Red Eye is finally back on our screens tonight on ITV for season two as Detective Hana Li (Jing Lusi) investigates another crime, this time, while trapped inside the US Embassy. However, while we'll see the return of Hana's sister Jess and head of MI5 Madeline Delaney, one major character who we won't be seeing this season is Dr Matthew Nolan, played by Richard Armitage.
During the first season Hana was responsible for escorting Dr Nolan back to China after he was accused of a murder he swore he didn't commit. As the pair travelled to China onboard a plane, a number of bodies started piling up and the pair teamed up to try and uncover who was responsible for the murders.
However, in season two she won't be reuniting with Dr Nolan to solve the crime, instead she has a new reluctant partner as Martin Compston joins the show in a new role as Clay Brody, the head of security at the US Embassy, not as a replacement for Dr Nolan.
So why did Richard Armitage leave Red Eye? Neither ITV nor Richard Armitage have commented on why exactly he left the show, however narratively it makes sense as to why Richard's character Dr Nolan wouldn't return for the next season.
Dr Nolan was essentially the suspect for most of season one and was then eventually cleared of all crimes by the end of the episodes and so his story in relation to Hana and the police is tied up. So really there is no need for his character to return.
Detective Hana is the series lead and so she needs another partner in crime as it were to help her solve the actual crimes, which is where Martin Compston steps in as Clay Brody, a character whom she has a long history with but must work together in order to stop a killer wreaking havoc in the Embassy.
Jing Lusi who plays Detective Hana in the series spoke about how great it was to have Martin join the cast for season two.
While appearing on This Morning on 17 December, Jing said of her new co-star: "He was so fun, he's such a fun person, but he's also really caring. He's so supportive and I think Martin coming in and having lead something as successful as Line of Duty, and really helping me through the process of learning to lead a show was just invaluable."
We can't wait to see Jing and Martin team up!
Red Eye season 2 starts tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX
