Adjoa Andoh to Lead New ITV Crime Series ‘Protect & Serve’
Andoh is accorded British TV’s unspoken honor of starring in a police procedural crafted specifically for her.
In America, an actor is viewed as having “made it” in Hollywood when they are cast in a particular style of blockbuster movie as the leading hero – either as a superpowered hero or a protagonist with superior fighting skills. However, in the U.K., the sign an actor has “made it” is usually being granted their own police procedural/mysteries series to lead. Such is the case with Adjoa Andoh, who started her career in soap operas before building a fan base in Doctor Who and Line of Duty, before breaking out internationally as Lady Danbury in Bridgerton. Now she is being accorded one of British TV’s unspoken honors, starring in ITV’s newest series, Protect & Serve*, a police procedural crafted specifically for her.
(*Thankfully this very generic name is currently a working title, and we can hope for a better one by the time the show airs.)
Sharon D Clarke talked about what an honor it is – especially as a Black actor in the U.K. – to lead a show like this in our interview with her when she first landed the role of Inspector Ellis. Because British mysteries tend to run for decades, being given one is a sign that TV producers believe you have what it takes to bring viewers in for the long haul – and that you will easily transfer that popularity to the U.S., where American audiences cannot get enough of crime, both of the thriller and cozy varieties. A contemporary-set mystery series not only cements her status as one of the U.K.’s leading lights, but it also creates the perfect counterpoint to her period-set romance success in Bridgerton.
Here’s the new series current synopsis:
This bittersweet police drama explores the pressures faced by DI Araba Dadzie, a cop, a mother and a daughter. She's a woman in that squeezed middle, juggling profession, elderly parents and children, and a woman of colour in the police force, who has risen through the ranks of her profession and knows what it costs for her to stay there. Protect and Serve draws Araba into the national scandal of Britain’s unregulated children’s care homes, a scandal she cannot ignore.
The series finds Detective Inspector Araba Dadzie embarking on an investigation into the tragic shooting of a teenage boy who has been living in a privately owned children’s care home with his brother since his grandfather fell ill. Determined to discover why the boy has been targeted, Araba and her murder squad team begin to piece together his life in the care home as they strive to bring his killer to justice. With a reputation as a fearsome investigator, Araba has needed unrelenting focus, a bleak sense of humor, a passionate love for the job, and personal sacrifice to stay at the top of her game. Uncompromising and often obsessive, she is driven by her desire to protect the vulnerable and exact retribution on those criminally abusing their power in the city she loves.
Andoh (Bridgerton) is set to star as DI Araba Dadzie. She is the only actor currently attached to the project. However, with filming planned to get underway in Leeds in early 2027, we expect the roster to fill out in due course.
Jenny van der Lande (Mrs Wilson) introduced and developed the drama; Andoh is credited as one of the series’ creators along with writer Helen Black (Time), who penned all episodes. Director Nimer Rashed (Run Away) helms all installments, with Stella Nwimo set to produce. Van der Lande executive produces alongside Chris Clough.
Protect and Serve will begin filming in Leeds in early 2027. The series is expected out in early 2028.
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