BritBox Sets December Premiere For ITV Crime Drama 'Protection'

In the years since Downton Abbey concluded, it's been interesting to watch the career choices of those involved as they've left Highclere Castle (and the notoriety of their roles within) behind. Former heartthrob Dan Stevens has fully embraced his weirdo character actor era, starring in projects as diverse as Legion, Solar Opposites, Abigail, and, yes, Godzilla x Kong: King of the Monsters. Ingenue Lily James has grown into a compelling movie star in her own right, headlining films like Mama Mia: Here We Go Again and Cinderella, while earning an Emmy nomination for her turn in the biopic series Pam & Tommy. But the most surprising swerve probably belongs to Siobhan Finneran, who went from playing the villainous maid O'Brien to starring in a positive raft of crime dramas like Happy Valley, The Loch, A Confession, The Moorside, and Time. 

Now streamer BritBox is set to bring her latest series to the U.S. this December, scooping up the rights to the four-part ITV crime drama Protection, which is based on the real-life experiences of a witness protection specialist who served with the Metropolitan Police for over thirty years, looking after several high-profile cases and informants. In it, Finneran plays Detective Liz Nyles, a witness protection officer in a world where it's difficult to know whether you can trust anyone, from your own colleagues to the people you're meant to be protecting. 

When she becomes involved after a shooting occurs at a local safehouse, Nyles will have to find the answers to many questions as she fights to root out corruption in her unit, including why another officer — with whom she herself had been having an affair — was present at the crime scene. 

Here's the BritBox logline.

When witness protection officer, Liz hears there's been a shooting at a safe house, she has a lot of questions to answer, including why another officer - who she was having an affair with - was at the crime scene too.

Alongside Finneran, the ensemble cast includes Katherine Kelly (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) Nadine Marshall (Sherwood), Barry Ward (Bad Sisters), Chaneil Kular (Sex Education), David Hayman (Guilt), Nichola Burley (The Gold) and Akiya Henry (Silent Witness).

"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," acclaimed screenwriter Kris Mrksa (The Murders at White House Farm) said in a statement when the series was announced. "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.”

Created by Mrksa, Protection will be directed by Simen Alsvik (The Nest) and Sasha Ransome (COBRA). The series is written by Mrksa (Episodes 1, 3, and 6), Polly Buckle (Episodes 2 and 4) and Guila Sandler (Episode 5).

All six episodes of Protection will premiere on BritBox on Sunday, December 29.