Martin Compston calls his new role as a tough security agent in the returning ITV thriller a fun “gift,” while his co-star Jing Lusi reveals her surprising battle with medical gloves during the action-packed filming. The second season of the popular British thriller Red Eye kicks off the new year, trading a tense flight for a deadly lockdown inside the U.S. Embassy in London. With a murder inside the diplomatic compound and a plane under threat, Detective Hana Li must partner with a man from her past she deeply distrusts.
The new season premieres on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player at 9 p.m. on New Year’s Day, 2026. This six-part series sees Jing Lusi return as the determined DS Hana Li, now joined by Martin Compston as Clay Brody, the head of embassy security. Returning cast members include Jemma Moore and Lesley Sharp. The story begins as celebrations for a new U.S. Ambassador are interrupted by a terrifying threat: a caller warns they will blow a British government jet out of the sky if anyone leaves the embassy. As the building locks down, a killer starts targeting people inside, forcing Hana and Clay into a frantic race against time.
Martin Compston on Embracing the Action Hero Role
For Martin Compston, best known for Line of Duty, stepping into the world of Red Eye was a chance to live out a childhood fantasy. He openly describes the part as “a gift,” joking that most people wouldn’t look at him and think “ex-Special Forces badass”. The actor, who is in his early forties, said he grew up loving classic action and spy films like Indiana Jones and James Bond, and he knows these physically demanding roles don’t come around forever.
“I don’t think anybody sees me walking down the street would believe I’m an ex-Special Forces badass. All that talking into your wrist, touching your ear, I love that stuff,” Compston said.
He trained intensively for the part, practicing the Israeli martial art Krav Maga several times a week with the show’s director and his close friend, Kieron Hawkes. Compston also felt the “lovely pressure” of joining a show that was already a major success in its first season. He replaces Richard Armitage as the male lead, acknowledging he had “big shoes to fill” but was excited by the challenge of helping take the show “to the next level”. He praised the show’s pace, comparing the intense, real-time feel to the series 24.
Jing Lusi’s Love for Stunts and Unexpected Glove Challenge
While Compston reveled in the action, returning star Jing Lusi faced a quirky, unexpected hurdle. The actress, who leads the series as DS Hana Li, loves performing stunts. “I always like the stunts. If I have to punch something or hit something, that’s my favorite thing,” she shared. However, her biggest challenge this season came from a simple prop: medical gloves.
Lusi explained that while her character was glove-free on the plane in season one, season two presented “an abundance of gloves,” which she struggled to put on quickly during scenes. This led to some humorous moments on set. In one scene with a dead body and several actors, her difficulty prompted the director to suggest a compromise.
“The director was like: ‘Okay, just wear one glove, because it’s painful watching you put two gloves on’. So, that was my challenge,” Lusi recalled.
Compston sympathized, adding “There’s just no cool way to do that”. Beyond the glove struggle, Lusi expressed immense pride in leading the show. Seeing promotional billboards for the first season in Euston station was a “pretty amazing” moment that signaled ITV’s strong support. She felt a deep responsibility to deliver a strong second season, stating, “This is your sophomore year. You’ve made a hit album, you’ve set the bar high and now you’ve got to deliver”.
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A New Conspiracy: Embassy Lockdown and Mid-Air Threat
The plot for season two creates a dual crisis. The action moves from an airplane to the U.S. Embassy in London, which becomes a sealed crime scene after the threatening phone call. With a killer on the loose inside, Hana Li finds herself in a complex political situation. She is forced to work with Clay Brody, a former colleague who betrayed her in the past.
Their dynamic is defined by distrust and competition. “They don’t fully trust each other, and they’re constantly trying to get rid of each other as well. That little spikiness is fun to play,” Compston said of their characters’ relationship. Lusi added that Hana had to “fight for her choices” more this season, with Brody constantly trying to block her moves and control the investigation within his domain.
The stakes are raised further because the plane under threat carries Madeline Delaney, a government Director General. This creates a tense, race-against-the-clock narrative where Hana and Clay must solve the murders inside the embassy to uncover the plot and save the lives on the jet. Lusi noted that the scale of the new setting changed her performance, offering more movement and intentionality than the confined first season.
