Betrayal is a 2026 British television drama series set in the world of espionage. It was directed by Julian Jarrold and stars Shaun Evans, Romola Garai, Gamba Cole, Zahra Ahmadi, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Omid Djalili. It was written by David Eldridge and produced by Mammoth Screen for ITV.

Premise A British agent working for MI5 detects a threat to national security.

Cast Shaun Evans as John Hughes, an MI5 officer in the State Threats Division Romola Garai as Dr. Claire Wardly, a general practitioner and John's wife Gamba Cole as Rudy Kember, an MI5 analyst in the State Threats Division Zahra Ahmadi as Mehreen Askari-Evans, an MI6 officer on secondment to MI5 Nikki Amuka-Bird as Simone Grant, an MI5 official and Hughes' superior in the State Threats Division Omid Djalili as Qasem Asadi, a Major General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Emma Cunniffe as Eve Hardy, John and Claire's marriage counsellor Anthony Flanagan as Craig Beeston, a heroin dealer in Greater Manchester Hayley Tamaddon as Fatemah Feyzi, an Iranian dissident who runs Persia Live UK Georgina Rylance as Penelope Thomas, one of Johns contacts in MI6

Episodes

Production The four-part series was announced by ITVX in September 2024. It was produced by Irma Inniss, with executive producers including Damien Timmer, Eldridge, Jarrold, Tom Leggett, and Shaun Evans.

Filming took place in 2025, with locations including Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and Stockport.

Broadcast The series aired on ITV1 and ITVX on 8 February 2026.

Reception The Guardian gave the series 3 out of 5 stars, writing: "When your drama’s protagonist has an extraordinary job where lives are on the line, how gritty and believable can their personal woes plausibly be? Betrayal’s selling point is that it commits as fully to the portrait of a relationship in distress as it does to the spy adventures, but it’s not an easy marriage.  ... Betrayal tries to square the circle by making the thriller part of the show dour as well, locating the action in dirty car parks, flat-roofed pubs, musty B&Bs and high streets littered with crap takeaway joints. Oblique, Ipcress File camera angles accentuate the malaise. It’s all as bilious and knackered as John, whose time in the office is a series of tetchy face-offs marked by him railing against sissy modernity ... Like his co-star Garai, Shaun Evans succeeds more in spite of the material he’s given than because of it, bringing a bewildered vulnerability to John’s struggle to be better. John doesn’t like who he is; Betrayal isn’t sure what it is."

The Radio Times wrote: "An impressive Evans isn't enough to save this ITV spy series that's full of tired tropes. ... Perhaps the biggest shame of all is that the series wastes the talents of its actors, particularly Shaun Evans who puts in a really rather astounding performance. Raw, emotional, funny, it hits all the beats, and you can tell how much dedication he has brought to this project. Romola Garai is also far better than the material she's been given, while Zahra Ahmadi is perhaps the one person who is given her due, with her character Mehreen's storyline being by far the most engaging element of the series."

References

External links