The highly anticipated new ITV drama, Protection, is set to air on ITV1 this week. The series, which will be fully released on ITVX on Sunday, March 16, follows DI Liz Nyles (Siobhan Finneran) as she investigates a family murder within the witness protection programme.

The crime sends shockwaves through the witness protection unit and raises doubts about its integrity, with allegations of corruption and ties to organised crime. DI Liz Nyles questions whether she has inadvertently compromised herself and faces immense pressure from the force's anti-corruption unit.

The first episode of what promises to be another outstanding drama on ITV 1 will air at 9pm on Sunday. reports filming took place in the summer of 2023, with some locations likely to be recognisable to viewers.

Between July and September 2023, filming for Protection took place across various locations in the north-west of England. With the assistance of the Liverpool Film Office, scenes were shot in Wirral, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Knowsley, Sefton and Halton.

Other filming locations included Runcorn in Cheshire, with scenes captured outside Reel Time Amusements and Hays Travel inside the shopping centre. The exact filming locations have not been disclosed yet, but locals may recognise some familiar spots once the series begins.

Lead actress Siobhan Finneran, speaking about filming in Liverpool, expressed: "I loved filming in Liverpool, it's a great place to potter about and look at buildings.

"It was great to work with Katherine (Kelly) again, and working with Nadine was great as well - I'd not done so before, but we've got some great scenes together."

She further shared her experience on set, saying: "I just enjoy being on set with good actors and being able to play with the scenes. Although I've never done a job this intense. I was in every day and pretty much every scene, so it was exhausting.

"Your day starts at five and doesn't finish till ten. But I loved it."

The series is a production of New Pictures, an award-winning company known for 'Des', 'The Missing', 'The Long Shadow', and 'Dalgliesh'. The executive producers are Willow Grylls, co-founder and CEO of New Pictures, Charlie Hampton, Elaine Pyke, and Kris Mrksa.

Rebecca Davies will produce the series, with Tracy Chapman as line producer. ITV's Head of Drama Polly Hill will oversee the production on behalf of the broadcaster.