Martin Compston Boards 'Red Eye' Season 2 as Filming Commences
Line of Duty's Martin Compston joins Lesley Sharp on 'Red Eye' Season 2
ITV
Though most Americans think of the BBC when they think of British television, the truth is a lot (and I mean a LOT) of British favorites that cross the pond actually come from the BBC's main rival, ITV. Some of Masterpiece's most popular shows are from ITV, Unforgotten, Downton Abbey, Grantchester, Morse, Lewis, Endeavour, even Agatha Christie's Poirot, are all productions from Independent Television. However, ITV is a bit of feast and famine: the shows that come over are either critically heralded darlings, like Mr Bates vs the Post Office, or barely watchable. So I think people can forgive us when we initially looked a bit askance at the six-part thriller Red Eye.
Season 1 of Red Eye sported a pretty high-end cast, including Richard Armitage (Obsession), Jing Lusi (Crazy Rich Asians), and Lesley Sharp (Before We Die) when it debuted in 2024. However, the series featured an overnight flight from London to Beijing on which a U.K. prisoner (Armitage) is being transferred to China for a crime he may not have committed, which seemed like a bad rerun of Apple TV+'s Hijack. When the series showed no signs of crossing the pond, we tabled it.
But despite critics' tepid-at-best reviews, ITV has renewed the series for a second season, and upped the ante by bringing a new prisoner from Jing Lusi's character, DS Hana Li, to take the red eye around the globe, casting Martin Compston (Line of Duty) as Season 2's main guest star.
ITV did not provide a specific synopsis as part of the Season 2 announcement, but the new flight will feature "a new conspiracy to solve in the highly pressurised world of Red Eye."
Lusi returns for Season 2 along with Sharp as Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and Jemma Moore (Lockwood & Co) as journalist Jess Li. Compston's role is being kept under wraps, but with Armitage out, it seems like he'll be the new transferee.
Red Eye was the debut project from writer/creator Peter A Dowling, who will pen five of six episodes of Season 2, with Jingan Young returning to write the other. Director Kieron Hawkes will return for Season 2 and split helming duties this time with Camilla Strøm Henriksen (Grace). Julie Gardner (I Hate Suzie) will once again executive produce alongside Lachlan MacKinnon (Industry).
Season 2 of Red Eye is currently filming in the U.K. and will debut on ITV before the end of the year. Maybe this time it'll get American distribution as well.
