Get ready to enter the clandestine world of MI5 in Betrayal, an ITV espionage drama starring Shaun Evans as a spy battling to avert a serious threat to national security.
Described as an "emotionally intelligent, thrilling and darkly funny thriller" the series will also see the lead character, John Hughes, trying make sense of his own place in a changing world.
Evans will star opposite Romola Garai, who plays John’s partner, Claire, whose trust in him is strained by the secrecy and demands of his work.
Set in Manchester, the drama has been created by award-winning playwright and screenwriter, David Eldridge, whose previous screen works include The Scandalous Lady W, which also starred Evans.
“It's espionage drama rooted as much in the trials and betrayals of family life as in the bloody, dangerous business of spying," says Eldridge. "It's also a pleasure to be collaborating again with Shaun Evans for whom I have created the show’s leading role — out of favour intelligence officer John Hughes."
Here's everything we know about Betrayal...
Betrayal release date
ITV confirmed filming began in June 2025, releasing an image of Evans and Garai at the cast read through (above).
The broadcaster also revealed the show will premiere on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player in 2026.
ITV Studios will handle international distribution of the series.
Betrayal plot
A synopsis from ITV reads as follows...
"John Hughes joined MI5 during the war on terror and was at the forefront of averting the biggest terrorist plots on UK soil. Now in his mid 40s and married with two children he’s struggling to adapt to the new MI5, where threats to national security have changed and he’s forced to adapt to the values of a progressive work environment.
"On a hunch John meets Ehsan, a British Iranian man with links to the Manchester gangland who claims he has intelligence about a plot on UK soil. Before he can share intel, Ehsan is executed by a lone gunman, and John impulsively kills the assassin in retaliation. This triggers a chain of events which puts John in direct collision with his superiors who are furious that he appears to have got involved in a Manchester gang turf war. John thinks there's more to it than that and starts digging into Ehsan’s past. He knows he’ll have to redeem himself if he’s to save his career and reputation, all the while struggling with his own mental health after having killed a man.
"John’s efforts to save his career and his marriage are also tested by Mehreen, an intelligence operative who is brought in to take over John’s duties on the Iran desk. Their connection is electric, and John must wrestle with temptations his younger self would readily have surrendered to. Struggling with his own demons, his love for his family and his complicated loyalty to the institution he’s been part of for over 20 years, John sets out to find the truth of the explosive security threat to the UK before it's too late."
Betrayal cast
Shaun Evans will lead the cast as troubled MI5 officer, John Hughes. The Liverpool-born star is most famous for his portrayal of a young Inspector Morse, in popular ITV crime series Endeavour.
He has also had a role in hit drama Vigil, where he played Elliott Glover, a coxswain on the fictional submarine put under investigation by DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones).
“I have collaborated with Shaun Evans on many hours of Endeavour," said Damien Timmer, founder of the show's production company, Mammoth. "It’s a pleasure to be working with him on the story of John Hughes, a likable but flawed man struggling to find his place in the modern world and a character I hope ITV audiences will take to their heart.
"David Eldridge's scripts examine the fragile psychology of a middle-aged man caught between family and work, but in John's case his work is protecting the security of our country, and the stakes could not be higher.”
Romola Garai, who starred in the second season of hit BBC drama Vigil, will star alongside Evans, playing his partner Claire, whose trust in him is strained by the secrecy and demands of his work.
The rest of the cast includes..
- Zahra Ahmadi (Beyond Paradise, The Bay)
- Nikki Amuka-Bird (I, Jack Wright, Rumours)
- Gamba Cole (The Outlaws, Three Little Birds)
- Omid Djalili (The Letter for the King, His Dark Materials)
- Matthew Tennyson (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Grantchester)
- Hayley Tamaddon (Unforgotten, Coronation Street)
- Anthony Flanagan (Protection, House of the Dragon)
- Paddy Rowan (G’wed, Four Lives)
- Waj Ali (Out There, Dead & Buried)
- Karim Kadjar (Wolf Hall)
- Emma Cunniffe (Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, The Long Shadow)
- Georgina Rylance (Benediction, Sherlock)
- Ben Lambert (Outlander, The Crown)
- Julia Watson (Doctor Who, Doctors)
- Julian Wadham (Black Doves, The Crown).
Betrayal trailer
With filming yet to commence, there's no trailer for this one yet. But as soon as one lands, we'll make sure we post it here.
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