‘Red Eye‘ will return to ITV1 and ITVX for a second series it has been confirmed.
Following the huge success of the first series, which drew in more than 8 million viewers, ‘Red Eye’ will return with Jing Lusi reprising her role as DS Hana Li. Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore also reprise their roles as Head of MI5 Madeline Delaney and journalist Jess Li, with news on further guest casting available closer to filming, commencing next year.
‘Red Eye’ is written and created by Peter A Dowling (‘Black and Blue’, ‘Flightplan’). The series is produced by Wales based independent production company Bad Wolf, founded by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner, who are the producers of ‘Doctor Who’, ‘Industry’, ‘The Winter King’, ‘His Dark Materials’, ‘I Hate Suzie’, and ‘A Discovery of Witches’.
The first series of ‘Red Eyes’ has so far enjoyed more than 29.3m million streams on ITVX. Since its launch on 21st April on ITV1 and ITVX, the first episode has been watched by 8.3 million viewers across all devices, making it the fourth highest new drama title across all channels and platforms to break 8 million in the first half of this year. 8.3 million is the official 28-day consolidated figure.
Commented ITV’s Head of Drama Polly Hill: “I am so delighted to see the success of ‘Red Eye’. It’s incredible to get an audience of over 8 million and a huge thank you to everyone involved for making such a brilliant and addictive thriller. I can’t wait for audiences to see where Pete takes series 2. It’s another exciting ride!”
The first outing of the drama, starring Jing Lusi, Richard Armitage, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore is an adrenaline-filled story told over six parts, set between an all-night flight from London to Beijing, the streets of London, and the corridors of power within Whitehall.
The episodes were all made available to stream on ITVX ahead of the linear broadcast at 9pm on Sundays. And it proved to be addictive viewing; 93% of the viewers watching this way had clicked into all 6 episodes within a week.
Commented Executive Producers Julie Gardner and Lachlan MacKinnon: “We’re thrilled to be embarking on another high-octane ride with Peter A Dowling, Polly Hill and her team at ITV. We’re beyond grateful to the audience who embraced all the twists and turns of series 1 with such enthusiasm. Expect more thrills and spills to follow.”
Sony Pictures Television will be responsible for the international distribution of the second series of ‘Red Eye’. It was announced in August 2024 that the first series of Red Eye has broadcast in over 120 territories worldwide.
