Jodie Whittaker to Lead ITV Legal Drama In Contempt
Jodie Whittaker will star as barrister Olivia Savareid in In Contempt, a new legal drama for British broadcaster ITV. According to Deadline, the commission was announced on 16 September 2026. The show is described as a high-stakes legal drama centred on a hotshot media lawyer.
Olivia is a courtroom specialist. A barrister in England and Wales is a lawyer who argues cases in court. Savareid built her career defending reputations and handling multi-million-pound litigation to stop names being destroyed on social media.
She is also the mother of a 15-year-old daughter. The story tracks her working relationship with Greg Dalman, a veteran news director who edits a London daily newspaper. One defends reputations. The other decides what gets published.
What makes this stand out is that clash of jobs. A lawyer who keeps stories out of print and an editor who puts them into print need each other and pull in opposite directions.
The series comes from Hartswood Films in association with its parent company ITV Studios. Steve Thompson is the writer. Sue Vertue and Steven Moffat serve as executive producers, the senior figures who guide the creative direction and manage the production. Ed Bazalgette is the director and Lawrence Till is the producer.
The order came from ITV Director of Drama Polly Hill, who commissioned the series, placing the order for the channel, and is overseeing production for the broadcaster. That commission locks in the channel, the production company and the core team.
In the UK, In Contempt will air on ITV and STV and stream on ITVX and STV Player. STV is Scotland's commercial broadcaster, while ITVX and STV Player are the broadcasters' streaming services. ITV Studios holds the international distribution rights, meaning it sells the show to channels and platforms outside the UK.
For viewers following Whittaker, there is more on the way. She will appear in Chicks, a pilot for US streamer Hulu. A pilot is a trial episode made before a decision on a full series.
She will also appear in Season 6 of Only Murders in the Building. That season is set in London.
