Endeavour star's new thriller Betrayal gets release date confirmed by ITV – and it's soon
If you like spy dramas then this one's for you.
The new thriller Betrayal, featuring Endeavour star Shaun Evans, has been given a confirmed released date on ITV1, and it's coming to screens soon!
The four-part spy drama from Mammoth Screen production is set against the backdrop of the MI5 and explores human relationship as its characters battle between loyalty and deception.
Episode 1 will air at 9pm on Sunday 8th February 2026 on ITV1 and ITVX, with the second episode to air in the same slot the following day.
Written by award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge and directed by BAFTA and Emmy nominee Julian Jarrold, the series follows Shaun Evans's character John Hughes a mid-career MI5 officer desperately grappling to maintain a work-life balance in a rapidly evolving intelligence landscape and a marriage that is about to implode.
The series kicks off with John meeting a British Iranian man who claims he has intelligence about a known gang in Stockport, but before he can share the information with the MI5 agent, he is executed by an assassin whom John then kills in self defence.
John is then wrongfully placed under internal investigation, facing scrutiny from his superiors, leading John to question whether the threat might be closer to home than he released.
His inability to let the case go places even more strain on his already turbulent marriage but he soon finds an unlikely ally; Mehreen Askari-Evans, an intelligence operative who is tasked with taking over John’s duties, played by Eastender actress Zahra Ahmadi.
On taking up the role, Shaun Evans said: "I was in from the get-go, really. About four and a half years ago, I began to speak to Tom Leggett, another of the executive producers on Betrayal, about working together again.
"We were both interested in the world of espionage and began to work on the idea of the personal life of someone who works for MI5 – something you hadn’t necessarily seen before. We then brought (writer) David Eldridge on board and, between the three of us, crafted this four-parter."
Writer and executive producer David Eldridge added: "Betrayal began as a conversation with the actor Shaun Evans at the back end of 2019. Shaun was interested in playing an intelligence officer and he and Executive Producer Tom Leggett were fans of my writing.
"I’ve always enjoyed writing for actors I feel I can stretch in interesting ways, and I’ve had some success doing this in the theatre.
"So, my curiosity was piqued. But when we met for a coffee in a quiet corner of Fitzrovia and they asked if I was interested in the world of spies and espionage, I nearly spat out my cortado. 'Was I interested?'"
Nikki Amuka-Bird and Romola Garai join the cast as John's superior and wife respectively, while the series will also star Gamba Cole, known for the The Outlaws, comedian and actor Omid Djalili, and Grantchester star Matthew Tennyson.
Coronation Street's Hayley Tamaddon, Anthony Flanagan of House of the Dragon and Paddy Rowan from Four Lives all also join the line-up.
Betrayal is coming to ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 8th February 2026 at 9pm. All episodes will be released on ITVX ahead of linear transmission.
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Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
