With the ninth season of UK covert drama series Spooks about to air, Ti looks at what we can expect in the weeks ahead, as well as details of a US remake...
It's rare for a genre drama series to reach its ninth series, but it is even rarer when the show is as smartly written as Spooks. Since the show started in 2002, the storylines have been ahead of global news in many ways and have kept audiences gripped with shocking storylines and surprise deaths.
Tonight, season 9 starts, picking up after last season's shocking finale that saw team leader Ros Myers apparently killed in an explosion. In terms of casualties, the last series saw the MI-5 team take quite a hit, with the retirement of one and the death of two lead characters. Now, there are only four regular cast members, including MI-5 Section D head Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and (newly promoted team leader and former Russian undercover spy) Lucas North (Richard Armitage).
As such, the new season brings with it a flurry of new faces as well as new terrorist plots. Joining the cast as series regulars are Sophia Myles (Thunderbirds, Outlander) and Max Brown (Mistresses, The Tudors) who play new team members Beth Bailey and Dimitri Levendis, Iain Glen (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Doctor Who) as a character from Lucas' past, Simon Russell Beale (An Ideal Husband, Persuasion) as the new Home Secretary and Laila Rouass who, if you missed Strictly Come Dancing was last seen in ITV's dino-series Primeval.
Although details on the new series are few (just how we like it) it is believed that it will start with Section D having to foil a terrorist attack on the Houses of Parliament.
Even the BBC press office is vague on details, with a brief interview with Richard Armitage promising storylines that will feel "politically current" as well "learning a lot more about the team. Who are these people, what lies beneath the surface, who are they true to, what secrets do they hide in order to do their jobs? Deception and betrayal are key."
Armitage also hints about the future of his character, Lucas North, saying, "the overall series arc really unravels the character of Lucas North and blows his whole world apart. His loyalty and his future at MI5 are all under the microscope."
Speaking about the new characters, Armitage says, "The series opens with the introduction of four new characters: Beth Bailey and Dimitri Levendis, played by Sophia Myles and Max Brown, a new Home Secretary played by Simon Russell Beale;,and Vaughn, a character from Lucas'spast, played by Iain Glen. I feel a bit like the older generation as it feels like a new 'super spook generation' has come on board. Dimitri is ex-SBS, and Beth comes from a background in private security, a ‘mercenary' as Lucas puts it. He presses Harry to allow him to assemble this team. Dimitri is solid, useful and youthful but Beth is a bit of a liability. Viewers will have to wait and see if she becomes a member of Section D or not."
Either way, expect explosions and intrigue aplenty when the show restarts on BBC One at 9pm this evening.
US remake news
Of course, as with any popular UK series, a US remake is being discussed. Spooks has previously been shown in the US (where it is known as MI-5 due to the racial association that term 'spook' has), but the show suffered from poor ratings and severe editing, where at least 15 minutes were cut from each episode to cater for ad breaks. However, PBS has been showing the shows unedited since 2009.
That hasn't stopped US networks planning their own take on the show (ironic really, considering Spooks came about from 24's success).
Details are currently sketchy, but it is reported that Michael Seitzman (Empire State, North Country) will pen and executive produce a pilot for the series. It is also expected to be set in the US, and not in the UK.
So, could this be a trans-Atlantic success like the US remake of The Office or is it destined to join the pile of scrapped US remakes that include Footballers Wives, Prime Suspect, Absolutely Fabulous, The Vicar Of Dibley and Spaced, not to mention the recently cancelled US version of Life On Mars?