ITV's Red Eye cast, storyline, episodes and where it was filmed

ITV is airing its new thriller murder mystery tonight - and it's set to keep viewers on the edge of their seats for six weeks. The plot sees British doctor Matthew Nolan, played by Richard Armitage, come frighteningly close to dying in a car crash in China after attending a medical conference in Beijing. But when his plane lands back in the UK at London's Heathrow Airport, he's immediately arrested - all in the first minute of the first episode.

Dramatic scenes show him being arrested at gunpoint in the airport, while yelling at members of the public to film his arrest. He has to return to China in the custody of DC Hana Li to face charges.

It turns out that a dead woman has been discovered inside his crashed car - despite him insisting that he was definitely alone when he crashed. The return flight also doesn't go smoothly. Also on board are a hooded stowaway, a suspicious air stewardess and a mystery armed man.

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The dramatic six-part series kicks off on ITV at 9pm tonight (Sunday April 21). Here's everything you need to know about the show...

Who is in Red Eye?

Richard Armitage leads the cast as Dr Matthew Nolan. Viewers will recognise him from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit, which brought him international recognition for his role as dwarf king and leader Thorin Oakenshield.

He's also known for TV roles in Spooks, North & South, the American TV series Hannibal and more. He also played the lead role in the Netflix miniseries The Stranger.

Joining him is LiJing Lusi, who had her first TV role in Holyby City. She made her debut in 2012, playing Tara Lo and left when her character died during neurosurgeryoin 2013. She is best known for her roles in Stan Lee's Lucky Man, the film Crazy Rich Asians, and the BAFTA nominated series Gangs of London.

Lesley Sharp is also in the cast. She's starred in show include Clocking Off and Ricky Gervais' Afterlife- and played DC Janet Scott in the ITV drama Scott & Bailey. She was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1997 film The Full Monty.

Where was Red Eye filmed?

Despite China playing a key role in the drama, filming solely took place in and around London. The dramatic airport scenes viewers are set to see in the first episode were filmed in Stansted Airport, which stood in for Heathrow.

The team was based at the airport for two days as they filmed alongside real passengers as the airport continued to run almost as normal. The plane scenes were actually shot on a real plane rather than a purpose-built set.

Richard Armitage praised the level of "detail", such as the "lighting palette", which made it look like they "were above the clouds". He said: "I believed everything I was looking at, and it was always a surprise to me after a take when they opened the doors and we walked down the steps into a black sound studio, it really felt like we were in the air."

When is Red Eye on TV?

There are six episodes in the tense series, giving plenty of time for twists and turns to unravel. The show launches on ITV on Sunday, April 21 at 9pm.

The first episode runs at slightly over an hour and is set to finish at 10.05pm. ITV has confirmed the second episode will be aired next Sunday (April 28) in the same timeslot, meaning its likely to air in the same slot for the next six weeks.