We know plenty of you are Siobhan Finneran fans, from her roles in Happy Valley, Time season 2, Downton Abbey, The Stranger, and even Benidorm. Her crime drama Protection isn't new, having premiered in in the US in 2024 and over here last year, but it is currently being promoted as an 'Unmissable Box Set' on streaming.
The six-episode show follows Police officer DI Liz Nyles, a woman who works in the highly secretive witness protection department.
Things kick off when a major breach occurs, inciting a major scandal, and Liz must get to the bottom of the conspiracy.
Who's in Protection?
- Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley) as DI Liz Nyles
- Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street) as DCI Hannah Wheatley
- Nadine Marshall (Save Me) as DCI Amanda Kelman
- Barry Ward (Save Me) as DS Paul Brandice
- Chaneil Kular (Sex Education) as DS Raj Kholi
- David Hayman (Andor) as Sid Nyles
- Nichola Burley (Virdee) as Gemma Brandice
- Akiya Henry (Captain Mack) as DS Sue Beardsley
- Alec Newman (Waterloo Road) as Edward Crowther
- Ace Bhatti (The Sarah Jane Adventures) as DCI Arun Kapoor
What did critics say about Protection?
On Rotten Tomatoes, Protection has a 78% positive score from 9 critic reviews, with Finneran's performance receiving plenty of praise.
"As you would expect, she's cracking", wrote The Telegraph, which added that: "If the quality of the plotting fails to match Finneran's talents, it doesn't matter all that much – you still get to watch her be the star of the show."
iNews called it "the best Line of Duty successor yet" and claimed "Sunday nights are back in business when it comes to tense, twisty police thrillers".
What to Read Next
The Guardian dubbed the show "great, undemanding fun to watch", while Metro labelled it "a bite-sized version of all the tropes you love best".
Where can I stream Protection?
The show is available in full on ITVX, which is free with ads on its base tier. The ad-free Premium tier costs £5.99 a month and £59.99 a year.
You can also buy the show digitally via Apple TV or Prime Video.
Other Siobhan Finneran shows to stream now
We mentioned some of Finneran's most famous TV shows above, but where can stream them?
Yorkshire-based police series Happy Valley and prison drama Time can both be streamed in full on BBC iPlayer, while Time can also be streamed via Sky/NOW.
Long-running comedy Benidorm and period drama juggernaut Downton Abbey have plenty of streaming options, as both are available on ITVX, Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix.
It's less simple with the Downton movies, as the first is available on Netflix but is apparently leaving soon, the second isn't currently available with any subscription, while the third is available via Sky/NOW Cinema.
Finally, The Stranger is a Netflix exclusive.
Protection is available to stream now on ITVX.
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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.
