Beyond Paradise’s Zahra Ahmadi’s new role in ITV drama is “very different” and “much darker”
She may be known for her tenacious role as Esther Williams in Beyond Paradise, but Zahra Ahmadi will soon be taking on a different part altogether. With Betrayal set to premiere this weekend, the actor said her latest venture was “much darker” than her previous work.
The ITV series, which airs at 9pm on ITV1 on Sunday (8 February), sees Shaun Evans portray John Hughes, an MI5 operative who finds himself at a crossroads in both his personal life and career.
After meeting an informant who has word of a plot on UK soil, John is thrust into a deadly game after the operation goes badly, joining a battle against his own superiors and potentially major villains.
Along the way, he meets fellow agent Mehreen Askari-Evans, portrayed by Ahmadi. Though little is known about her character, Ahmadi appeared alongside her co-star Romola Garai to shed some light on the show during an interview on This Morning.
“It is a very different beast – this is much darker,” she told hosts Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley. “There’s a real lightness about Beyond Paradise, even if we sometimes deal with quite serious issues… there is a lightness of touch.
ITV
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“[Betrayal is] really different, and it’s nice to do different things. It’s really fun – it’s really high adrenaline and you know you’re in a safe environment so you can enjoy the fun side of that.”
In addition to the aforementioned stars, the stacked cast for the spy thriller includes Gamba Cole, Omid Djalili, Matthew Tennyson, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Paddy Rowan, Waj Ali, Karim Kadjar, Emma Cunniffe and Georgina Rylance.
ITV
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Evans, who has also appeared in Endeavour and Vigil, previously stated that he wanted the espionage thriller to tread new ground in the genre, explaining: “It’s about someone having a midlife crisis. Things are no longer working for John and he’s trying to find a way forward.
“His relationship is falling down around his ears, and he no longer has the respect at work for his maverick qualities. His body is beginning to fail… If you set that against the world of international espionage, it becomes a very interesting dual story.”
Betrayal premieres on Sunday 8 February on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
