A NEW ITV drama partly filmed in Wirral will air this weekend.
The drama series, Protection, was filmed in Birkenhead as well as Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton last year facilitated by the Liverpool Film Office.
Starring Siobhan Finneran as DI Liz Nyles, this thriller follows DI Nyles at the heart of a security breach within her witness protection unit.
Produced by New Pictures (Des, The Missing) and written by acclaimed screenwriter Kris Mrksa, the show will also star Nadine Marshall (Sherwood, Trigger Point) and Katherine Kelly (The Long Shadow, Bloods) alongside Barry Ward (Bad Sisters), Chaneil Kular (Sex Education), David Hayman (Sid and Nancy), Nichola Burley (The Gold) and Akiya Henry (Silent Witness).
Produced in association with All3Media International, the series is based on first-hand experiences of a long-serving witness protection officer (Siobhan Finneran) who finds herself at the heart of a breach; personally compromised by an affair with a colleague, but determined to fight back, and uncover the true source of corruption within her unit.
To redeem herself, the reputation of her lover, and to keep her witnesses safe. Even if they don’t always deserve it.
Navigating the morally-grey, clandestine world of witness protection, Liz’s mission to find the truth will take her deep into the heart of the criminal underbelly and beyond as she becomes more and more torn between caring for her family, her loyalty to her lover and her duty as a police officer.
Kris Mrksa said: "Protection is a suspenseful conspiracy thriller, but it also explores some complex moral questions, about how far we should be prepared to go in order to serve the greater good.
"The murky world of witness protection, where hardened criminals are often sheltered, in the hope that they will help bring down other criminals, provides the perfect context for examining these thorny issues. I’m incredibly excited to be working with the team at New Pictures again, in bringing this complex world to life."
Protection will air on ITV on Sunday, March 16.
