Channel 4 adds intense psychological thriller that will keep you awake at night

Katherine Kelly as Jo walking along an airport runway in her flight attendant uniform while a plane takes off overhead

(Image credit: Channel 4)

There's some edge-of-your-seat drama landing on Channel 4 today (Tuesday, August 12) as new psychological thriller, In Flight, lands.

The six-part series, which will air today, Wednesday and Thursday evening this week and the same next week, also lands on Channel4.com as a box set, ready for you to binge at your leisure.

The series stars Coronation Street and Mr Bates vs The Post Office star Katherine Kelly, as single mum Jo Conran, who works as a flight attendant.

However, Jo's world is turned upside down when her 19-year-old son Sonny is jailed in Bulgaria for killing a lad in a drunken brawl - a murder he swears he didn’t commit.

Things take a horrifying turn when Jo’s approached by hardened gang leader Cormac (Stuart Martin), who warns her that Sonny will be killed in jail unless she uses her job as cover to smuggle vast quantities of heroin from Istanbul and Bangkok.

But as Jo’s coerced into carrying out the crime syndicate’s orders, risking everything in the process, she gets pulled into a violent world of corrupt cops and brutal assassins while desperately trying to keep her son alive. But Jo will do anything to protect her family.

Jo’s customs officer ex Dom, is possibly the only one who can help Jo out of her hellish predicament. But as the series progresses, can anyone – even Jo’s son – be trusted?

Jo talking to her son, Sonny, on a phone in prison while they look at one another through glass — Jo's son, Sonny is in prison for a crime he claims he didn't commit. (Image credit: Channel 4)

Speaking of her new role, Katherine told us: "Jo will do anything to save her son. She’s an ordinary woman, yet by the end of episode two she’s got a gun to somebody’s head! Not only did I not expect the twists and turns, but they also came thicker and faster than any other series I've ever been in. Roller coaster is a very overused word for a thriller, but I’m struggling to think of one better!

"Every actor’s process is different, but I’m a homework kind of girl and, luckily, a friend of mine works at an airline, so I spent a day there with him. You’ve also got to let your imagination go to some dark places because it’s a dark topic. But I don’t hold on to anything, otherwise I’d just burn out. I have a good on-off switch!"

In Flight starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday, August 12 2025, at 9pm.

There are three episodes per week from Tuesday to Thursday, all at 9 pm, so the series ends on Thursday, 21 August.