In the world of crime thrillers, few names have become as synonymous with the TV genre as Jed Mercurio’s. Not only has the writer, producer and director been at the helm of beloved hit BBC series Line Of Duty, but he’s also recently brought us hit ITV dramas like DI Ray and Trigger Point.

Well, the crime drama maestro is back at it again with another ITV thriller, and this time round, it’s going to (rather unexpectedly) tackle the issue of whether you can ever truly know your partner. Payback has just been commissioned by the broadcaster and looks set to involve a gritty police operation and some devious crime lords. Would we expect anything less from Mercurio?

With that, here’s everything you need to know about Payback. 

The drama has been described as a “compelling character-led series” and will follow Lexie Noble (Morven Christie) as she becomes entangled in a “perilous police operation to topple a notorious crime lord”.

According to the synopsis: “With an idyllic family lifestyle in the suburbs of Edinburgh, Lexie is unaware her husband, Jared, has been laundering Cal Morris’s illegal earnings on a vast scale. Jared’s every move is being monitored by financial investigators DC Jibran Khan and DCI Adam Guthrie, who are determined to use the Noble family to bring Cal Morris to justice.

“A partner in Jared’s business, Lexie is forced into working for Cal at the same time as the police net inexorably tightens. Soon Lexie finds herself walking a treacherous tightrope between Cal and the police in which her safety, and even her life, are in grave danger.” 

Morven Christie (The Bay) leads the cast as Lexie, while notorious crime lord Cal Morris will be played by Peter Mullan (Ozark, The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power).

Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster) will star as DC Jibran Khan and Derek Riddell (Bodies, Gentleman Jack) also stars as DCI Adam Guthrie. Talk about a cast of stellar acting talent, right?

We already know that Jed Mercurio’s HTM Television will be producing Payback with Mercurio acting as executive producer for the series. It will also be directed by Jennie Darnell (Trigger Point, Line Of Duty) and Andrew Cumming (Clique, Cold Feet) and produced by Eric Coulter (The Control Room, Shetland). 

Speaking about the new series, ITV’s head of drama, Polly Hill, commented: “Payback is a brilliant thriller which questions how well you know your partner and as the secrets come out, asks who you can trust.

“Debbie has written compelling scripts that will keep the audience hooked and surprised. I’m delighted to be working with Morven Christie again, and of course Jed Mercurio and Madonna Baptiste at HTM Television.”

Also speaking about her new role in Payback, Christie said: “I fell in love with Lexie from the first page, and I’m absolutely delighted to be working with Peter and this wonderful team in my hometown.” 

The series has been created by Debbie O’Malley, who is known for her work on Call The Midwife, Humans and Harlots. Debbie’s three-part series The Guilty also aired on ITV in 2013. Speaking about Payback, she said: “I’m delighted to be working with such a high-calibre team at HTM Television and a truly superb cast to bring Lexie Noble’s story to life.

“Following our ordinary wife and mother through the loopholes and increasingly grey areas of fiscal malpractice, into the murky world of organised crime, Payback poses the disconcerting question: just how far might any of us go, if we thought we could get away with it?” 

While a release date is yet to be confirmed, we do know that the drama will be filmed in Glasgow, Edinburgh and surrounding areas. It will be available to watch on ITV and will be available to stream internationally via BritBox.

Watch this space for updates. 

Images: Getty