The Iris Affair is a deliriously entertaining tech thriller that's so silly it's brilliant

Sky subscribers are in for a treat as an absurdly entertaining new thriller is set to premiere tonight (Thursday, 16th October).

The eight-part drama, The Iris Affair, is the brainchild of Luther creator Neil Cross and promises a rollercoaster ride along the Italian coast, filled with outrageous plot twists, sumptuous scenery, and a generous dose of existential angst.

Niamh Algar, known for her role in Playing Nice, delivers a captivating performance as the brilliant heroine Iris Nixon. A maths prodigy and puzzle enthusiast, Iris outsmarts the world's leading thinkers by completing a cryptic global treasure hunt designed by wealthy investor Cameron Beck, portrayed by Tom Hollander, who steals the show with his scene-stealing performance.

Iris's extraordinary intelligence makes her the ideal candidate for the secret mission awaiting her at the end of the worldwide puzzle: deciphering an incredibly complex set of codes to activate a dormant, highly advanced supercomputer. This AI powerhouse could potentially solve world hunger, halt climate change, and find a cure for cancer in a single afternoon, with enough computational power left over to compose a symphony during its lunch break.

The only snag? The mastermind behind 'Charlie Big Potatoes', as the computer's lovingly dubbed ("because he's not small potatoes, is he?"), Jensen Lind (Kristofer Hivju) is presently in a catatonic state following a mental collapse when he comprehends that unleashing the most brilliant AI ever devised might not be humanity's salvation.

Consequently, Iris snatches Charlie's epic password and vanishes to decipher the final pages, handily selecting the picturesque Mediterranean isle of Sardinia with stretches of stunning golden coastline on her doorstep and an Italian beau, Teo (Lorenzo de Moor), who's as gorgeous as he is clueless, as her clandestine headquarters.

As hideouts go, it's certainly not the worst I've seen.

It's a complex premise for what eventually, and unsurprisingly, transforms into an eight-hour pursuit across the Italian shoreline as Iris evades hired killers, bent coppers and power-mad financial moguls whilst attempting to establish whether humanity's fate hangs in the balance.

Any efforts to draw parallels between the debate over reactivating Charlie and today's intricacies surrounding AI's future should be swiftly discarded.

This isn't a particularly clever thriller and, one would assume, Cross recognises this.

Whilst it certainly exploits viewers' anxieties about technology's swift progression, the genuine risks and potential ramifications remain vague throughout and serve merely as framework to justify tearing around Italy wreaking chaos. Algar, in particular, is clearly relishing the opportunity to engage in fights, set up booby traps and detonate cars, while Hollander delivers his most unctuous character since his iconic Mr Collins in 2005's Pride and Prejudice.

His Beck starts off as a charmingly verbose optimist for about five minutes before his true intentions are unveiled and he slips into a slick Bond villain persona.

On the surface, The Iris Affair appears as formulaic as they come, but compelling performances from Algar and Hollander make it work, for the most part, while Cross's dialogue is witty and amusing, albeit slightly highbrow.

From the first episode, it becomes abundantly clear that we're dealing with characters who have never set foot in the real world when Iris, posing as a maths and science tutor for privileged youngster Joy (Mereana Tomlinson), holds a knife to her throat to illustrate the multiverse theory.

I wouldn't be shocked if viewers decide to switch off, as eight episodes of National Treasure-style European adventures for a book of numbers that could potentially save the world is a tall order now that our time is more valuable than ever. One particular diversion featuring Sacha Dhawan as an inconsistent conspiracy theorist was particularly annoying, and every episode is crammed with flashbacks and forwards that could have been pared down for a more concise five or six-part thriller.

Despite this, the action is skilfully executed and Algar, who features in nearly every scene, delivers a performance that justifies the investment. While it may leave viewers puzzled, this perplexing thriller with a hint of sci-fi manages to be entertaining enough to pull it off.

Here's hoping for an even more audacious and ludicrous second series.

The Iris Affair premieres Thursday, 16th October at 9pm on Sky and NOW.