ITV's thriller series Red Eye returns for a second season on New Year's Day 2026, with Jing Lusi reprising her role as Detective Hana Li amid new threats. Martin Compston joins as Clay Brody, a figure from Hana's past, replacing Richard Armitage from season one. The plot involves a bomb threat to a plane and chaos at the US embassy in London.
Red Eye, the ITV thriller that captivated audiences with its high-stakes flight drama in season one, is set to premiere its second season on ITV1 and ITVX on January 1, 2026. The new episodes thrust DC Hana Li, played by Jing Lusi, into fresh peril as a bomb threat targets a plane carrying MI5 director-general Madeline Delaney, portrayed by Lesley Sharp. Simultaneously, a welcome event for the new US ambassador turns disastrous, locking down the embassy and forcing unlikely alliances.
Jing Lusi returns as Hana Li, the Metropolitan Police detective who survived an sabotaged extradition flight to China in the first season, uncovering an international conspiracy. Lesley Sharp's Madeline Delaney, previously a steady ground presence, now faces danger mid-air. Describing her character, Sharp noted in a prior interview: "Madeline is fighting fires on several fronts in a really controlled and mindful way. She's not someone who loses it easily, she's very good at keeping it together."
A key addition is Martin Compston as Clay Brody, Hana's former training partner whose reckless actions strained their relationship years ago. Now security chief at the US embassy, Brody must collaborate with Hana to stop a killer's plan. Compston, known for his role as Steve Arnott in Line of Duty—which is slated for a seventh season—brings intensity from credits like Vigil and Traces.
Returning cast includes Jemma Moore as Hana's half-sister Jess Li, an investigative journalist, and Robert Gilbert as Superintendent Simon O'Brien, Hana's often-ignored boss. New faces feature Tom Forbes as the suspicious Fox, Cash Holland as MI5's Ruth Banks, and Trevor White as US Ambassador Ronald Tillman. Other roles include Jonathan Aris as MI5 rival John Tennant, Nicholas Rowe as Ministry of Defence associate Alex Peterson, and Danusia Samal as RAF Captain Sarah Wright.
Richard Armitage's season one character, doctor Matthew Nolan, does not return. The ensemble promises tense dynamics as secrets unravel and lives hang in the balance.
