How To Watch Protection Online
Premiere Date: Sunday, March 16 |
New Episodes: every Sunday and Monday at 9pm GMT |
Channel: ITV1 |
Free Stream: ITVX |
Watch Anywhere: Stream from anywhere with NordVPN |
Watch Protection: Preview
Welcome to the world of witness protection! That’s the novel focus of this breathless, six-part thriller, starring BAFTA-nominee Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Unforgiven) as a beleaguered police officer whose job is to keep informants in criminal cases safe, effectively ensuring that snitches don’t need stiches. It sounds like unmissable TV for crime fans, full of twists and turns and compellingly duplicitous characters, and we explain below how to watch Protection online and stream every episode free from anywhere.
Written and created by Kris Mrska, Protection is the latest addition to ITV’s incredible arsenal of crime-themed content, one that includes the explosive Trigger Point, forensic series Unforgotten, Vera, and Scottish crime drama Shetland, to name just a few.
Protection’s thrilling USP is the fascinating subject of witness protection programs, where informants are encouraged to risk their own lives to put major criminals behind bars in exchange for their safety and receiving, potentially, brand new identities. It’s the clandestine and dangerous nature of the work, Mrska explains, that makes it “the perfect setting for a [John] le Carrè-esque conspiracy thriller, rather than a straight-forward crime drama.”
Finneran stars as one such Witness Protection Officer. As DI Liz Nyles, she’s meticulous at her job, sequestering informants and their families away and shielding them from the threat of retributive violence. But her private life is something of a dumpster fire. And when one of her informants is shot in his “safe house”, she comes to suspect that her relationship with DS Paul Brandice (Barry Ward, dark comedy Bad Sisters) might have compromised, not just her career, but those she’s employed to protect.
No longer able to trust anyone, and with secrets of her own to hide, an increasingly isolated Liz endeavours to root out the department rat and keep the remainder of her informants from becoming fresh corpses.
Also starring Katherine Kelly (Mr Bates vs The Post Office) as the head of the Major Investigations Team, Chaneil Kular as Liz’s partner DS Raj Kholi, and Nadine Marshall as DCI Amanda Kelman, the senior officer determined to find the source of the security breach, Protection promises to be utterly thrilling and addictive – and exactly the kind of show you’d happily go into hiding for!
Simply read on for how to watch Protection online free with ITVX. And, if you’re currently traveling outside the UK, you can still connect to the streaming service by purchasing a VPN.
Watch Protection online free in the UK
UK viewers can watch Protection beginning from Sunday, March 16 on ITV1 (or STV in Scotland), with episodes airing every Sunday and Monday at 9pm GMT.
If you don’t have cable, or want to catch-up with any previous broadcasts you might have missed, then you can stream episodes on ITVX and 100% free.
ITV1 is a free-to-air channel in the UK, though it requires a TV licence to watch live. However, you don't need one to watch catch-up TV, which you can do so via ITVX, ITV's on-demand streaming platform.
Signing up for an ITVX account is completely free. All that you need is an email address and a UK postcode (e.g. W12 7RU).
Abroad? Use a VPN using the instructions below to access ITVX back home
How to watch Protection from anywhere
If you're a UK citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch Protection online just as you would at home.
While services like ITVX block access from IP addresses outside of the UK, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN that can change your IP address allowing you to watch UK TV online by making it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, UK citizens overseas can subscribe to a VPN, join a UK-based server and access the platform from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
Step-by-step of using a VPN to unblock:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN, costing from $3.99 a month with its 2-year plan.
2. Connect to a server – for ITVX, for example, you'll want to connect to a server based in the UK.
3. Go to the stream you wish to access - for Protection, head to ITVX.
How to watch Protection online in the US
Protection arrived early in North America, with all six episodes of this taut drama debuting on December 29 last year. You can binge the entire series now with a subscription to BritBox.
A BritBox membership costs $8.99 per month. Even better, if you’ve never used this service before, you can make the most of its 7-day free trial period. And, for those looking to make some savings, you might want to consider purchasing its annual plan. That’s $89.99 a year, and means you get 12 months of access for the price of only 10 months.
A UK citizen abroad? You can always port yourself back home and watch the show on ITVX as usual by using a VPN.
How to watch Protection online in Canada
As mentioned above, the US and Canada got the jump on UK audiences, with Protection added as a boxset on BritBox last year.
New to the streamer? It provides a 7-day free trial to entice you to sign up. When that promo expires, you can choose between a CA$10.99 monthly sub, or make a saving and pay $109.99 for an entire year’s access. You’ll find BritBox is compatible with a whole range of devices, including Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV devices, and iOS and Android-supported tablets and phones.
Currently out of the country? Simply download a VPN to connect to ITVX or your regional streaming service, regardless of where you’re located.
How to watch Protection online in Australia
In Australia, you’ll want a Stan subscription to watch Protection online. All six episodes are currently available to stream, with the show having landed there Down Under a few months back.
A basic Stan membership costs AU$12 a month, although at AU$22 the top-tier Premium plan offers 4K Ultra HD Video quality, streaming on up to four devices, and the ability to download content to watch offline too. And, unlike a lot of OTT services, every subscription level is ad-free.
NB: If you’re traveling and want to connect to your preferred streaming service, purchase a VPN. That way you can watch Protection online from wherever you happen to be.
Protection Trailer
Protection Episode Release Schedule
Protection: Episode 1 – Sunday, March 16
“Detective Inspector Liz Nyles juggles a high-stakes job in the secretive world of witness protection alongside a demanding family life; a devastating incident at work raises grave questions about the integrity of her unit.”
Protection: Episode 2 – Monday, March 17
“Liz keeps certain information to herself; she's worried about compromising herself but soon she's forced to take drastic measures to protect the case's most vulnerable witness; DCIs Wheatley and Kelman call the entire team in for questioning.”
Protection: Episode 3 – Sunday, March 23
“Liz secretly seeks out the second witness against gangster Crowther; she is determined to connect Crowther to the shocking events but at the same time she fears that her lover, Brandice, is also connected to the gangster.”
Protection: Episode 4 – Monday, March 24
“Liz struggles to uncover the leak in the police department and its possible connection to gangster Crowther; someone is trying to stop her.”
Protection: Episode 5 – Sunday, March 30
“The key witness in the case has disappeared; Liz still doesn't dare to trust her colleagues; she decides to take matters into her own hands.”
Protection: Episode 6 – Monday, March 31
“Liz is increasingly isolated but she has nothing to lose; she is prepared to go to any lengths to uncover the truth.”
Protection Cast
- Siobhan Finneran as DI Liz Nyles
- Katherine Kelly as DCI Hannah Wheatley
- Nadine Marshall as DCI Amanda Kelman
- Barry Ward as DS Paul Brandice
- Chaneil Kular as DS Raj Kholi
- David Hayman as Sid Nyles
- Nichola Burley as Gemma Brandice
- Akiya Henry as DS Sue Beardsley
- Alec Newman as Edward Crowther
- Tom Christian as DI Tommy Jardine
- Jodie Price as Jasmine Nyles
- Andrew Knott as DI Richard Bewley
- Ace Bhatti as DCI Arun Kapoor
How Many Episodes of Protection Will There Be?
Protection, the new thriller from Kris Mrska, has a total of six installments, with each one running roughly an hour long.
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