The Iris Affair: Everything you need to know about this stylish, propulsive, sun-drenched thriller on Sky Showcase

“I was flicking through the channels, and my DVD collection, looking for this precise show I was in the mood to watch,” says Neil Cross. “I couldn’t find it. So I wrote it.”

Cross, the creator of Luther, says what he wanted was “a fast-moving, sophisticated and exciting thriller with a European setting, a lot of blue sky, the odd sports car and some great clothes… Witty and glamorous in a modern-old-fashioned way.” The result is The Iris Affair, which begins at 9pm on Thursday 16 October on Sky Showcase HD (CH 109), and ticks all those boxes – and then some. 

Starring Niamh Algar and Tom Hollander, and shot on location in Italy in a number of gorgeous locations, The Iris Affair is a stylish and propulsive eight-part thriller that’s packed with intrigue from the very start and soon becomes a high-stakes chase involving some seriously dangerous people and technology that could change the world.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Iris Affair.

When we first meet Iris Nixon (Algar), she’s living in a secluded and idyllic part of Sardinia, working as a private tutor to Joy (Merénea Tomlinson). But Joy knows her as “Miss Brook”, other locals know her as “Monica”, and the real story soon unfolds. Iris is a hyper-intelligent code-breaker who had been hired to solve an impossible puzzle: if she cracked a cipher created by a scientist, it would reactivate a supercomputer that has the potential to make world-altering breakthroughs.

When Iris realised the possible dangers of this computer, she went into hiding to buy time to break the code. But there’s a bounty on her head, and she’s being hunted by the kind of people you really don’t want hunting you. When her location is exposed, she has to take extreme measures. The chase is on.

She’s a genius, but also a drifter. Although she puts her planet-sized brain to use solving fiendishly difficult puzzles, she also uses it to spot others’ weaknesses and manipulate them – making it difficult to, you know, form human relationships.

Algar says Iris “functions almost like a computer, copying, storing, and processing only what she considers important, precise and logical.” She calls her “unique… not motivated by romance or defined by trauma, but shaped by her intelligence and curiosity.”

Between then, Algar and Cross created a character who’s inspired by three roles made famous by Matt Damon. “If you were to describe her, she’s like Will from Good Will Hunting, Jason Bourne and Tom Ripley [from The Talented Mr Ripley] rolled into one,” Algar says. “Brilliant, resourceful and unflinchingly independent.”

Algar, best known for roles in historical drama Mary & George and alongside Stephen Graham in the hard-hitting The Virtues, embodies Iris with force, humour and charisma. “She has something behind her eyes that finds life and the universe slightly absurd and funny,” says executive producer Timothy Bricknell (Trust, Taboo). “She’s not playing the comedy at all, but there's always that sense of, you know, nothing really matters. That feeling comes very naturally to her and it’s really important for Iris as a character.”

Cameron Beck (Hollander, The Night Manager), the man who hired Iris in the first place, wants her back in the fold and he’s prepared to do whatever it takes to make that happen. But despite that ruthlessness – and his eye-opening wealth, and his Bond villain-esque mountain hideout – Beck’s not a bad guy. He was the one who raised the funds to build the quantum computer, and he believes in its power to change the world.

According to Beck, Hollander says, “fundamentally it’s a creative entity… capable of solving climate change, curing cancer and solving poverty.” While Iris fears it will become a weapon, Beck has faith that it’s a force for good.

Even the shadowy figures behind Beck – like Hugo Pym (Harry Lloyd, I, Jack Wright), head of a secretive group who funded Beck’s scheme – have relatable motivations: using the computer to save a little girl with a rare and fatal brain disorder. Although the corrupt cops they send after Iris probably have less noble motivations.

Jensen Lind (Kristofer Hivju, Fast & Furious 8) is the brilliant scientist who built the computer everyone wants – but realising the risks it posed to humanity sent him into incandescent rage, leaving him locked in a mysterious unresponsive state. If the hunters can apply pressure to him and get him to spill the knowledge he possesses, everything could change.

Then there’s YouTuber and conspiracy theorist Alfie (Sacha Dhawan, Doctor Who). He’s turned his back on an unfulfilling career in journalism and now leads an online community of Find Iris Nixon enthusiasts. He genuinely cares about Iris and thinks his mission is a virtuous one – but all he’s doing is putting Iris in greater danger.

“I wanted to make sure this action-packed show was as exciting and compelling on the screen as it was on the page,” says Sarah O’Gorman (The Witcher, The Last Kingdom), who directed four of The Iris Affair’s eight episodes. “To focus on the complexity and humanity of our characters, the excitement of the exquisite plotting and action – think fast cars, shoot-outs, helicopters – and the sheer beauty of our stunning locations and sets.”

O’Gorman describes the show as “playful and high-octane, intimate and expansive, thought-provoking and thrilling.” Frankly, we’re already on the edge of our seat just thinking about it.

“Elements of The Iris Affair belong to the same tradition as Prometheus, or Frankenstein, or Oppenheimer – narratives rooted in our fear of the unknown, and our paradoxical compulsion to pursue knowledge that might destroy us,” says Cross. Another theme, he adds, is “the bloodcurdling notion that humanity is utterly insignificant in the face of vast, ancient forces that lie beyond our comprehension. These themes are as old as the hills… which hopefully makes them timeless.”

“Every now and then, it unpretentiously reminds us of our insignificance in the universe with a good dose of cosmic dread,” says Bricknell. “But basically, it's a clutch of very strange and unique characters chasing each other around Italy. Which is fun.”

The Iris Affair begins at 9pm on Thursday 16 October on Sky Showcase HD (CH 109), when you’ll be able to watch the first four episodes in Sky Showcase on demand. Weekly episodes will follow, starting with episode 5, at 9pm on Thursday 23 October and will be available in Sky Showcase on demand.

Sky Showcase has a superb range of great drama, including Sky Originals and the best of the US, available on demand. If you’re looking for serious entertainment, try one of these brilliant Box Sets.

• Atomic

• Big Little Lies

• Boardwalk Empire

• The Day Of The Jackal

• Game Of Thrones

• Gangs Of London

• The Gilded Age

• Mary & George

• The Regime

• The Sopranos

• Sweetpea

• The Sympathizer

• The Tattooist Of Auschwitz

• True Detective

• True Detective: Night Country