Spooks

Spooks is a British television drama series, produced by the independent production company Kudos for the BBC One network. The title derives from a popular slang term for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 agents. The programme was created and is chiefly written by David Wolstencroft.

Storyline

Series 1 and 2

Starring Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Jenny Agutter and Peter Firth, the initial series of six one-hour episodes was screened in the spring of 2002. The series was a critical and popular success, combining glossy high production values with fast-paced action/adventure and spy intrigue storylines. The second episode was remarkable for the violent killing-off of a character (played by Lisa Faulkner) who had been presented to the audience as a regular in the first two episodes, surprising viewers who would thus have expected her to have been rescued. It did however anger many viewers, who had BBC phone switchboards jammed with complaints.

Related Topics:
Matthew MacFadyen - Keeley Hawes - David Oyelowo - Jenny Agutter - Peter Firth - 2002 - Lisa Faulkner

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Regularly drawing seven to eight million viewers, a longer second season of ten episodes was screened in 2003, again drawing praise, particularly for the dramatic cliffhanger ending of the season finale.

Related Topics:
2003 - Cliffhanger

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Series 3

A third season, again of ten episodes, was transmitted on BBC One in the autumn of 2004, concluding on December 13th. Over the course of the season all three of the original leading trio, MacFadyen, Hawes and Oyelowo, left the programme, their departures staggered over the second, sixth and tenth episodes respectively. MacFadyen's character Tom Quinn was replaced by Rupert Penry-Jones as Adam Carter, drafted in from MI6 to help investigate Tom's disappearance in the first episode which carried on directly from the second season cliffhanger. After Tom's departure Carter joined the team permanently, with his wife Fiona (Olga Sosnovska) augmenting the line-up following Zoe's (Hawes) departure. Oyelowo's character, Danny Hunter, was killed off in the dramatic season finale. Although fan response to the changes of leading cast was generally negative and the season garnered varied critical reactions, viewing figures remained steady and a fourth season was commissioned.

Related Topics:
2004 - Rupert Penry-Jones - MI6 - Olga Sosnovska

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Series 4

The fourth series of Spooks began transmission on Monday 12th September 2005 on BBC One at 9pm with the first of a two-part story. The next day (13th September) the second episode was shown, before the following week Spooks assumed a 9pm Thursday slot, a break from the Monday 9pm slot the previous series had traditionally occupied.

Related Topics:
12th September - 2005 - 13th September

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The opening two-parter provided the series with two new regulars in Zafar Younis (Raza Jaffrey, whose character had actually debuted in the final episode of series three) and Juliet Shaw (Anna Chancellor). However, it was also a controversial storyline, as it featured terrorists bombing central London, something that in reality had taken place two months earlier on July 7, after the episodes had already been shot. According to The Guardian newspaper the day the first episode aired, "The similarities were sufficient to cause head of drama Jane Tranter and new BBC1 controller Peter Fincham to agonise over whether to drop the episodes." {{ref|linkref01}} The episodes 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.

Related Topics:
Raza Jaffrey - Anna Chancellor - Had taken place - July 7 - The Guardian - Jane Tranter - Peter Fincham - Continuity announcer

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~