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 7)
Elsewhere, Hermione Norris returns as Ros Myers. The character was initially written off after the eighth episode of the sixth series due to the actress's pregnancy, however when the seventh series entered pre-production, Norris was asked to return and she accepted. Miranda Raison also returns as Jo Portman; the cliffhanger of the sixth series finale, where Jo was apparently killed, was to leave the audience wonder whether she survived. Raison stated that she realised the producers wanted her to return, and she wanted to return. Alex Lanipekun returns as Ben Kaplan, and was upgraded to a series regular from the last series. Lanipekun believed that the seventh series was "kind of for Ben," adding that there was an episode that would see his coming of age by dealing with his first undercover operation and his burdens, namely getting close to someone who is involved with the group he was sent to stop. Peter Firth, Gemma Jones and Hugh Simon returns as superior Harry Pearce, Connie James and Malcolm Wynn-Jones, respectively.