Red Eye season 2 spoilers follow.
The second season of thriller Red Eye has just dropped, with lead stars Jing Lusi, Lesley Sharp and Jemma Moore all returning for more action and intrigue. But while a lot of the focus is on Martin Compston's new character, the show also found time to bring back one season 1 star for what ITV calls "a surprising and thrilling return".
In episode 5 of the new season, Richard Armitage returns as Dr Matthew Nolan for a brief appearance, as our protagonists turn to him in a moment of desperation.
Armitage revealed that his return was kept a surprise from most of his fellow cast members, explaining: "I didn't really get to see everyone and we kept the surprise amongst the cast. My character on the call sheet was referred to as 'The Professor'."
Speaking about his reaction to news of the show getting a second season, the actor said he was "ecstatic for the team and ITV" but added that he felt "a bit deflated when I realised the chances of Nolan making a return were slim". Of course, slim turned out to not equal 'nonexistent'.
Related: Best streaming services in the UK
What to Read Next
"I loved the idea of Jess' instinctual gravitation to Nolan's door," he continued. "In season 1 he'd been through the mill and also later learned what had happened to her with Sir George Chapman, his boss, so of course he was going to help her, albeit under the radar.
"We decided that the surprise might add to the adrenaline of the 'who's next' scenario.
"We find him at home, and like season one forced to perform outside of the box. He was just about to open a bottle of red when the doorbell rings and he is interrupted to deal with a near fatal bullet wound and perform an emergency blood transfusion on his dining table; cobbling together equipment.
"He's basically able to improvise major trauma surgery, with a bag of saline from his fridge and a left over suturing kit from his bag. It says a lot about him!"
Related: Corriedale mystery as unknown hostage appears after crash
Reflecting on the appeal of the show in general, Armitage said: "I knew Peter Dowling's scripts were going to pop.
"I love the claustrophobia and escalation of this genre. It's effectively a locked room premise, at high altitude with a jaw dropping body count. 'Anything can happen' and 'who's next' is a great spring board for high stakes drama."
Red Eye is available to stream on ITVX and airs on ITV1.
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating music icon Dolly Parton, is here! Buy Dolly at 80 in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
