The highly-anticipated return of ITV's thriller Red Eye for its second series on New Year's Day was immediately met with a unified complaint from sharp-eyed viewers, who spotted a significant factual error within minutes of the premiere.
A New Direction for the Hit Thriller
The tense drama, which first aired in 2024 and became one of ITV's top shows with 29 million streams on ITVX, has taken a fresh direction for its second run. The new series shifts focus from the original plot, which starred Richard Armitage as a doctor accused of a crime, to a new case investigated by DS Hana Li, played by Jing Lusi.
This time, the action moves from a plane to the heart of London's US Embassy. Line of Duty star Martin Compston joins the cast as Clay Brody, the Head of Embassy Security and a former colleague with a complicated history with Hana. The plot kicks off with the murder of a diplomatic courier at Heathrow Airport and a threat against a UK Government jet, forcing Hana and Brody into a tense partnership during an embassy lockdown.
The Heathrow Blunder That Fans Noticed
However, the drama's return was quickly overshadowed for some by a noticeable continuity error. During the opening airport scenes set at London Heathrow, viewers clearly spotted branding for the budget airline Ryanair.
This sparked immediate reaction on social media, as Ryanair does not operate flights from Heathrow. One viewer pointed out the mistake on X, writing: 'Hmm, Ryanair at Heathrow?' This sentiment was echoed by others who were glad they weren't the only ones to notice the inaccuracy.
This is not the first time the show has faced scrutiny over its realism. The first series, which took place almost entirely on a flight from Beijing to London, was criticised by some for legal inaccuracies regarding extradition and its overall premise, garnering a 45% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
High Hopes for a Second Successful Flight
Despite the blunder, ITV has high hopes for the new six-part series, written by Peter A Dowling and directed by Kieron Hawkes and Strøm Henriksen. The cast also sees the return of Lesley Sharp as MI5's Madeline Delaney and Jemma Moore as journalist Jess Li.
The synopsis promises a political and jurisdictional nightmare for DS Hana Li, with murders inside the embassy and a race against time to save hostages and passengers on a threatened plane. ITV's Head of Drama, Polly Hill, expressed her delight at the first series' success, stating she 'can't wait for audiences to see where Pete takes series 2.'
All episodes of Red Eye series two are available to stream on ITVX now.
