[spooks]

Season 9

2010-09-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

Spooks Ep 1/8

Unplaced

Day and time to be confirmed BBC ONE

The team at Section D is in mourning following the tragic death of Ros Myers, who was killed in an explosion while trying to save the British Home Secretary, as the award-winning spy drama returns for its ninth series. Section Chief Harry Pearce is hit particularly hard by the loss and he's dismayed to learn that a trusted friend has blood on their hands. Harry wants revenge and will stop at nothing to get it.
One month later, Lucas North boards a ship in Tangier to track rising Somalian Al Qaeda star, Abib. Alongside Lucas is Special Boat Service (SBS) agent Dimitri Levendes, who is masquerading as the ship's captain. An unexpected interruption from what appears to be Somali pirates puts Lucas in mortal danger. His unlikely saviour is an Eastern European prostitute, who he later discovers is undercover mercenary Beth Bailey, also sent to track Abib.
The pirates are a much bigger threat than first anticipated – they are in fact an Al Qaeda cell who have smuggled explosives onboard and are headed for the UK.
After escaping the ship and returning to London, Lucas and the rest of Section D concentrate on stopping the floating bomb. Beth, who is keen for a job on the Grid, turns up unexpectedly with information about the boat. Harry remembers Beth from the past and is unsure whether she can be trusted but, with time running out, the team has no other option. Harry is forced into taking drastic action to prevent a terrorist attack that could hit Britain at its very heart – the Houses of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Lucas is shocked when he is visited by an unwelcome ghost from his past.
Harry Pearce is played by Peter Firth, Lucas North by Richard Armitage, Abib by Peter Bankole, Dimitri Levendes by Max Brown and Beth Bailey by Sophia Myles.

[spooks] Season 9 News

2010-08-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

In interviews it has been suggested that MI5 may once again find a traitor in their midsts. At this stage KUDOS are remaining tightlipped on who this character may turn out to be but rest assured it'll probably be the person least likely to betray. Then again who's to say the betrayer is someone from the grid...

Elsewhere both Hugh Simon's Malcolm Wynn-Jones and Robert Glenister's Nicholas Blake MP are due to make returns this series, having only departed the previous year. No further information is known as of yet.

In an interview Richard Armitage (Lucas North) pretty much confirmed that Hermione Norris (Ros Myers) has departed the programme, it remains to be seen how they resolve Season Eight's cliffhanger but I would be prepared to bet that unlike Season Six's red herring, Ros will not be returning from the dead this time.

So there we have it.

Series 9 Now in Production

2010-03-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

Intriguing news from Life of Wylie blog: http://lifeofwylie.com/2010/03/19/spooks-drama-ahead-on-the-grid/

Sophia Myles (Underworld, Doctor Who), Max Brown (Mistresses, The Tudors), Iain Glen (The Blue Room, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), Simon Russell Beale (Much Ado About Nothing, Uncle Vanya) and Laila Rouass (Primeval, Footballers’ Wives) join Spooks as series regulars but the characters they play and the impact they have on the team dynamic is being kept tightly under wraps.

Additionally, Peter Firth, Richard Armitage and Nicola Walker have all been spotted filming, no sign of Hermione Norris but more information as it is received.

New Home Secretary

2009-12-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

Well it looks like that was the final appearance of Nicholas Blake doesn't it? So without further ado, let us welcome the New Home Secretary, Andrew Lawrence, portrayed by 35 year old actor, Tobias Menzies (Rome, Casualty, Casino Royale).

Menzies has had a distinguished career which began in 2000 where he performed in the plays, Light and The Way of the World as well as making an appearance in the 2000 TV series, Longitude and an appearance in the film, The Low Down. Since then he has taken high profile roles such as Marcus Junius Brutus in the BBC/HBO series Rome and a small role in the 2006 smash hit, Casino Royale.

Menzie's role in [spooks] will hit our screens from Episode 7, due to be shown on Friday 11th December on BBC Three, followed by a repeat the following Wednesday on BBC One.

Overnight Rating

2009-11-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 18th November

BBC1
BBC News at Six 4.6m 24.0%
Regional News and Weather 5.7m 27.7%
Queen's Speech Broadcast 3.9m 19.3%
The One Show 4.3m 20.6%
Jimmy's Food Factory 4.7m 21.8%
Waterloo Road 4.4m 18.8%
Spooks 4.6m 18.2%
BBC News at Ten 4.3m 20.5%

Episode 7 and 8 Press Release

2009-11-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

Spooks Episode 7

Wednesday 16 December

When a Pakistani intelligence officer is stabbed to death in south London, Dickie, the head of the Pakistani intelligence service in London, wants to talk. Dickie tells Harry Pearce and Ros Myers that he has been running an asset who has infiltrated a group of Hindu nationalists, led by Harish Dhillon.
Dhillon's group is planning an attack targeting Muslims and, with tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities riding high, a furious Harry demands that Dickie hand over his asset – 17-year-old Ashok Veerkal.
A Muslim with a Hindu name, Ashok is terrified of Dhillon and is desperate to cut ties with him. But there's too much at stake and Section D applies pressure to find out when and where the attack will happen.
Ashok manages to discover the details of the attack but, just as Section D are about to swoop, they learn that Dhillon's handler is working with CIA agent Sarah Caulfield.
Ashok is forced to stay undercover, but Dhillon's handler knows there is a traitor, leaving Ashok in the firing line. Section D is desperate to prevent a war breaking out on British soil between the Muslim and Hindu communities, but how far will they go to stop it?
Dickie is played by Harmage Singh Kalirai, Harry Pearce by Peter Firth, Ros Myers by Hermione Norris, Harish Dhillon by Paul Sharma, Ashok Veerkal by Ashley Kumar and Sarah Caulfield by Genevieve O'Reilly.

Spooks Episode 8

Wednesday 23 December

The situation between India and Pakistan reaches crisis point when an Indian submarine ends up in Pakistani hands, as the spy drama concludes. The Indian Government has set a seven-day deadline before it retaliates and so the pressure is on to avert the first nuclear confrontation since the Second World War.
The British and Americans have to work quickly to organise a peace summit in London in a desperate bid to resolve the crisis. Section D is tasked with looking after security but, unbeknown to Harry and his team, Russell Price, the CIA agent in charge of American security, is part of secret power group Nightingale.
While Harry and Ros try to keep the peace talks on track, Lucas receives a surprise visit from rogue CIA agent Sarah Caulfield. She's been instructed to kill Lucas, but her emotions get the better of her and she warns him to leave the country to guarantee his safety.
Meanwhile, Nightingale forges ahead with its plan and Price has planted a bomb in the hotel room of one of the Indian delegates in order to kill the Pakistani president and further provoke the war.
Tensions mount as Ros and Lucas discover the bomb – they need to get the Pakistani president out alive if there is to be any hope of resolving the imminent conflict. An ambush by Price leaves Ros and Lucas in mortal danger and Harry fearing for the lives of his top spooks.
Harry is played by Peter Firth, Russell Price by Mark Aiken, Ros by Hermione Norris, Lucas by Richard Armitage and Sarah Caulfield by Genevieve O'Reilly.

Episode 6 Press Release

2009-11-11T14:29:00.001-08:00

Spooks Ep 6/8

Wednesday 9 December

9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Ros (Hermione Norris) is caught in the crossfire

Britain is on the verge of bankruptcy. The Government is unable to honour its national debt payments and Section D must retrieve more than a billion pounds of illegal earnings from the impenetrable DeWits bank, as the spy drama continues.
For the past four months, Ryan Baisley, a DeWits employee, has been working as an MI5 asset, secretly recording account details. With the country close to economic collapse, MI5 orders Baisley to hand over the information. However, Baisley has other plans.
A team of assassins breaks into Baisley's safe house, leaving him alone and on the run for his life. Harry and his team have no idea where Baisley is and, to make matters worse, they discover he has attempted to do a deal with the DeWits bank manager, Irvin Perrot.
With time running out, Section D tracks Baisley down but the assassins aren't far behind. As Ros catches up with him, she is caught in the crossfire of a shootout. Although Ros sees off the hit men, Baisley slips away – leaving Section D back at square one.
Ros forces Perrot to reveal when his exchange with Baisley will take place. She knows the hit men will be lying in wait but she will stop at nothing to get to Baisley first.
Meanwhile, Ruth's investigations into the power meeting at Basel pay off when she discovers something called "Nightingale". The team must find out what, or who, Nightingale is.
Ryan Baisley is played by Ewen Bremner, Harry by Peter Firth, Irvin Perrot by Richard Durden, Ros by Hermione Norris and Ruth by Nicola Walker.

Better late than never...

2009-11-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here at long last are the press office reports for Episodes 4 and 5. Sorry for the delay.

Spooks Ep 4/8

Wednesday 25 November

9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Lucas North's (Richard Armitage) past catches up with him

Lucas North's past catches up with him this week when his former Russian prison torturer, Oleg Darshavin, turns up with intelligence about a Sudanese terror attack on London, as the spy drama continues. However, Darshavin's information comes at a price and it's one Harry and Ros are not willing to pay.
Despite their reservations, Harry and Ros agree to Lucas meeting Darshavin as he requests. But their fears that Darshavin still has a hold over Lucas are soon realised when Lucas goes off the radar and meets Darshavin at his own flat.
Lucas struggles to keep control of the situation but manages to bring Darshavin to the verge of revealing the target – until CIA officer Sarah Caulfield turns up and throws the entire operation into jeopardy. With Lucas and his lover's lives in danger, he has to use all his powers of persuasion to get the Sudanese terrorist's name out of Darshavin and keep himself and Sarah alive.
Section D soon tracks the terrorist down but, before Ros can get to him, he's assassinated and Section D is back to square one. The only person who can help them is Darshavin, but Lucas has lost his trust and Darshavin clearly has his own personal agenda.
Meanwhile, Harry begins to realise there may be a traitor in their midst and he tips off Sarah's boss, Samuel Walker, about the covert intelligence meeting in Basel. However, a CIA traitor will stop at nothing to ensure their cover remains intact – even if they're left with blood on their hands.
Lucas is played by Richard Armitage, Oleg Darshavin by Emil Hostina, Harry by Peter Firth, Ros by Hermione Norris, Sarah by Genevieve O'Reilly and Samuel Walker by Brian Protheroe.

Spooks Ep 5/8

Wednesday 2 December

9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Harry (Peter Firth), Ros (Hermione Norris) and Lucas (Richard Armitage) are puzzled by a spate of deaths

The sudden death of CIA boss Samuel Walker is puzzling Harry Pearce, as the spy drama continues. The official line is that he committed suicide, but Harry doesn't buy it and, when another CIA agent dies, he begins to wonder whether the deaths have something to do with the power meeting at Basel. Walker had arranged to meet Harry to talk about Basel, but he never made it and something really doesn't add up.
Meanwhile, Ros Myers is contacted by her old mentor, Jack Coleville, an ex-MI6 golden boy who suddenly quit the service. Coleville asks Ros to read his memoirs, paying special attention to a chapter about Harry and Gibraltar. However, Harry insists he was never in Gibraltar, so what is Coleville's motive for lying?
Soon, two more intelligence officers are dead and it becomes apparent that the murderer has access to sensitive information. The horrifying truth suddenly dawns on Ros; it's Coleville.
Ros and Lucas North race to find Coleville at his London address. But when Ros goes in there's no sign of him and she soon realises the house is booby-trapped. Ros escapes, but it's clear that Coleville means business.
As the pieces start to come together, Ros puts herself in the firing line in a bid to draw Coleville out. Will she be able to keep her cool when faced with the man who taught her everything she knows?
Harry Pearce is played by Peter Firth, Ros Myers by Hermione Norris, Jack Coleville by Stephen Boxer and Lucas North by Richard Armitage.

Ratings - Overnight Figures

2009-11-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Episode 8.1 achieved a massive overnight viewing figure of 6.0m, with a 24.8% share of the total audience. A good start to the series.

Malcolm Wynn-Jones - Hugh Simon - An Unofficial Goodbye

2009-11-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

That was a breathtaking episode wasn't it?

However as is the case with [spooks] we've had to say goodbye to yet another, much loved character. The only difference is this time, they escaped with their lives. So everyone put their hands together and raise their glasses to, Malcolm Wynn-Jones, portrayed superbly by the actor Hugh Simon from the show's conception in 2002 to tonight's episode. It's been a wonderful 6/7 years. You'll be missed Malcolm.

Tonight's the Night

2009-11-04T10:15:00.001-08:00

At 9 O'clock tonight, Series Eight will premiere on BBC One. Exciting isn't it?

TRAILER! and Episode 3 Press Release

2009-10-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

Last night at 8pm, a trailer aired for the highly anticipated eighth series of [spooks]. It can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqXGhtO-Jd4

Spooks Ep 3/8 - Contains Spoilers

Wednesday 18 November

9.00-10.00pm BBC ONE

Ros (Hermione Norris) is held hostage

The exclusive and powerful Bendorf group, made up of the eight richest men in the world, is meeting on British soil and Section D must find out what is being planned, as the spy drama continues.
Ros is sent undercover and attends the meeting, but what should be a routine operation becomes a life-or-death situation when a group of armed terrorists take everyone hostage.
The hostages, including Ros, are being held in an underground bunker – there's only one way out and it's rigged with explosives.
Harry sends in Lucas and Jo to assess the situation and, as they arrive at the scene, the situation worsens when leader of the terrorists, Finn Lambert, puts Thomas Mickelson from the Bendorf group on trial and broadcasts it live to the world, online.
Back on the Grid, Harry, Ruth and Tariq watch in horror as Lambert produces damning evidence of Mickelson's alleged crimes before inviting the public to vote on the outcome of the trial. The verdict is a resounding "guilty" and the team waits nervously to see what Lambert will do next.
Section D has to stop him and it seems their only hope is if Ros can persuade Lambert's girlfriend, Nina, to help her. However, as things start to go her way the tables suddenly turn – leaving one of Section D in an impossible situation.
Ros is played by Hermione Norris, Harry by Peter Firth, Lucas by Richard Armitage, Jo by Miranda Raison, Finn Lambert by Pascal Langdale, Thomas Mickelson by Tom Mannion, Ruth by Nicola Walker, Tariq by Shazad Latif and Nina by Antonia Campbell-Hughes.

New Cast Member Confirmed

2009-10-28T03:16:00.000-07:00

It has been confirmed that Shazad Latif will portray new Technician Tariq Masood. It is unknown whether this character will replace Malcolm, the original technician as since Colin's death at the beginning of series five there have been no other technicians to help Malcolm. (A worrying sign is the lack of Hugh Simon's name in the cast list for Episode 2, could Malcolm be heading for an early series exit?)*

NB: This is all speculation of course.

It's now only a week until series 8 begins and the magazines have been going all out to report on the new series.

http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/RadioTimes20091027.html - An article from the Radio Times dated 31st October - 6th November 2009

TV Choice: http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/TVChoice20091027.html

Inside Soap: http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/InsideSoap20091027.html

What's On TV: http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/whatsontv20091027.html

TV Easy 2009: http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/TVeasy20091027.html

Heat TV: http://richardarmitageonline.com/articles/Heat20091027.html

Series 8 Episode 1 Summary

2009-10-24T03:22:00.001-07:00

Drama series about the British Security Service. With Harry still missing, there is one question on everyone's mind: is he dead, or alive? Section D discovers that Harry thwarted a clandestine operation to smuggle weapons-grade uranium into Iraq to justify the war. Now the rogue officers who masterminded the operation want their uranium back, and they are prepared to go to any lengths to get it. If Harry isn't dead already, is it too late to save him?

About the Blog

2009-10-23T08:29:00.001-07:00

From this blog you can link to all 8 series of the show.

It will also provide latest news, whilst the series sites will provide more general stuff on that particular series.