Endeavour star Shaun Evans is to appear in a new ITV spy thriller called Betrayal.

Set in the clandestine world of MI5, the actor will appear as a spy trying to avert a serious threat to national security while making sense of his own place in the world. 

Shaun Evans played Endeavour Morse in the Inspector Morse prequel for nine series until the last episode was screened in March last year.

READ MORE: Viewing figures for the final series of Endeavour 

The actor has already filmed true life crime drama Until I Kill You, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, which is due to be shown on ITV later this year.

Now he has been cast in Betrayal, with filming expected to start early in 2025.

In the spy drama Mr Evans appears as John Hughes, who joined MI5 during the war on terror and was at the forefront of averting the biggest terrorist plots on UK soil.

ITV's plot synopsis says: "Now in his mid 40s, and married with two children, John Hughes is struggling to adapt to the new MI5, where threats to national security have changed.

(Image: Mammoth Screen/ITV) "On a hunch John meets Ehsan, a British Iranian man with links to the Manchester gangland who claims he has intelligence about a plot on UK soil.

"Before he can share intelligence, Ehsan is executed by a lone gunman, and John impulsively kills the assassin in retaliation. This triggers a chain of events which puts John in direct collision with his superiors who are furious that he appears to have got involved in a Manchester gang turf war.

"John thinks there's more to it than that and starts digging into Ehsan’s past. He knows he’ll have to redeem himself if he’s to save his career and reputation, all the while struggling with his own mental health after having killed a man.

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"John’s efforts to save his career and his marriage are also tested by Mehreen, an intelligence operative who is brought in to take over John’s duties on the Iran desk.

"Their connection is electric, and John must wrestle with temptations his younger self would readily have surrendered to."

Set in London and Manchester, Betrayal is written by award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge.

(Image: Mammoth Screen/ITV) Produced by production company Mammoth Screen in association with Navarino Pictures, the show is executive produced by Mammoth’s founder Damien Timmer alongside Mammoth’s Tom Leggett, David Eldridge and Shaun Evans.

Mr Evans said: "I’m delighted to be returning to ITV with this exceptionally well written and timely project. It’s a great privilege to reunite with David Eldridge and bring to life his insightful take on the world of espionage.

"And it is of course a joy to be collaborating once again with the first-rate team at Mammoth Screen. I look forward to sharing it with ITV audiences soon.”

Mr Eldridge said: "I’m thrilled be working with ITV and Mammoth Screen on Betrayal, an espionage drama rooted as much in the trials and betrayals of family life as in the bloody, dangerous business of spying.

(Image: Pip/ITV) "It's also a pleasure to be collaborating again with Shaun Evans for whom I have created the show’s leading role – out of favour intelligence officer John Hughes.”

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Betrayal has been commissioned for ITV and ITVX by Head of Drama Polly Hill and Drama Commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones, who will oversee production on behalf of the broadcaster.

Mr Timmer said: "As a long-standing fan of David Eldridge’s work, and having collaborated with Shaun Evans on many hours of Endeavour, it’s a pleasure to be working with them on the story of John Hughes, a likable but flawed man struggling to find his place in the modern world and a character I hope ITV audiences will take to their heart."

Betrayal is produced in association with ITV Studios, which will handle international distribution of the series. 
 

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Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

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