Saviour: Aidan Gillen to star in ‘heart-stopping’ ITV legal thriller and the story has us hooked already
Saviour is also produced by the same team behind Doctor Foster
Saviour, a new ITV drama billed as a “heart-stopping” legal thriller, has just added Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen to its cast.
After the Flood was a strong start to ITV’s 2026 slate, but there are even bigger shows on the horizon.
Betrayal, a new spy thriller starring Shaun Evans, is fast-approaching its premiere. Later this year, Eve Myles and David Morrissey will appear together in Gone. Gemma Arterton’s Secret Service also drops in March.
Saviour, a “suspenseful” new series, is another show that’ll (hopefully) be worth waiting for. So, here’s what we know about its plot, cast, and when to expect its release.
What is Saviour about?
Saviour is said to be a “propulsive” legal thriller and an “authentic drama set in the world of the criminal justice system”.
The story will follow Ben, a medical student who borrows his father’s police uniform for a fancy-dress party.
On his way home, he “gets into an altercation that results in a man’s death,” the synopsis teases.
This leads to him enlisting the help of Indy Sangar, a criminal defence solicitor who’s forced to confront “police corruption, complicated racial politics, fervent press interest, a frustratingly traditional justice system and a defendant who is keeping secrets from her”.
Indy also has a few secrets of her own, and that’s before she deals with Jon Creasy, a detective inspector determined to find out what really went down that night.
Eddie, Ben’s father, is also “ruthlessly intent on clearing his son’s name and will go to any lengths to protect him”.
Does it have a release date?
Saviour doesn’t have an exact release date, but it’s expected to premiere on ITV1 and ITVX later in 2026.
Filming is believed to have begun sometime in 2025, coming after the series was originally commissioned in 2024. Production is taking place in Liverpool.
Nisha Parti, one of the producers behind Saviour, said: “I am so thrilled to see this show finally becoming a reality…. I cannot wait to share the show with everyone.”
Who’s in the Saviour cast?
Aidan Gillen will play Eddie, Ben’s father, in Saviour.
Gillen is arguably still best known for his performance as Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, in Game of Thrones. However, he’s also delivered memorable turns in Queer as Folk, Kin, and Peaky Blinders.
Ben will be portrayed by Archie Fisher, recently seen in Netflix’s Death by Lightning and Steve, alongside Cillian Murphy.
Anjli Mohindra has been cast as Indy, Ben’s lawyer. She starred in Amazon Prime’s Fear with Martin Compston last year, and she’s also appeared in Vigil and The Lazarus Project.
Finally, Shaun Parkes has joined the cast as Jon Creasy, the DCI on the other side of the case. Parkes’ career spans over 25 years, with roles in Human Traffic, The Mummy Returns, The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and Line of Duty.
Last year, just like Fisher, he starred in Death by Lightning.
‘Having Anjli, Shaun and Aidan, as well as so many other talented and diverse names working with our two very classy female directors to complete the Saviour family is a dream come true,” Parti added.
Other stars in the Saviour cast
- Abhin Galeya (Grace, Unforgotten) as Indy’s husband Dev Sangar
- Tobias Jowett (William Tell, Virdee, Gassed Up) as Sai Bajwa
- Nethra Tilakumara (Tell Me Everything, So Awkward) as Nita Sangar
- Angus Wright (Bank of Dave, Mary & George) as Lionel Knight
- Claire Goose (Silverpoint, The Coroner) as Romy
- Adjani Salmon (Doctor Who, Chivalry) as Mac
- Campbell Wallace (Midas Man, Anne) as Bing
- Precious Wura Alabi (Boiling Point) as Xenia
Who’s writing and directing Saviour?
Leanne Welham (Pachinko, The Trial of Christine Keeler) and Annetta Laufer (The Forsytes, Get Millie Black) have been tapped to direct ITV’s Saviour.
Alongside Parti, Peter Moffat (who worked on Criminal Justice and Your Honour) will executive produce. Drama Republic (which produced Riot Women and Doctor Foster) is also attached to the project.
Excitingly, the series has been written by a real-life criminal barrister: Imran Mahmood, who’s also a novelist and screenwriter.
Mahmood earlier said: “I am thrilled to be bringing to screen my first scripted TV series for ITV and Parti Productions.
“I’ve always wanted to use my experience as a criminal barrister to explore the real criminal justice system at work – both its strengths and its failings and there is no better medium than the screen to explore it.”
Frances Poletti (Without Sin) and Namsi Khan (Virdee, True Detective) have also been hired to write episodes.
Read more: After the Flood series 3: Everything we know
