Doctor Who star says his The Iris Affair character adds intrigue, darkness and insanity
Harry Lloyd plays the villainous Hugo Pym in the Sky thriller series.
The first four episodes of new thriller series The Iris Affair, which comes from Luther creator Neil Cross, are now available to watch on Sky and NOW, and viewers will quickly find they feature a seriously starry cast.
As well as Niamh Algar, who plays the titular Iris, and Tom Hollander, who plays her adversary and entrepreneur Cameron, the cast also includes Kristofer Hivju (Game of Thrones), Meréana Tomlinson (The Trials) and Sacha Dhawan (Wolf).
Then, there's Doctor Who and I, Jack Wright star Harry Lloyd, who plays Hugo Pym, a villainous figure who really puts the threat of Cameron into perspective.
Lloyd spoke with RadioTimes.com at an exclusive screening of the first episode of The Iris Affair at The Barbican Centre, presented by Radio Times in partnership with Sky. When asked what drew him to starring in the show, he had quite the answer.
"I’ve played quite a lot of evil, messed-up characters, but this guy takes the biscuit," he said.
He added: "My audition was this wonderful kind of monologue, almost, kind of phone call with Cameron. I appear about halfway through the series and add another level of intrigue and darkness and insanity to the proceedings.
"And it's just wonderful dialogue. Neil is kind of a poet disguised as a screenwriter, and he manages to squeeze in huge, philosophical, existential, really interesting, deep, emotional stuff during a thriller. I just thought it was a really unique premise, and I love the guy I got to play."
The Iris Affair follows Iris, a genius who is hired by Cameron to wake up a powerful machine that could change the future of humanity. When she discovers its implications, she runs away with the activation codes, leading to a chase across Italy.
Pym factors in as the acting Head of the Intragroup Committee, which invested in Cameron's machine. He needs it to provide a cure for a condition suffered by his boss’s granddaughter.
The Iris Affair airs on Thursdays on Sky and NOW. Find out more about how to sign up for Sky TV.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
