Richard Armitage reveals THIS moment of worry while filming Red Eye

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Red Eye is the new ITV drama that has viewers gripped

Dr Matthew Nolan (Richard Armitage), in handcuffs, sits alongside a panicked looking DC Hana Li (Jing Luci) aboard an passenger plane in Red Eye
(Image credit: Stan/ITV)

New ITV drama Red Eye, starring Richard Armitage, has the nation hooked with its fast-paced storyline revolving around a conspiracy plot in Bejing.

Now Richard Armitage has opened up about filming Red Eye - and the behind-the-scenes moment that caused him some panic.

Speaking with Dermot O'Leary on the This Morning sofa, Richard opened up about the opening airport scene in Red Eye, asking the actor, "Those are real punters right?"

The scene shows onlookers expressing fear and confusion as the events unfold, with some running to WHSmiths. There were only a few people in on the filming secret.

Richard told Dermot, "There are a small group of background artists around me but you sort of only get one or two gos at doing it before the public twig to what you are doing."

The former Fool Me Once actor then went on to say he was worried that they would "traumatise" people, explaining, "There are a few warning signs up saying filming is happening but of course no one is paying attention anymore. You have to be careful not to traumatise people. There were a few punters running into WHSmiths going, 'There's a man being arrested'."

Red Eye has been received well by fans, who praise the show as 'thrilling'. One wrote on X (formerly Twitter), 'Just watched the first few episodes of #RedEye before bed tonight, and it really is thrilling stuff. Looking forward to watching more tomorrow night! Also great to see @RCArmitage again. Was stunning in The Stranger a few years back.'

While another said, 'I may be in a minority but I’ve just binge watched #Redeye and I loved it . Entertaining and yes far fetched etc but I don’t need anything too realistic on a Sunday night . Hope the characters get reprised in some kind of sequel.'

While another commented, 'Just started watching #redeye. PLOT HOLE CENTRAL. Oh my effin’ gee. Just ask an airport employee if dealing with airports and planes!!'

Red Eye premiered on ITV on Sunday, April 21 at 9 pm UK with subsequent episodes going out in the same time slot weekly. 

You can catch up with all episodes of Red Eye on ITVX now. 

Lauren Hughes
Freelance writer

Lauren is the former Deputy Digital Editor at woman&home and became a journalist mainly because she enjoys being nosy. With a background in features journalism, Lauren worked on the woman&home brand for four years before going freelance. Before woman&home Lauren worked across a variety of women's lifestyle titles, including GoodTo, Woman's Own, and Woman magazine. After starting out working for a local paper in Yorkshire, her journalism career took her to Bristol where she hunted out stories for national papers and magazines at Medavia news agency, before landing a job in London working as a lifestyle assistant.

A big fan of adventure, Lauren is also a keen travel writer and loves sharing tips on where to find the best places to eat, drink, and be merry off the beaten track. Lauren has written a series of travel guides for London hotels and loves sharing her insights into a destination's cultural and culinary offerings. If you need a recommendation on any UK destination, she's more than happy to help. At the weekend, you'll usually find her hanging out with her pet cat (or anyone else's pet she can get her hands on), escaping to the countryside, or devouring a good book.