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)
Filming began in the middle of winter, which presented problems for the cast and filming crew. Some scenes were delayed because of bad weather, even snow at one point, and as a result scheduling became tighter. Another problem was the cold temperatures. The beginning scene in "Who Guards the Guards?", where Mace and Khordad meet in Hebron, was filmed on a roof garden in below zero temperatures; however, McInnerny and Paul Bhattacharjee wore summer clothes. To prevent hypothermia a heater was placed near them. The cameras used light-coloured filters to make the environment look warmer. However, winter did have an advantage of longer nights, making night scenes easier; summer nights would last as little as five hours. The producers hired real news presenters from Sky News and the programme "London Tonight" to present the news of the events from some episodes. All episodes begin with a recap from past episodes, which the producers regard as "an art in themselves" in terms of editing. The opening title sequence went through three changes over the course of the series. More split screen sequences were also added to create more tension for the audience. Overall, each episode took approximately six weeks to prepare, and would take approximately six weeks to edit.