I read the scripts for Red Eye. And when we were filming, it was as simple as seeing so many Asian faces around me, doing their jobs, getting on with it. It sounds mundane and ordinary, but actually it is extraordinary, because you never get to see that. So frequently the Asian character is tokenistic, or fits certain stereotypes like the comic relief or the serious scientist. It was very moving to see this array of amazing Asian talent, all there for a reason that wasn’t box ticking. I truly feel Red Eye is a turning point.
"Red Eye is a fantastic, refreshingly original story and I certainly haven’t read scripts like this before. I hope the audience is captivated. Even though it's a thriller, it’s very character driven, so there is a lot for the audience to invest in emotionally. For me, the most exciting part is that this is going to be a real watershed moment in British Asian representation. We're seeing a wealth of successful Asian-fronted shows and films in America now, but we have yet to see this in the UK, until now. I believe this is the beginning of something really amazing and important. I hope the audience will embrace and enjoy this show as much as we loved making it, and that Red Eye will open the door for more Asians to have a voice and tell their stories."
* Jing Lusi has perviously had roles in Holby City, Crazy Rich Asians, Gangs of London, Man vs Bee, Lucky Man, The Feed and Scott and Bailey.
Lesley Sharp as MI5 boss Madeleine Delaney
Lesley Sharp, who plays M15 chief Madeleine Delaney, says: "Aside from the fact that I thought Delaney was a really compelling character, the script was a real page turner, I was intrigued by what was going to happen next. I thought it was really audacious — individuals in mortal terror, unable to escape because they’re 30,000 feet above ground!
"She’s a woman returning to work after a big moment in her personal life, where what she had taken for granted has been compromised. As she steps back into the work arena she immediately has to deal with this crisis around Nolan and she’s forced to handle this situation against the backdrop of work place politics — other people want her job! She's fighting fires on several fronts in a really controlled and mindful way. She's not someone who loses it easily, she’s very good at keeping it together.
"I think years of training allow people like Delaney to click into a totally focussed mindset. In heightened dramatic situations, They operate in a different way. Our director, Kieron [Hawkes] and I talked about Delaney ‘s back story. We decided she’d been an agent in the field and if necessary would have been a killer. Negotiating with someone who's got the ear of the President of China, and being authorised to give a statement on behalf of the British government is a huge responsibility. She takes it very seriously but wears it lightly. She has risen to the top because she's brilliant at her job, but she's also got a really good, moral, human core, which underpins all of that. She’s one of the good guys.
"I really just hope the series is the visual equivalent of a cracking good page turner, and at the end of every episode I would love people to say, 'Oh my God, what’s going to happen next?' And then either head straight for ITX to binge it all in one go or look forward to the next episode like we all used to…water cooler TV magic."
* Lesley Sharp has previously played Jean in the movie and Disney Plus series The Full Monty and has also starred in Before We Die, Common As Muck, Playing the Field, Clocking Off, Afterlife, The Diary of Anne Frank and Three Girls.
Jemma Moore on playing Jess Li
Red Eye also stars Jemma Moore (Silent Witness) who is playing Hana’s sister Jess Li. Jemm says: "When I first saw the character breakdown, I remember thinking this role was written for me – she’s the youngest sibling in the family, she’s working in a career where you constantly have to be pushing yourself... and in the early drafts she was even called Gemma! I saw a lot of myself in her, and in the way she spoke. I liked that she was quite cheeky and playful, but also really headstrong and determined. When I got the scripts I couldn't put them down. I remember having a glass of wine, sitting curled up with my dog and just reading them so quickly, my heart was racing as I turned the pages. I was super excited. I’m 31 and I had honestly never seen two female British East Asian roles written like this before, nothing like this has ever come into my inbox. So besides the scripts being thrilling and the storyline having all these twists and turns, I knew this was going to be a huge moment for my community. It was so exciting to see a super complex, flawed, determined British East Asian character in a story with so many different layers. I knew it was something I had to be a part of, and I told my agents I was going to fight tooth and nail for this role. I wrote a letter to the casting director after my recall audition and told them I had been waiting for a show like this for so long. I said even if I didn’t get the job I just couldn’t wait to watch the series, because it’s going to mean so much.
"When we meet them, Hana and Jess have fallen out because Hana has previously divulged information about her work to Jess, and Jess used that as an opportunity to further her career by selling a story. Hana felt betrayed and Jess is frustrated that Hana doesn’t want to help her more. Although there is tension, Jess also really wants Hana’s approval and these two sisters love each other completely, you see that as the story unfolds. Jess has so much respect for Hana and I think she recognises the difficulties that Hana faces – Jess is the younger sibling, so she hasn’t had as much pressure or expectation on her shoulders. I am a younger child so I'm able to speak to that. Jess is able to speak her mind more, and to make more mistakes without the same judgement from her parents. Jess does forget her privileges in the world sometimes, being mixed race and having that proximity to whiteness, and I think Hana gets frustrated with her for that. It’s a very push-pull relationship between them, but Jess is also fiercely protective of her sister."
Who else is starring in Red Eye?
Also in Red Eye, Dan Li is playing Toni Zhang. Daphne Cheung is Mrs Ruan Yue, Oliver Maltman is Dr Stephen Hurst, Jonathan Aris is John Tennant, Mido Hamada is Mike Maxwell, Aidan Cheung plays Mr Hong, Rick Warden is Dr Chris Peele, Dave Wong is Tin Lok Li, Sarah Togood is Elizabeth Burk, Xiangyi Tab is Tiffany Songyun, Elaine Tan is Shen Zhao, Marvia Rivera is Cohen, Sonal Natasha Patel is Nurse Ayesha, Lucianne McEvoy is Dr Kate Ward, Euan Macnaughton is a foreign office official, Steph Lacey is Megan Campbell, Brian Law is a flight attendant, Rebert Gilbert is Simon O'Brian, Cash Holland is Ruth Banks, Jack Colgrave Hirst is Officer Doyle, Cate Hamer is Rachel Li, Ryan Cloud is Daniel Lomax, Thomas Chaanhing is Captain Chen, Chris Anderson is Jenkins and Peter Guiness is Sir George Chapman.
Behind the scenes, locations and more on Red Eye
Some of Red Eye filmed at Stanstead Airport in Essex whioch doubled as Heathrow Airport. Richard Armitage explains: "It was quite a big ordeal! It felt like harking back to my days on Spooks, where they didn't have massive budgets, but they would set up a long lens and we'd dive into very public places. Busy London streets and places like Liverpool Street Station. There were a few background artists secretly positioned around me at Stansted, but there were also lot of real passengers who ended up in the scene too. It was like live theatre but for people that haven't consciously bought a ticket! You have to be sensitive to the public. There were signs up saying filming was in progress, but people aren't really as conscious of their surroundings these days, they're just on their phones. It’s quite delicate filming a scene with actors dressed as armed police!
"We rehearsed what we were going to do in a different corner of the airport, but we only had half an hour’s notice before we could shoot and I knew we only really had one or two chances to get it right. The first time you do it is always the best chance to get real reactions. We wanted it to feel authentic, not staged, so they set up multiple cameras to get the shots. When I watched it back weeks later my heart was still thumping because I just remembered that feeling beforehand, knowing that I couldn’t screw this up and something could go wrong. It was nail-biting."
Red Eye is produced by Sony Pictures Television-backed Bad Wolf, founded in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner. Award-winning producer Julie Gardner (I Hate Suzie, Doctor Who) will Executive Produce the series alongside Lachlan MacKinnon (Industry, A Discovery of Witches). Fortitude and Power Book IV: Force Director, Kieron Hawkes, will direct all episodes in the series which is produced by Kristian Dench (The Capture, Strike Back).
The project has been developed and overseen by Bad Wolf’s Director of Content, Dan McCulloch (His Dark Materials, Endeavour). Sony Pictures Television will be responsible for the international distribution of Red Eye.
ITV's head drama commissioner, Polly Hill, says: “Red Eye is a brilliantly addictive thriller with an international story taking place on the red eye flight from Heathrow to Beijing.
"Thanks to Peter’s scripts, the story will have the audience gripped and continually surprised throughout. It’s got a fantastic cast led by Jing Lusi and Richard Armitage, and we are delighted to be working with Bad Wolf on this exciting new show.”
