TV thriller fans – your next action-packed obsession is arriving this week

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A brand new TV thriller from the creator of Luther and The Mosquito is on the way – with the series premiering on Thursday, October 16.

The Iris Affair follows the story of Iris Nixon, who is invited to work for a charismatic entrepreneur after solving a series of complex online puzzles and quizzes.

It stars Niamh Algar in the titular role alongside Pride & Prejudice and Mission: Impossible star Tom Hollander, who plays businessman Cameron Beck.

The series is helmed by Neil Cross, who also wrote for Spooks, with all eight of its episodes set to be released on Sky Atlantic after its Thursday premiere.

An official synopsis explains that after she’s invited to meet with Cameron in Florence, Italy, the two work together to unlock a powerful and top-secret piece of technology.

However, once Iris realises the dangerous potential of the technology she’s been asked to decode, she steals crucial information related to it and goes on the run.

The Iris Affair begins on Thursday, October 16 (Picture: Stefano Cristiano/Sky)

Sky’s description reads: ‘Iris finds herself in a relentless pursuit, from a remote cabin in Sardinia through the bustling streets of Rome, as Cameron races to find Iris in a high-stakes game where trust is dangerous and failure could be catastrophic.

The Iris Affair was filmed on location in Italy throughout the summer of 2024 and boasts an impressive supporting cast, including two former Game of Thrones stars.

Kristofer Hivju, who played Tormund Giantsbane in 33 episodes of the fantasy show, will star as Jensen Lind, while Harry Lloyd – Daenerys Targaryen’s brother Viserys – appears as Hugo Pym.

Niamh Algar stars as a puzzle game genius who ends up in trouble (Picture: Sky UK) Tom Hollander stars as an enigmatic businessman (Picture: Sky UK) Your favourite TV thrillers

We asked Metro readers what their favourite one-time thriller shows were:

Chernobyl – Apple TV+/NowTV American Gothic – Apple TV+/Amazon Prime Video 1899 – Netflix Black Rabbit – Netflix The Midnight Club – Netflix Rabbit Hole – Apple TV+

Its cast list also contains former Doctor Who stars Sacha Dhawan, who starred as The Master in the BBC sci-fi series, and Angela Bruce, who appeared during Sylvester McCoy’s stint as the Seventh Doctor.

The show has been described as ‘unsuitable for small children’ with depictions of gun violence and scenes of peril and threat being mentioned as the reasons why.

The Iris Affair’s first season will consist of eight episodes in total, but no word has been given yet on whether the series will continue for a second season.

Things are about to blow up… (Picture: Sky UK) The first season will consist of eight episodes (Picture: Emanuela Scarpa/Sky UK)

As well as being broadcast in the UK, some countries in Europe have picked the series up, with Sky hoping to sell the series internationally in the near future.

Looking ahead to The Iris Affair, @Nirosta said on X that they ‘will watch anything Tom Hollander is involved in, while @LeonSale1 said the series looked ‘amazing’.

Leon continued: ‘Niamh is a tremendous actor and can do ‘grit’ unbelievably well. This has ‘binge watch’ all over it.’

Watch The Iris Affair on Sky Atlantic and NowTV from October 16.

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