ACTORS Siobhan Finneran and Katherine Kelly have been cast in a new ITV thriller that brings to life the clandestine world of witness protection.
Finneran, who was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester to Irish parents, takes the lead role in Protection, a newly commissioned production for ITV.
Written by the acclaimed screenwriter Kris Mrksa, the six-part series is based on the first-hand experiences of a long-serving witness protection officer.
“Protection is about what happens when the system breaks down,” an ITV spokesperson said.
“Witness protection is often glamorised as keeping innocent witnesses safe from harm but the truth is darker, murkier, and far more complex,” they add.
“Many protected people are themselves criminals. It’s a life of moral compromise. It also involves maximum secrecy, false identities, and a world where you can’t trust your own colleagues.”
Finneran, whose father hails from Glenfarne in Co. Leitrim, leads the cast as police officer, Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, who finds herself at the heart of a system breach; personally compromised by an affair with a colleague, but determined to fight back, and uncover the true source of corruption within her unit.
Navigating the morally grey, clandestine world of witness protection, her mission to find the truth will take her deep into the heart of the criminal underbelly and beyond as she becomes more and more torn between caring for her family, her loyalty to her lover and her duty as a police officer.
Finneran is cast alongside fellow Irish actor Katherine Kelly in the series, which is produced by the multi award-winning New Pictures and is being filmed in Liverpool.
Kelly was born in Barnsley, north Yorkshire but her father John Kelly is originally from Castleisland in Co. Kerry.
Also starring in the series is the British actor Nadine Marshall, who recently starred in the series Champion, Liaison and Silent Witness.
Further cast members include Barry Ward, who starred in Bad Sisters, Chaneil Kular, of Sex Education, David Hayman of Sid and Nancy, Nichola Burley of The Gold, and Akiya Henry for also starred in 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,” writer Mrksa said of the series.
“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,” he added.
“I'm incredibly excited to be working with the team at New Pictures again, in bringing this complex world to life.”
ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill added: “The clandestine world of witness protection creates a thrilling backdrop for this intriguing crime thriller written brilliantly by Kris Mrska.
“We’ve attracted an amazing cast including Siobhan Finneran, Nadine Marshall and Katherine Kelly and I’m delighted to commission the series from Willow Grylls and her team at New Pictures.”
Protection will premiere on ITV1 and be available for streaming on ITVX next year
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