Protection viewers speechless as they realise where they’ve seen DI Richard Bewley before
ITV's Protection returned to screens on Sunday night for the third episode and people have only just realised where they have seen the actor who plays DI Richard Bewley before.
Protection official trailer for brand new ITV thriller
Viewers of the new ITV thriller Protection were left absolutely gobsmacked when they finally placed DI Richard Bewley's familiar face, as portrayed by the actor Andrew Knott.
Sunday night (March 23) saw the gripping return of the ITV series to our screens. Launched just earlier in March, Protection dramatises the tale of Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, embodied by none other than Siobhan Finneran.
In the heart of a compromising security breach within her witness protection precinct, after an attack targeted a family under her responsibility, DI Nyles finds herself ensnared in tense drama.
Siobhan Finneran is joined by a stellar supporting cast featuring the likes of Katherine Kelly, Barry Ward, Nadine Marshall, and Jodie Price. Nevertheless, it's Andrew Knott’s performance as DI Richard Bewley that has people talking.
Only now are viewers piecing together his prior role: the beloved 'Dirtbox' from BBC’s classic Gavin and Stacey. Andrew graced television as Dirtbox between 2007 to 2024, making a memorable comeback in the massively successful Christmas special last year, reports the Mirror.
One startled viewer took to social media with a snapshot of Andrew on the set of Protection, imploring others: "Can anyone tell me what he has been in please it's bugging me."
The responses flooded in with recognition: "It's Dirtbox from Gavin and Stacey!" exclaimed one. Another person confirmed the suspicion: "Thought I recognised Dirtbox!" The revelations didn't stop, as yet another fan expressed their astonishment: "No way it is."
Andrew, known for his roles in Gavin and Stacey and the 1993 hit The Secret Garden, has graced our screens once more in Black Mirror, Silent Witness, and Grantchester.
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ITV's gripping new drama Protection is keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, with all six episodes available on ITVX for those who can't wait a week for the next instalment.
"Based on the first-hand experiences of a long serving witness protection officer, Protection is about what happens when the system breaks down. It's about a police officer, Detective Inspector Liz Nyles, who finds herself at the heart of such a breach; personally compromised by an affair with a colleague, but determined to fight back, and uncover the true source of corruption within her unit. To redeem herself, the reputation of her lover, and to keep her witnesses safe.
"Even if they don't always deserve it. Navigating the morally-grey, clandestine world of witness protection, Liz's mission to find the truth will take her deep into the heart of the criminal underbelly and beyond as she becomes more and more torn between caring for her family, her loyalty to her lover and her duty as a police officer."
