Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander to star in new Sky thriller ‘Iris’

Niamh Algar (Mary & George, The Virtues) and Tom Hollander (The White Lotus, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) are to star in a new Sky Original thriller Iris, written and created by Neil Cross, the mastermind behind the acclaimed Golden Globe Award-winning series Luther. The lead director is Terry McDonough (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). Iris is a Sky Studios and Fremantle co-production and will commence filming this month in Sardinia, Italy.

Iris is a sun-drenched chase thriller about a rootless and enigmatic genius, Iris Nixon (Algar) who steals a code from charming philanthropist Cameron McIntyre (Hollander) and goes on the run. Armed only with her lethal intelligence and chameleonic charm, the clock is ticking for her to work out what the code could unleash before she is found.

Joining the cast alongside Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander are newcomer Meréana Tomlinson (The Trials), Sacha Dhawan (The Great, Doctor Who), Maya Sansa (Good Morning Night, Dormant Beauty), Peter Sullivan (Poldark, The Borgias) and Debi Mazar (Younger, Entourage).

Writer, Creator and Showrunner, Neil Cross, said; “All I wanted to do was to make a show I wanted to watch. ‘Iris’ is an unapologetically exciting, witty, chase-driven adventure show and features a lead character the like of which I don’t think we’ve ever met before on TV. With Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander bringing these complex characters to life, coupled with Terry McDonough’s direction, I couldn’t be more excited to share this world and these characters.”

Iris Nixon is equal parts rootless genius and puzzle addict. By day, she works a mundane job flagging harmful content for a social media platform; by night she ploughs internet forums solving complex riddles. When a mysterious thread is posted online seeking highly intelligent individuals to crack a secretive code, Iris’s curiosity and compulsion to win get the better of her, and it leads her to a charming philanthropist, Cameron McIntyre.

Having outsmarted every code-breaker around the world, Iris realises she has unwittingly unlocked a dangerously powerful, world-changing piece of technology. Suspicious of Cameron’s motives, she steals the code and then… vanishes. Ever resourceful and intending to lay low, Iris reinvents herself as Ms Brooks, a tutor to Joy, the daughter of a wealthy family on the Sardinian coast. As the cyber-speculation as to Iris’ whereabouts intensifies and Cameron’s net closes in, her lethal intelligence and chameleonic charm may for once not be enough to stop her from being drawn into an increasingly deadly game of hide and seek.

Iris is a Sky Studios and Fremantle co-production. Wildside is providing production services in Italy. The series is directed by Terry McDonough and Sarah O’Gorman, and the Series Producer is Tim Bricknell. Susan E. Connolly and Ian Scott McCullough are writing episodes. Executive Producers are Neil Cross, Terry McDonough; Jenni Sherwood and Dante Di Loreto for Fremantle, and Adrian Sturges for Sky Studios.

Iris will be available on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Fremantle will handle international sales of the series.