New ITV drama Protection, starring Siobhan Finneran, reunites two Coronation Street stars and also features a host of stars that soap fans will be delighted with
Coronation Street stars Catherine Tyldesley and Katherine Kelly reunite more than a decade after they appeared on the soap in new ITV drama Protection.
The series stars Siobhan Finneran, who also appeared in Corrie as factory worker Josie between 1989 and 1990. She plays DI Liz Nyles, a police officer who works in the witness protection department, shielding those who have given evidence against criminals and are then hidden in safe houses. However, she realises one of her team could be leaking information when there is a murder at one of the safe houses, and as DCI Hannah Wheatley (Katherine Kelly) arrives to look into possible corruption of the unit, Liz starts her own investigation. She focuses on her younger, married colleague DS Paul Brandice (Barry Ward), who she has been having a secret affair with.
Katherine is best known for her portrayal of Becky McDonald in Corrie, a role she played for six years from 2006, and she has a lead role in the police drama, which also reunites her with Siobhan, whom she acted alongside in Happy Valley.
“I’ve worked with Siobhan on quite a few things, she’s a friend and it’s really nice to spend time with her on and off screen. This is the most we’ve actually appeared on screen together, so we picked up where we left off,” she said.
Katherine has also spoken about the research she did for the role of a police officer who is investigating corruption, which included spending a day with Merseyside Police.
“I had played a similar role in Happy Valley a decade ago, and I felt that policing had changed so much in this time, so I wanted a refresher course,” she explained. “I was welcomed with open arms. As much as they could, they gave me a crash course: what weapons you’d use when you arrived at a major incident, the importance of that golden hour after arriving at a crime scene, how careful you have to be with the flow of information, how much being a detective these days is about phones and CCTV. They were absolutely brilliant. One of the perks of the job is getting these exclusive passes into worlds that you really shouldn’t be let into, but the police obviously want to be represented in the right way.”
Katherine’s fellow Corrie star Catherine Tyldesley has a cameo role in the police drama, reuniting the pair on set.
Catherine played Eva Price on the cobbles between 2011 and 2018, and her character is expected to return to Weatherfield later this year.
Last year, Catherine teased her possible return during an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain where she told hosts Ben Shephard and Ranvir Singh: “Eva’s making a comeback – everyone thought the same! But never say never. It was just lovely to see everybody.”
There are other soap stars making an appearance in Protection, too. Chaneil Kular, who is best known for Sex Education, began his career in 2018 on the daytime soap Doctors, while Andrew Knott had a brief role in Coronation Street before becoming known for series including Gavin & Stacey (where he played Dirtbox) and Ackley Bridge.
They are joined by Line Of Duty star Ace Bhatti, who played Yusef Khan in EastEnders between 2010 and 2011.
Protection is on ITV1 on Sunday 16 March at 9pm, with all episodes available on ITVX
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