Red Eye (British TV series)
Red Eye is a British thriller television series, created by Peter A Dowling and starring Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Jemma Moore and Lesley Sharp. It premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on 21 April 2024.
A second series, Red Eye: Crimson Icarus, was announced in September 2024, with Lusi, Moore and Sharp returning, and Martin Compston joining the cast. It premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on 1 January 2026.
Premise
The first series takes place during an all-night flight between London and Beijing after a British man is extradited to China on suspicion of manslaughter.Cast
Main
- Jing Lusi as Hana Li, a Hong Kong born Detective Constable in the Metropolitan Police
- Richard Armitage as Mr Matthew Nolan, a vascular surgeon
- Lesley Sharp as Madeline Delaney, the Director-General of MI5
- Jemma Moore as Jess Li, a journalist and Hana's younger half-sister
- Jonathan Aris as John Tennant, a senior MI6 official and later Director-General of the Homeland Security Group
- Cash Holland as Ruth Banks, an MI5 official
- Steph Lacey as Megan Campbell, an MI5 analyst
- Robert Gilbert as Supt. Simon O'Brian, Hana's boss at the Met Police
Episodes
Series 1 (2024)
Series 1 follows Detective Constable Hana Li, a Metropolitan Police officer tasked with escorting British doctor Matthew Nolan on an overnight flight from London to Beijing after he is accused of murder in China. As events unfold on board the aircraft, Hana is drawn into a wider conspiracy, while MI5 Director General Madeline Delaney and journalist Jess Li pursue leads on the ground.The six-part series premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on 21 April 2024.
Series 2 (2026)
Series 2 expands the scope of the narrative, following now Detective Sergeant Hana Li as she becomes involved in an investigation centred on the United States Embassy in London. After the murder of a diplomatic courier, Hana and her colleague RSO Brody pursue a suspect while uncovering links to an international conspiracy. As the investigation escalates, the embassy is placed into lockdown and further deaths reveal connections to a controversial inquiry into a past aviation disaster.Running parallel to the embassy investigation, MI5 Director General Madeline Delaney finds herself at the centre of a life-threatening situation when a bomb is discovered on the aircraft she is travelling on. Delaney works alongside Defence Secretary Alex Peterson and the crew to prevent disaster, while journalists and investigators on the ground, including Jess Li, uncover evidence that gradually exposes the true scale of the conspiracy.
The six-part series concludes with the perpetrators being unmasked and those responsible brought to justice, as Hana and Brody confront personal challenges and collaborate with Delaney to resolve the case.
The series premiered on ITV1 on 1 January 2026, while the entire series was made available for streaming on ITVX from the same date. Episodes were subsequently broadcast over a period of a week on ITV1.
Production
The six-part series was commissioned by ITVX in June 2023. It is from production company Bad Wolf and created and written by Peter A. Dowling, with episode 4 written by Jingan Young. The series is directed by Kieron Hawkes. The first series stars Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore.Filming on the aeroplane in the first series took place on a static aeroplane in a sound studio. Scenes were also filmed at Stansted Airport. All scenes were shot in and around London, including scenes set in Beijing.
A second series was announced in September 2024, with Lusi, Moore and Sharp returning, and Martin Compston, Jonathan Aris and Robert Gilbert joining the cast.
Broadcast
The first series premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on 21 April 2024. In New Zealand, the series premiered on Warner Bros. Discovery New Zealand's streaming platform ThreeNow and its Three TV channel on 12 June 2024. The series was released on Hulu on 22 July 2025.The second series premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on 1 January 2026. The whole series dropped on streaming service Stan in Australia on 2 January 2026.
Reception
the first series has a score of 57% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews.Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the first episode three stars out of five, dubbing it "serviceable" and remarking, "If you watch the first episode you will very likely watch them all and they will slip down a treat. And then you will forget about it until the next time Armitage pops up". Nick Hilton in The Independent awarded it two out of five stars, finding it "derivative", and criticising Armitage's performance. Anita Singh in The Telegraph gave the series three out of five stars.