Spooks (series 3)
The third series of "Spooks" was produced by Kudos Film and Television for the BBC. Much of the production crew from the first two series returned. New crew members were brought in with the requirement that they were fans of the series and have ambition, so that they can understand "Spooks". Andrew Woodhead was the series producer, with Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins and Gareth Neame as executive producers. Collins, who was the producer for the first two series, had to step back to executive producer, as he was overcommitted producing Kudos crime series "Hustle". Woodhead replaced him as he was accustomed to the show, but also added more vitality to the show. Christopher Aird was the assistant producer. The third series included five writers. Howard Brenton wrote the first, second and eighth episodes. Rupert Walters wrote the third and ninth episodes. Ben Richards wrote the fourth, sixth and tenth episodes. Richards previously wrote the ninth episode of series two, and accepted the offer to return. His script in the second series was his first script for television; he found writing easier as time went by. Raymond Khoury wrote the seventh episode. Series creator David Wolstencroft wrote the fifth episode. Wolstencroft was poised to write the next episode, but found himself committed to other projects.
Nest of Angels
The story idea came from writer Howard Brenton, who wanted to delve into the world of suicide bombings, a significant issue in national security. It became the first episode in "Spooks" that explicitly portrays Islamic extremism, which Oyelowo described as a "hot potato" because of this sensitive issue. The actor was also worried that the plot may "put ideas into people's heads" after the audience would watch the episode. Brenton heavily researched the episode to provide a balanced view. He included characters, such as innocent Muslims who opposed the Islamic extremists, as well as a "Muslim hero" who would thwart the terrorists. The writer still wrote "Nest of Angels" as a classic spy story, where an operative goes undercover to subvert a villainous operation. Director Bharat Nalluri felt that making the hero a Muslim exemplified the balanced view. Series creator David Wolstencroft meanwhile, emphasised that the episode not only showed Islamic extremism, but a more peaceful side of the religion as well, and that the producers should not shy away from those issues.