''Spooks'' (known as ''MI-5'' in some countries) is a British television spy drama series that originally aired on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
from 13 May 2002 to 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 seasons. The title is a
colloquialism
Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation amo ...
for spies, and the series follows the activities of the intelligence officers of Section D in
MI5
MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), officially the Security Service, is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Gov ...
, based at the service's
Thames House
Thames House is an office building in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge. Originally used as offices by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), it has served as the headquarters of the United Kingdom's ...
headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid. In the United States, the show is broadcast under the title ''MI-5''. In Canada, the programme originally aired as ''MI-5'', but later aired on
BBC Canada
BBC Canada was a Canadian English language specialty channel that mostly broadcast television series originally produced by the BBC, the public-service broadcaster of the United Kingdom. The channel was owned by Corus Entertainment (80% & managi ...
as ''Spooks''.
The series continued with a film, ''
Spooks: The Greater Good'', which was released on 8 May 2015.
Series synopses
The show consists of 86 episodes, beginning in May 2002 and ending in October 2011. Most episodes end with the final scene freezing and changing to a black-and-white negative image that then compresses with a distinctive sound effect into a flat white line against a black screen.
Series 1
Starring
Matthew Macfadyen,
Keeley Hawes,
David Oyelowo,
Jenny Agutter, and
Peter Firth, the initial series of six one-hour episodes premiered 13 May 2002.
Due to its combination of stylistic photography with fast-paced storylines, the series was a critical and popular success, averaging 7.5 million viewers over its six episodes.
The second episode gained notoriety for the violent killing of character Helen Flynn (
Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an English actress, presenter and television chef. She has had roles in '' The Lover'' (1992), '' Dangerfield'' (1995), '' Brookside'' (1997–1998), '' Holby City'' (1999–2001), '' Spooks'' (2 ...
), which drew the largest number of complaints to the
Broadcasting Standards Commission in 2002. During an undercover operation Helen and Tom were captured by race riot instigator Robert Osborne, played by
Kevin McNally, who tortured Helen with a
deep fryer in an attempt to make Tom reveal classified information. He refused and she was killed. This provoked an angry reaction from many viewers who jammed BBC phone switchboards with complaints, despite the show airing after the
9 pm watershed.
Series 2
With the success of the first series, a second, longer series of ten episodes was commissioned and subsequently aired in 2003. New regular characters
Sam Buxton (
Shauna Macdonald) and
Ruth Evershed (
Nicola Walker), were introduced in the first and second episodes respectively, while the series finale ended with a dramatic
cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
. The series averaged 7.1 million viewers.
Series 3
A third series of ten episodes was transmitted on BBC One in the autumn of 2004 and concluded on 13 December. The first episode features
Rupert Penry-Jones as
Adam Carter, who was drafted in from
MI6
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
to help investigate Tom's disappearance. He later takes over Tom's position as Section Chief after the latter jeopardised an important operation.
In episode six, Zoe is taken to court for misconduct during an operation and is forced to leave MI5 and assume a new identity in Chile. She is replaced by Adam's wife,
Fiona (
Olga Sosnovska). In the series finale, Danny is killed while he and Fiona are being held hostage. Audience figures dropped to a series average of 5.8 million viewers.
Series 4
The fourth series of ''Spooks'' began airing on Monday 12 September 2005 on BBC One at 9 pm with the first instalment of a two-part story. The next day the second episode was shown. The following week ''Spooks'' began airing in the Thursday 9 pm slot, a change from the Monday 9 pm slot that the previous three series had occupied. Once again, the series ran for ten episodes. It averaged 6.05 million viewers per episode, notably more than the previous series.
The opening two-part episode introduces two new characters to the series, Zafar Younis (
Raza Jaffrey, whose character had first appeared in the final episode of series three), and Juliet Shaw (
Anna Chancellor
Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is an English actress who has appeared widely on TV, film and in the theatre. She received a nomination for BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lix Storm in '' The Hour'' (201 ...
). The storyline involves a terrorist bombing in central London, something that, in reality, took place on
7 July, two months before the episode was due to air, but after it had already been filmed.
According to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' newspaper, the day the first episode aired, "The similarities were sufficient to cause head of drama,
Jane Tranter and new BBC One controller
Peter Fincham to agonise over whether to drop the episodes." The episodes were eventually aired unedited, although before both instalments of the two-parter the BBC One
continuity announcer warned viewers that they featured scenes of terrorist bombing in London which some viewers might find disturbing.
In episode seven, the character Fiona Carter gets killed off because the actress portraying her,
Olga Sosnovska, was pregnant during filming and chose to leave the programme. In that story arc, Fiona attempts to kill her deranged ex-husband, who she thought had been hanged several years earlier. However, her ex-husband ultimately abducts her and later shoots her dead in Adam's presence during her attempted escape. Fiona Carter is replaced at MI5 by Jo Portman (played by
Miranda Raison), a character who had been recruited by Adam Carter in a previous episode.
Series 5
The fifth (ten-part) series of ''Spooks'' aired its first episode in two parts, the first appearing on 17 September 2006. In it, elements within the British Government, MI6 and the British media conspire in an attempt to overthrow the Parliament and the Prime Minister. These elements agree that for Britain to survive the threats posed by modern-day terrorism, democracy had to be replaced with rule by committee. The second part followed the next day, marking ''Spooks
's'' return to BBC One's Monday night schedule. These episodes introduced Ros Myers (
Hermione Norris).
This series's storylines include a fake home-grown
Al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
cell that plans an attack on London; the British government selling nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia; and the US administration selling arms to African dictators.
The ratings for this series remained consistent with those of the previous series, averaging six million viewers.
Series 6
The sixth series was commissioned by Jane Tranter, Head of Drama Commissioning at the BBC, by the time series 5 was announced. The series returned on 16 October 2007 at 9 pm on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
, and concluded on 18 December.
[Spooks]
BBC One The series averaged 5.68 million viewers (the lowest to date)
The sixth series was different in certain respects from the previous five because it had a dominant storyline running through the entire season and the show contained end credits for the first time. There was also a less frequent use of the soundtrack composed by Jennie Muskett.
The primary storyline of Series 6 follows Iran seeking the ability to manufacture its own nuclear weapons and searching for sellers of nuclear armaments components. The governments of several nations (principally the United States and its CIA, Russia's
FSB, and a shadowy third organisation composed of disenfranchised members of other agencies, including MI5) are woven throughout the plot.
Simon Abkarian plays the Iranian Special Consul liaising with the various governments. Agni Scott as his wife,
Matthew Marsh as the CIA station chief, and
Robert Glenister as the British Home Secretary, all have recurring roles throughout the series.
A new website called "Spooks Interactive" was created to coincide with the launch of the series.
[ In April 2008, the ''Spooks'' production team won the BAFTA Award for Interactivity for their work on Spooks Interactive.]
Series 7
Series seven of ''Spooks'' began airing on 27 October 2008 for an eight-episode run. Peter Firth returns as Harry Pearce, along with Alex Lanipekun as Ben Kaplan, Hugh Simon as Malcolm Wynn-Jones, Miranda Raison as Jo Portman and Gemma Jones
Jennifer "Gemma" Jones (born 4 December 1942) is an English actress. Appearing on both stage and screen, her film appearances include ''Sense and Sensibility (film), Sense and Sensibility'' (1995), the Bridget Jones (film series), ''Bridget Jo ...
as Connie James.
In the first episode, central character Adam Carter (portrayed by Rupert Penry-Jones) dies in a car explosion set by terrorists, and the character Ros Myers (played by Hermione Norris) returns to the show as a deep-cover agent in Moscow. Richard Armitage joins the cast as Lucas North, an agent who has been held in a Russian prison for the past eight years and released as part of a spy exchange. Following Adam's death, Ros is made the section leader and Lucas assumes Ros's previous position as senior case officer.
The series eight recommission press release announced that there would be a twist in the final episode of series 7. In that episode, a nuclear bomb is set to explode, triggered by a Russian sleeper agent who is part of Operation Tiresias. As Parliament and the Royal Family are evacuated, the nuclear threat to London is eliminated when Ros and Lucas are able to turn Connie James and elude an FSB kill squad. While defusing the bomb, Connie is killed by its conventional explosives. Seconds before the bomb explodes, Connie reveals it had not been Harry who sold Lucas North out to the Russians as Lucas had always believed but, rather, herself. The episode concludes with Harry, conscious but with his mouth taped shut, in the boot of a car being zipped up in a body bag by Viktor Sarkisian, head of the FSB's London station.
Series 8
In December 2008, the BBC announced that series 8 would start filming in March 2009 and air in late 2009, and that both Hermione Norris ( Ros) and Richard Armitage ( Lucas) would be returning. Series 8 started on Wednesday 4 November 2009, at 9 pm on BBC One, with episode 2 broadcast on Friday 6 November at 9 pm on BBC Three. The opening episode of series 8 drew 6 million viewers, a 25% share of audience numbers between 9 pm and 10 pm.
The first episode of the series picks up the story from where it left off in a cliffhanger at the end of series 7, with Harry Pearce being held captive by the Russians. During this episode, Ruth Evershed is reintroduced, having spent her time since series 5 in Cyprus. The only character other than Harry who has been in the programme since its inception, Malcolm Wynn-Jones, departs, stating simply that he is "too old". His replacement comes in the form of much a younger technician, Tariq Masood ( Shazad Latif).
The series again revolves around one major plot arc, focused on a mysterious organisation known only as "Nightingale". Over the course of the series, Lucas North's loyalty is continually called into question, for the most part because of his ongoing relationship with CIA agent Sarah Caulfield, who is connected to Nightingale.
Jo Portman also briefly returns, but is killed by Ros in a dramatic act of martyrdom after being captured by a terrorist. Ros is haunted by the memory of this event for the remainder of this series.
At the end of the series, Section D does not appear to have made much progress in tackling Nightingale, and Ros Myers is killed in an explosion, along with the new Home Secretary, Andrew Lawrence.
Series 9
''Spooks'' returned for a ninth series on Monday 20 September 2010 for an eight-episode run.
New cast members in this series include Sophia Myles and Max Brown as MI5 officers and Simon Russell Beale as the Home Secretary. Iain Glen and Laila Rouass also joined the series, playing Vaughn Edwards and Maya Lahan – figures from Lucas's mysterious past.
The series ends with the death of Lucas's lover Maya Lahan, following the death of Lucas's blackmailer, Vaughn, at the climactic end of the penultimate episode. Lucas had kidnapped Ruth, binding and gagging her, and was attempting to get a top-secret computer file for the Chinese. The climactic scene is a showdown between Harry and Lucas on top of a tower block in London. After Harry reveals that the file never actually worked, and that Lucas had apparently betrayed his MI5 colleagues and stolen another man's identity, "Lucas" (whose "real" name is apparently John Bateman) orders Harry to turn around. Harry anticipates execution, but no shots come. Hearing a car alarm and screams from the ground many seconds later, Harry turns around to find Lucas no longer on the roof. Forty-eight hours later, the Home Secretary calls Harry to inform him that a full investigation will be made into his actions at MI5 and to "prepare for life after MI5". The series ends with Harry looking out over the London skyline at night. A caption reveals that a 10th series is planned for 2011.
Series 10
Production on the six-episode series reportedly began during March 2011, with Lara Pulver joining the series as an "ambitious, hungry" new spook "determined to make her mark". Also joining the series were Geoffrey Streatfeild, Alice Krige and Jonathan Hyde, while Peter Firth, Nicola Walker, Max Brown, Shazad Latif and Simon Russell Beale reprised their roles, as did Matthew Macfadyen in a cameo appearance in the final episode. Sophia Myles did not return as Beth Bailey.
This series concludes with the revelation of a plot to force Britain and Russia into war. Harry manages to thwart the plot and decides to leave the service to live a normal life with Ruth Evershed. But when a vengeful Sasha Gavrik attempts to take revenge on him, Ruth takes the blow for Harry and dies in his arms. Harry then decides to return to MI5, since the prospect of a normal life, whatever that would mean without Ruth, no longer appeals to him.
Kudos
Kudos may refer to:
* ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games
* Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company
* Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers in '' The Alge ...
and the BBC announced in a joint statement in August 2011 that Series 10 would be the last series. It began airing on BBC One on Sunday 18 September 2011 at 9:00 pm, moving from its former weekday evening slot, with the final episode airing on 23 October 2011.
''Spooks: The Greater Good''
A feature-length film, ''Spooks: The Greater Good'', known in the US as ''MI-5'', was released in May 2015. Peter Firth reprises his role as Harry Pearce. Also returning from the TV series are Tim McInnerny as Oliver Mace, Lara Pulver as Erin Watts, Hugh Simon as Malcolm Wynn-Jones, and Geoffrey Streatfeild as Calum Reed. Kit Harington and Jennifer Ehle star as new characters in leading roles.
Characters
Main
The Grid (surviving)
* Sir Harry Pearce KBE ( Peter Firth; 2002–2011) Head of Counter-Terrorism Department ("Section D") MI5.
* Tom Quinn ( Matthew Macfadyen; 2002–2004; 2011) Chief of Section and Senior Case Officer, Section D. Decommissioned after jeopardising a key mission and took early retirement. Became a private contractor after leaving MI5. In the final episode of the series, Quinn is hired by Harry as an 'outside source' to kill a double agent for both MI5 and the FSB.
*Tessa Phillips ( Jenny Agutter; 2002–2003) Senior Case Officer, Section K. Left the Grid after being discovered by Harry running "ghost" agents. Fled the country after sabotaging an operation.
*Dimitri Levendis ( Max Brown; 2010–2011) Piracy and Terrorism Case Officer, Section D. Also ex- Special Boat Service.
* Zoe Reynolds ( Keeley Hawes; 2002–2004) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Hidden "off-the-books" in Chile after she was caught making a mistake on an undercover mission in Series 3, Episode 6.
* Beth Bailey ( Sophia Myles; 2010) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Decommissioned by Erin Watts in the time between series 9 and 10.
* Sam Buxton ( Shauna Macdonald; 2003–2004) Administrative Officer, Section D. Reassigned to GCHQ
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. Primar ...
following Danny's demise.
* Malcolm Wynn-Jones ( Hugh Simon; 2002–2009; 2010) Technician and Data Analyst, Section D. Retired.
The Grid (status unknown)
*Jed Kelley (Graeme Mearns; 2002) Administrative Officer, Section D. Status unknown.
The Grid (deceased)
Arranged in approximate order of seniority and, among equals, most recent last.
* Adam Carter ( Rupert Penry-Jones; 2004–2008) Chief of Section and Senior Case Officer, Section D. Killed by a car bomb in Series 7, Episode 1.
* Ros Myers ( Hermione Norris; 2006–2009) Chief of Section and Senior Case Officer, Section D. Killed in an explosion while attempting to rescue the Home Secretary in Series 8, Episode 8.
* Lucas North/John Bateman ( Richard Armitage; 2008–2010) Chief of Section and Senior Case Officer, Section D. Jumped from a rooftop to his death after a showdown with Harry Pearce in Series 9, Episode 8.
*Erin Watts ( Lara Pulver; 2011) Section Chief, Section D; former acting Head of Counter-Terrorism Department, MI5. Killed herself after being captured by a terrorist cell in '' Spooks: The Greater Good''.
*Fiona Carter ( Olga Sosnovska; 2004–2005) MI6 Officer, Section D. Shot by Syrian ex-husband during an operation in Series 4, Episode 7.
* Danny Hunter ( David Oyelowo; 2002–2004) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Executed during a terrorist hostage situation in Series 3, Episode 10.
*Zafar Younis ( Raza Jaffrey; 2004–2007) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Tortured and killed by a rogue cell called The Redbacks sometime after being abducted in Series 6, Episode 1.
*Ben Kaplan DSO ( Alex Lanipekun; 2007–2008) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Throat cut by FSB mole Connie James in Series 7, Episode 7.
* Jo Portman ( Miranda Raison; 2005–2009) Junior Case Officer Section D. Shot by Ros Myers while restraining a terrorist during a hostage situation in Series 8, Episode 3.
* Calum Reed ( Geoffrey Streatfeild; 2011) Junior Case Officer, Section D. Killed by the terrorist Qasim during the takeover of the Grid in '' Spooks: The Greater Good''.
*Ruth Evershed ( Nicola Walker; 2003–2006 and 2009–2011) Former Senior Intelligence Analyst, Section D, later Security Advisor to Home Secretary William Towers. Stabbed by Sasha Gavrik, Series 10, Episode 6.
* Connie James (Gemma Jones
Jennifer "Gemma" Jones (born 4 December 1942) is an English actress. Appearing on both stage and screen, her film appearances include ''Sense and Sensibility (film), Sense and Sensibility'' (1995), the Bridget Jones (film series), ''Bridget Jo ...
; 2007–2008) Former Senior Analyst Section D. Arrested as an FSB mole. Killed while defusing a nuclear bomb in Series 7, Episode 8.
*Helen Flynn (Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an English actress, presenter and television chef. She has had roles in '' The Lover'' (1992), '' Dangerfield'' (1995), '' Brookside'' (1997–1998), '' Holby City'' (1999–2001), '' Spooks'' (2 ...
; 2002) Administrative Officer, Section D. Tortured and shot by a right-wing terrorist in Series 1, Episode 2.
*Colin Wells ( Rory MacGregor; 2002–2006) Technician and Data Analyst, Section D. Hanged by corrupt MI6 officers during their attempted ''coup d'état'' in Series 5, Episode 1.
*Tariq Masood ( Shazad Latif; 2009–2011) Technician and Data Analyst, Section D Assassinated with a hydrogen cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide (formerly known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula HCN and structural formula . It is a highly toxic and flammable liquid that boiling, boils slightly above room temperature, at . HCN is ...
-related compound after discovering vital intel at his bugged home in Series 10, Episode 2.
Other (Surviving)
* The Rt Hon William Towers MP ( Simon Russell Beale; 2010–2011) British Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
, serving as part of a coalition government.
* Ilya Gavrik ( Jonathan Hyde; 2011) Russian Minister for International Development former KGB Operative and old adversary of Harry during the cold war.
*Oliver Mace ( Tim McInnerny; 2004–2006) Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. Forced to resign after being exposed as the mastermind behind illegal torture of terror suspects.
* Sir Richard Dolby (Robert East; 2008) Director General of MI5
__NOTOC__
The Director General of the Security Service is the head of the Security Service (commonly known as MI5), the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency. The Director General is assisted by a Deputy Director Gen ...
.
*Bob Hogan ( Matthew Marsh; 2007) Former CIA London station chief. Dismissed from CIA for working with mercenaries against MI5.
* Dariush Bakhshi ( Simon Abkarian; 2007) Iranian Special Consul.
* Jools Siviter ( Hugh Laurie; 2002) MI6 Section Chief. Reassigned out of the country.
* Christine Dale ( Megan Dodds; 2002–2004) CIA agent and MI5 liaison officer. Resigned following her involvement in Tom's investigation and apprehension.
* Sasha Gavrik ( Tom Weston-Jones, 2011) FSB officer and son of Elena Gavrik and Ilya Gavrik.
* Elisavieta Starkova ( Paloma Baeza; 2009) Lucas North's ex-wife and a double agent. Dropped as an asset on Lucas's request.
* Wes Carter (James Dicker; 2004–2008) Son of Adam and Fiona. Sent to live with his grandmother after being orphaned following his father's death.
Other (Status unknown)
*Juliet Shaw (Anna Chancellor
Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is an English actress who has appeared widely on TV, film and in the theatre. She received a nomination for BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lix Storm in '' The Hour'' (201 ...
; 2005–2007) Former National Security Coordinator, exposed as Head of Yalta.
* Alton Beecher ( Colin Salmon; 2010) The head CIA liaison officer stationed in London.
* Bernard Qualtrough ( Richard Johnson; 2008) Harry's former mentor and retired SIS officer. Exposed as an FSB mole after the ''Sugarhorse'' incident.
Other (Deceased)
* The Rt Hon Nicholas Blake MP ( Robert Glenister; 2006–2010) – Former British Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
. Forced to resign after allegations of corruption. Later exposed by Ruth as a senior member of Nightingale who ordered the hotel bombing that killed Home Secretary Andrew Lawrence and Ros Myers. Poisoned by Harry, who had learned from Ruth that Blake was a traitor.
* The Rt Hon Andrew Lawrence MP ( Tobias Menzies; 2009) – Former British Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...
. Killed in an explosion alongside Ros Myers, though his body was never seen.
* Sam Walker ( Brian Protheroe; 2009) – CIA's London station chief. Murdered by Nightingale operative Sarah Caulfield for investigating Nightingale.
* Viktor Sarkisian ( Peter Sullivan; (2008–2009) – Former head of the FSB's London station. Murdered early in series 8 episode 1 by the man to whom he had intended to sell a kidnapped Harry Pearce. Viktor's killer was himself killed at the end of the 1st episode by Lucas when he and Ros rescued Harry and Ruth, who had returned from Cyprus.
* James 'Jim' Coaver ( William Hope, 2011) CIA Deputy Director and an old friend of Harry Pearce; helped turn Elena Gavrik in the 1980s. Suspected of being behind the attacks on MI5 and Gavrik as well as the death of Tariq Masood, but apparently set-up for Harry to believe this. Beaten and fatally injured by mercenaries posing as CIA agents, died minutes later.
* Sarah Caulfield (Genevieve O'Reilly
Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish-born Australian actress. She is best known for portraying Mon Mothma in the '' Star Wars'' franchise beginning with ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005), a role which earned her a Saturn Award nom ...
; 2009) – CIA agent and MI5 liaison officer. Lucas North's lover. Assassinated by a hitman for Nightingale after being captured by MI5 and exposed as a traitor.
*Vaughn Edwards ( Iain Glen; 2010) – Lucas North/John Bateman's blackmailer and his apparent employer in relation to the Dakar Bombings. Died from blood loss received from a knife wound after a confrontation with Lucas/John.
* Elena Gavrik ( Alice Krige, 2011) Wife of Ilya Gavrik and former asset and lover of Harry Pearce during the cold war. Killed by Ilya Gavrik after being revealed to be a Russian ultra-nationalist double-agent.
* Maya Lahan ( Laila Rouass; 2010) – Lucas North/John Bateman's ex-girlfriend. Died from gunshot wounds during a shoot out with Alec, Beth and Dimitri while attempting to flee the country with Lucas/John.
Production
The programme was created by writer David Wolstencroft, and produced by Kudos
Kudos may refer to:
* ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games
* Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company
* Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers in '' The Alge ...
for the BBC. A trademark style, coupled with the series' popularity, attracted a large number of high-profile guest stars. These included Martine McCutcheon, Hugh Laurie, Haluk Bilginer
Nihat Haluk Bilginer (; born 5 June 1954) is a Turkish people, Turkish actor. For his role in ''Şahsiyet'' (2018), Bilginer won the International Emmy Award for Best Actor, Best Actor award at the 47th International Emmy Awards. His movie ''Wi ...
, Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Siegf ...
, Tim McInnerny, Bruce Payne, Reece Dinsdale, Ian McDiarmid, Ewen Bremner, Jimi Mistry, Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...
, Kevin McNally, Rupert Graves, Andrew Tiernan, Anton Lesser, Anupam Kher, Alexander Siddig, and Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, ...
.
Locations
The availability and iconic status of certain London landmarks made them popular locations throughout production. Exterior shots of Thames House, the headquarters of MI5 were used in many episodes to establish the location. However, due to the security risks involved with filming such a location, London's Freemasons' Hall was used for scenes where actors were entering or leaving the building, and for some internal locations. This same location was later used as Thames House in '' Torchwood: Children of Earth''. Establishing shots of the SIS Building
The SIS Building, also called the MI6 Building, at Vauxhall Cross houses the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), also known as Military Intelligence, Section 6 (MI6), the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence agency. It is l ...
were also used for scenes involving members of the Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (MI numbers, Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of Human i ...
or MI6
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
. Other landmarks commonly used included the London Underground, and the Millennium Bridge. Many scenes are filmed in and around the Docklands, especially Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...
, Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe ( ) is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the ea ...
, London Bridge
The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...
and Greenwich (including The Old Royal Naval College), as well as the More London development. Some of the army barracks were filmed at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood
Merchant Taylors' School is an 11–18 boys Public school (United Kingdom), public day school, founded in 1561 in London. The school has occupied various campuses. From 1933 it has been at Sandy Lodge, a site close to Northwood, London, Nort ...
.
Broadcast and release
The series was filmed on Super 16, rather than the more commonly used digital alternatives. Episodes were originally aired with no credits on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
, a choice made to maintain an atmosphere of the anonymity of real-life spies and the drama of each episode. Prior to series nine, each subsequent episode was aired on BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
one week ahead of its BBC One showing (the first and last episode were shown only on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
). BBC Three airings included a brief credit sequence following the trailer and before the Kudos and BBC logos. The entire 86 episodes were made available free-to-view on the BBC iPlayer in April 2020.
International broadcast
The series is a popular export, syndicated to more than 26 countries. However, it has struggled for popularity in some, notably the United States: two of the three channels to have broadcast ''Spooks'' in the US pulled the show during the fourth series due to low viewing figures. Because of the potentially racist connotations of the term ''Spooks'' in some countries, international broadcasts are often renamed.
Home media
All series of Spooks (most episodes cut down to 50 minutes) are available on iTunes
iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
, with series 7, 8, 9 and 10 becoming available to download one week after original broadcast. Series 1–8 have been released on DVD by Contender Home Entertainment with its successor Entertainment One then taking over; series 9 was released by Universal Playback.
Awards and nominations
Music
The music for series one to four and theme tune was composed by Jennie Muskett. Music for series five to ten was composed by Paul Leonard-Morgan. Four soundtracks have been released for the show, the first includes music from series one and two, the second (currently and perhaps only ever available on iTunes) featuring music from series five and six (Two additional tracks are available on the composer's website). The third and fourth soundtracks (containing tracks from series seven & eight, and nine & ten respectively) were released on iTunes in November 2011. The track listings contain spoilers to the episode content.
Broadcast editions of the episodes have been known to feature alternate music to that found on the commercially available DVD releases. In the final episode of Series two, music from the film score '' Spy Game'' was used—composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. The tracks used are "Beirut, a War Zone" and "Operation Dinner Out". Both are available on the official soundtrack release for the film.
Wider universe
''Spooks: Code 9''
Following the success of '' Torchwood'' (the BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...
''Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...
'' spin-off series) the controller of BBC Three, Julian Bellamy, announced in December 2006 a ''Spooks'' spin-off entitled ''Spooks: Code 9'' (working titles: ''Rogue Spooks'' and ''Spooks: Liberty''). The show started filming in Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
in 2008 and the first and second episodes were broadcast on 10 August 2008. It was not well received by critics, who said "the script is poor and the acting little better" (''The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'') and the production "utterly uninspired and stale" (''Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its initial launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television pro ...
''), "daft and unconvincing" (''The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...
''), "an utterly cynical venture" that "given its patronising awfulness ... actually damages the Spooks brand" (''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'').
Books
* Sangster, Jim: ''Spooks Confidential: The Official Handbook'' (2003), Contender Books (London)
** Episode guide to the first two series, and background information on MI5 and the making of the series
* ''Spooks: The Personnel Files'' (2007), Headline Publishing Group (London)
** Detailed MI5 personnel files of eight of the show's main characters: Adam Carter, Danny Hunter, Zoe Reynolds, Tom Quinn, Ruth Evershed, Harry Pearce, Zafar Younis and Malcolm Wynn-Jones, presented through a compilation of transcripts, reports and forms.
* ''Spooks: Behind the Scenes'' (2006), Orion Books (London)
** Background information on British intelligence and episode guides for the first four series
* ''Spooks: Harry's Diary: Top Secret'' (2007), Headline Publishing Group (London)
** The untold stories of Spooks, and MI5, as seen from the perspective of Harry Pearce, the Spooks team leader
* ''Adam Carter: Revealed'' (2008), Headline Publishing Group (London)
** Revealing the truth about Adam Carter after his death, explaining the true details of his childhood, the extraordinary responsibilities he took on as a teenager, and how he nearly betrayed his country but never betrayed the people he loved.
Video games
Video games based on the show were created by Preloaded for promotional purposes. In 2005, the video game ''The Grid'' (a promotion for ''Spooks'' series 3) was nominated for a Webby Award
The Webby Awards (colloquially referred to as the Webbys) are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts a ...
under the category of Best Game.
On 19 February 2004, BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
announced that a video game based on the show would be released for the PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
, Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
and Microsoft Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
for a fall 2004 release, developed by their in-house video game development studio Gamezlab. and would have run on a new game engine. It was not released, after BBC Worldwide closed Gamezlab and exited the video game publishing market.
See also
* '' The Sandbaggers''
Notes
References
External links
*
''Spooks''
Kudos Productions
''Spooks''
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
*
*
*
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