Spooks (series 1)
Kudos Film and Television developed "Spooks" after releasing Channel 4 medical drama "Psychos" in 1999, though the company initially faced friction from television networks which saw no potential in a post-Cold War spy show. The producers later successfully pitched the series to the BBC after the networks' commissioning teams were replaced. Four episodes were being written when the September 11 attacks took place, and the some scenes were rewritten to take the event into account to show the audience "Spooks's" goal of fighting terrorism. Throughout production, the producers were advised by former intelligence officers from the Security Service, KGB and Central Intelligence Agency. Filming took place from November 2001 to March 2002.
Spooks (series 3)
The third series was seen by an average of 5.77 million viewers, a decline in ratings from the second series with viewership dropping below five million at one point. However the BBC had renewed "Spooks" for a fourth series before the third had begun broadcasting. Critical reaction was generally positive, though reviewers believed it did not perform as well as its preceding seasons. It was nominated for seven British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA), winning one. The third series was released on DVD on 23 May 2005 in Region 4, 5 September 2005 in Region 2, and 31 January 2006 in Region 1.
The third series includes nine main cast members. Matthew Macfadyen returns as Tom Quinn in the first two episodes. Macfadyen intended to leave the series as he felt "your senses get dull doing a long-running TV show." As the producers were storylining the third series, they were "99 per cent sure" Macfadyen would not return until they heard he wanted to come back for two episodes because he did not want to leave the series so soon. Keeley Hawes also returns in the series as Zoe Reynolds. Hawes wanted to leave the series also after the first six episodes. David Oyelowo makes a return as Danny Hunter. After Tom's exit, it allowed Danny's character to develop further. Oyelowo also announced his intention to leave the series, after the finale episode. Peter Firth returns as superior Harry Pearce. After two seasons, Firth attempted to lighten Harry up "a little bit" after his mother suggested the character "smile more," despite the fact that Harry is a serious man. Nicola Walker returns as Ruth Evershed. First appearing in the second series, Walker felt more like the "new girl," but felt more experienced upon her return to the third. Shauna Macdonald also returns as Sam Buxton. The five-month filming gap between series two and three left Macdonald "a bit de-Spookified" as she was more focused on her film career. Hugh Simon and Rory MacGregor return as Malcolm Wynn-Jones and Colin Wells, respectively.