You could say the MI5 drama is his new endeavour (sorry!)
ITV has commissioned espionage thriller Betrayal, set in the clandestine world of MI5.
The drama will star Endeavour’s Shaun Evans as a spy trying to avert a serious and dark threat to national security while making sense of his own place in the world.
Written by playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge, the show takes place in London and Manchester. ITV describe it as “… an emotionally intelligent, thrilling and darkly funny thriller.”
Here’s what we know about Betrayal:
John Hughes, played by Shaun Evans, joined MI5 during the war on terror and was at the forefront of averting the biggest terrorist plots on UK soil. Now in his mid 40s and married with two children he’s struggling to adapt to the new MI5, where threats to national security have changed and he’s forced to adapt to the values of a progressive work environment.
On a hunch John meets Ehsan, a British Iranian man with links to the Manchester gangland who claims he has intelligence about a plot on UK soil. Before he can share intel, Ehsan is executed by a lone gunman, and John impulsively kills the assassin in retaliation. This triggers a chain of events which puts John in direct collision with his superiors who are furious that he appears to have got involved in a Manchester gang turf war. John thinks there’s more to it than that and starts digging into Ehsan’s past. He knows he’ll have to redeem himself if he’s to save his career and reputation, all the while struggling with his own mental health after having killed a man.
John’s efforts to save his career and his marriage are also tested by Mehreen, an intelligence operative who is brought in to take over John’s duties on the Iran desk. Their connection is electric, and John must wrestle with temptations his younger self would readily have surrendered to. 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.
Shaun Evans said:
“I’m delighted to be returning to ITV with this 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. 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.”
Writer David Eldridge said:
“I’m thrilled 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.”
Filming on Betrayal commences in early 2025 and it will air on ITV and ITVX. The show comes from Mammoth Screen in association with Navarino Pictures and ITV Studios.
We’ll keep you posted.