The Iris Affair: cast, plot, first looks and everything you need to know

The Iris Affair is a tense chase drama coming to Sky Max and starring Mary & George’s Niamh Algar and The White Lotus actor Tom Hollander. 

Created by Neil Cross, the man behind the hit BBC1 series Luther, this thriller is set on the Sardinian coast and sees Niamh play Iris Nixon, a codebreaking genius who steals a mysterious code from a charming philanthropist (Tom Hollander). She must then lie low and rely on her intelligence to survive an increasingly deadly game of hide and seek. 

Writer and showrunner Neil Cross says: “All I wanted to do was to make a show I wanted to watch. Iris is an unapologetically exciting, witty, chase-driven adventure show and features a lead character the like of which I don't think we've ever met before on TV. With Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander bringing these complex characters to life, coupled with Terry McDonough's direction, I couldn't be more excited to share this world and these characters.” 

Here’s everything you need to know about the Sky series The Iris Affair...  

The Iris Affair release date

The Iris Affair is an eight-part series will launch on Sky and NOW in the UK in 2025 — either on Sky Max or Sky Atlantic — and as soon as we hear where US viewers can catch it, we’ll update this page. We’ll also let you know when a release date is announced. 

The Iris Affair plot

The Iris Affair follows Iris Nixon (Niamh Algar), a whip-smart but rootless puzzle addict. By day she works in a mundane job flagging harmful content for a social media platform but at night she solves complex riddles on secret internet forums. 

One day a mysterious thread is posted online inviting people to crack a secretive code. Iris outsmarts every codebreaker in the world but soon realizes she’s unlocked a dangerously powerful piece of technology owned by philanthropist Cameron McIntyre (Tom Holland). And as the net closes in on her, she’s forced to flee to Sardinia and reinvent herself. But the cyber speculation about her whereabouts intensifies and Iris must use all of her intelligence and charm to avoid being found.

The Iris Affair cast — Niamh Algar as Iris Nixon

Niamh Algar plays a codebreaker Iris Nixon who is on the run in The Iris Affair. Niamh recently played Sandie in the Sky Atlantic period drama Mary & George and has also starred in Raised by Wolves, Culprits, Malpractice, The Wonder, Suspect, The Virtues and Deceit. 

Tom Hollander as Cameron

Tom Hollander plays philanthropist Cameron in The Iris Affair. Tom previously starred as Quentin in The White Lotus season 2 and recently took on the role of Truman Capote in Feud. Tom has also starred in The Ipcress File, The King’s Man, Us, Baptiste, The Night Manager and Rev. 

Who else is starring in The Iris Affair?

Other stars of The Iris Affair include newcomer Meréana Tomlinson (The Trials), Sacha Dhawan (Wolf, The Great, Doctor Who), Maya Sansa (Good Morning Night, Dormant Beauty), Peter Sullivan (Poldark, The Borgias) and Debi Mazar (Younger, Entourage).

Also starring are Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones, Force Majeure), Harry Lloyd (Arcane, Marcella), Peter Sullivan (Poldark, The Borgias), Marco Leonardi (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, Anime Nere), Angela Bruce (Silver Haze, Doctor Who) and Lorenzo De Moor (A Simple Favor 2, Dolce Fine Giornata). 

Is there a trailer?

Not yet but it’s early days.

Behind the scenes and more onThe Iris Affair

The Iris Affair started filming in May 2024. It's written and created by Neil Cross, the mastermind behind the acclaimed Golden Globe Award-winning series Luther. The Lead Director is Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). The show is a Sky Studios and Fremantle co-production. Wildside is providing production services in Italy. The series is directed by Terry McDonough and Sarah O’Gorman, and the Series Producer is Tim Bricknell. Susan E. Connolly and Ian Scott McCullough are writing episodes. Executive Producers are Neil Cross, Terry McDonough; Dante Di Loreto and Jenni Sherwood for Fremantle, and Adrian Sturges for Sky Studios.

Iris will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Fremantle will handle international sales of the series.