While it's true that nothing will ever fill the Happy Valley hole in our hearts, we are always on the hunt for a brilliant thriller to binge-watch, and it's safe to say the ITVX gods are delivering.
From Sheridan Smith in Black Work to Nicola Walker in River, it's even better when there's a strong female lead. Siobhan Finneran is another actor we can't get enough of - and her performance in Protection is stellar.
If you haven't seen the 2025 series yet, here's everything you need to know about the gripping thriller, which some people have described as even better than Happy Valley.
What is Protection about?
The official Protection description reads, "Police officer DI Liz Nyles works in the highly secretive witness protection department. Soon, a devastating incident draws her into a dangerous conspiracy."
The six-part series looks into the secretive side of witness protection, where criminals and informants are given new identities by the police. When a security breach at a safe house leads to casualties, detective inspector Liz Nyles, played by Finneran, finds herself investigating corruption in her own unit - while also harbouring a dark secret of her own.
"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 Kris Mrksa says. "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.”
Who else is in the cast of Protection?
As well as Siobhan Finneran giving a brilliant performance as the lead, the cast includes:
- Nadine Marshall from Trigger Point as DCI Amanda Kelman
- Barry Ward from Bad Sisters as DS Paul Brandice
- Chaneil Kular from Sex Education as DS Raj Kohli
- Akiya Henry from Silent Witness as DS Sue Beardsley
- David Hayman as Liz's father Syd.
- Alec Newman as Edward Crowther
- Andrew Knott as DI Richard Bewley.
- Ace Bhatti as DCI Arun Kapoor
- Nichola Burley as Gemma Brandice
- Catherine Tyldesley
- Kris Hitchen
Will Protection be getting a season 2?
Despite the brilliant reviews and high ratings, ITV previously revealed Protection was created as a limited series and would not be getting a follow up. Last December, a representative confirmed: "Protection was a great success, reaching over 8 million viewers. While there are no current plans to continue Liz Nyles' story, we're continuing to work closely with New Pictures on developing new drama projects in this area."s
Where can you watch Protection?
All six episodes of Protection, which are about 45 minutes each, are available to stream on ITVX for free.
