Who created the TV show Spooks?
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 (TV series)
Starring Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Jenny Agutter, and Peter Firth, the initial series of six one-hour episodes premiered 13 May 2002.
The Spooky Sisters
The Spooky Sisters is a computer generated animation series of five-minute episodes shown on the Disney Channel amongst others. It chronicles the adventures of two sisters, Cecilia Sophie and Amelia, and their pet bat Boris. They encounter monsters and other 'spooky' creatures or people. It was made in the United Kingdom by Skaramoosh.
Spooks (series 10)
Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, who have been the head writers for the previous ninth series of "Spooks", returned to their writing duties for the tenth series. Sean Cook and Anthony Neilson are also writers of the series. Alrick Riley, Julian Holmes and Bharat Nalluri are the series directors, with Nalluri directing the last two episodes. Chris Fry is the series producer, and Jane Featherstone, Simon Crawford Collins and Howard Burch are the executive producers.
Spooks (TV series)
Following the success of "Torchwood" (the BBC Three "Doctor Who" spin-off series) the controller of BBC Three, Julian Bellamy, announced in December 2006 a "Spooks" spin-off entitled "Spooks: Code 9" (working titles: "Rogue Spooks" and "Spooks: Liberty"). The show started filming in Bradford in 2008 and the first and second episodes were broadcast on 10 August 2008. It was not well received by critics, who said "the script is poor and the acting little better" ("The Sunday Times") and the production "utterly uninspired and stale" ("Digital Spy"), "daft and unconvincing" ("The Telegraph"), "an utterly cynical venture" that "given its patronising awfulness ... actually damages the Spooks brand" ("The Guardian").Video games based on the show were created by Preloaded for promotional purposes. In 2005, the video game "The Grid" (a promotion for "Spooks" series 3) was nominated for a Webby Award under the category of Best Game.
Spooks (1930 film)
Spooks is an animated short subject produced by Walter Lantz, and stars Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Spooks (series 1)
Matthew Millheiser of DVD Talk agreed. Of the series, Millheiser called it a "great show," with "plotlines that are fast-paced and gripping throughout", adding, "It lacks the slick, candy-coated escapism and romanticism of "Alias", or the white-knuckled, thrill-a-minute intensity of "24". ["Spooks"] is its own beast altogether: a smart, thrilling series that pulls no punches and maintains a consistent level of quality and intelligence throughout its running time." Bryan Byun of DVD Verdict had an issue with the storylines, stating, "At times it takes the entire length of an episode to figure out precisely what's going on. While that frenetic pace makes for challenging viewing, it might prevent the show from reaching a broader audience." However, Byun thought the first series was a "solid, gripping entertainment that pulls few punches. While it's a little talkier and more reliant on suspense and mystery than trigger-happy American action shows, ["Spooks"] should please any fan of cloak-and-dagger antics." Michael Mackenzie of The Digital Fix rated the series eight out of ten, stating that although "Spooks" "may not be perfect", "it is an imaginative and intriguing series."
Spooks (series 7)
Mof Gimmers of "TV Scoop" named "Spooks" series seven as the best television show of 2008 out of 50 programmes. Gimmers felt the seventh series performed better than the previous, as it "lost its way slightly" with the concentration of Islamic extremists. The seventh series however, was praised for bringing back the more traditional enemy, the Russians. With the introduction of Lucas North, Gimmers stated "the possibilities for double-blinding the audience were legion and every single one was exploited to the max." Gimmers also cited the more "pacy" plots due to a shorter series as another factor of the series's success, and also said "the only problem with having a series as good as this in the bag is how they will match it next year?" David Blackwell of "Enterline Media" said that the series' storylines "have a grain of truth reflecting today's climate" and also "more deeply rooted in gritty realism and preying on the real dangers that terrorists and other countries pose to the UK." Blackwell also posed the storylines also "keeps the characters human and show what they go through" and reacted positevely towards Lucas' introduction, stating "I like Lucas North better than Adam Carter or Tom Quinn. His dark and conflicted persona adds to the story and makes him a more interesting character than Adam or Tom ever were." Blackwell summed up the series as "as great as the first six seasons. The show maintains a high standard of quality."
Spooks (series 10)
The tenth series began broadcast on Sunday, 18 September 2011, during the 9 pm to 10 pm timeslot, on BBC One. It was considered a move as previous series were often broadcast on a Monday. The move would make the finale series a "special event" by placing it on a Sunday night. However, it emerged that the final series would face off against the second series of the highly successful ITV1 period drama series "Downton Abbey", which averaged nine million viewers in its first year. The BBC however, defended the position by saying that ""Downton" and "Spooks" are very different shows and offer a real alternative for audiences."
William Towers (Spooks)
William Towers MP is the Home Secretary in the ninth and tenth series of the BBC television drama "Spooks". He is portrayed by actor Simon Russell Beale. Towers is appointed after the election of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government.
Spooks (series 3)
In producing the third series, the goal was to "raise the bar" higher to satisfy and surprise the audience. The second series finale "Smoke and Mirrors" ended on a cliffhanger which left Tom's fate open. The producers were unsure whether Macfadyen would return at the time they began storylining. Brenton had already written the first two episodes as if he was not coming back. When Macfadyen announced his return for those episodes, they had to be rewritten. Brenton went through a "nightmare" rewriting the first episode as he "dug this enormous hole, and [he] had no idea how to get out of it." It became a long process of growing the story where Tom turns the tables against Joyce. To make a suitable send off to the character, Brenton did not want Tom to be disillusioned; instead he wanted him to "sort of [become] a human being," as there have been real life instances where spies are attracted to the idea that "the world's a stage to them all the time," but later on they start to unravel.
Spooks (series 10)
Two main characters from the ninth series did not return for the tenth. Richard Armitage did not return as Lucas North. Firth has stated that Lucas "was always going to die" at the end of the ninth series. At the time the series was produced, Armitage was filming for "The Hobbit" film project. Also, Sophia Myles did not return as Beth Bailey as the character was decommissioned between the ninth and tenth series. Myles left the series as she wanted to pursue other projects in America. Matthew Macfadyen, who starred in the first two series as protagonist Tom Quinn, returned for a cameo appearance in the series finale.
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.
Kudos (production company)
The company was formed in 1992. It came to international attention with the BAFTA Award-winning spy drama "Spooks", which debuted on BBC One on 13 May 2002.
Series 8, Episode 8 (Spooks)
The series eight finale of the British espionage television series "Spooks" was originally broadcast on BBC One on 23 December 2009, and is the 72nd episode in the overall series. The episode was written by Ben Richards and directed by Alrick Riley. The episode continues the "Nightingale" story-arc, a shadow organisation bent on changing the geopolitical map. In the finale, Nightingale attempt to provoke a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, and Section D have a week to prevent it.
All Souls (TV series)
Created by Stuart Gillard and Stephen Tolkin, "All Souls" was produced by Spelling Television and Uncle Monkey Productions. Along with the show's creators, the executive producers included Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, and Mark Frost. Media outlets found the pairing of Spelling and Frost for the production strange. "Variety"'s Steven Oxman described it as a "merging of the beauty and the beast"; he equated Spelling to the beauty for incorporating the "sleek and superficial good looks" and Frost to the beast for his inclusion of "surreal, beastly creepiness". The duo had previously collaborated on the crime drama television series "Buddy Faro".
Spooks (series 1)
Each episode took approximately two months to edit, and editing usually began as the episodes were still being shot. The editors would work on two episodes simultaneously. Following the completion of the episodes, Muskett added the score for them. The episodes include split screen sequences. Although the sequences were presented in a similar vein to the American action series "24", the split screen idea did not come from the show itself; Nalluri thought of it independently after visiting a pub one night after filming wrapped up. The series also introduced the premise of not including any production credits. The producers agreed that adding credits would be a waste of time, and that the viewers would pay no attention to them. However, they also saw this as an opportunity; as "Spooks" is a spy show, Wolstencroft had the idea that it would be "cool" to have a show that was anonymous, and it would fit the spirit of the series.
List of Sherlock episodes
"Sherlock" is a television crime drama that presents a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. The first series of three episodes aired in 2010, while series two aired in 2012, and a third series aired in the first quarter of 2014. The third series has become the UK's most watched drama series since 2001. A single episode aired in 2016, as a Victorian-era special. "Sherlock" has been sold to over 200 territories.
Spooks (series 10)
The tenth and final series of the BBC espionage television series "Spooks" (known as MI-5 in the United States) began broadcasting on 18 September 2011 on BBC One, and continued until 23 October. It consists of six episodes. The series continues the actions of Section D, a fictional counter-terrorism division of the British Security Service (MI5). In August 2011, Kudos Film and Television, the production company behind "Spooks", announced that the tenth series will be its last, as they wanted the show to end "in its prime."
Spooner's Patch
Spooners Patch is a British television sitcom, written by Ray Galton, best known for the sitcom "Steptoe and Son" and Johnny Speight best known for "Till Death Us Do Part". It ran for 3 series and 19 episodes and was made and broadcast from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network, by ATV.
Spooks (series 1)
The "Spooks" producers were hoping the ratings for the pilot would achieve at least six million viewers; at the time this was considered acceptable ratings by the BBC, as it would allow them to further consider "Spooks" future. The first episode ended up with an overnight rating of 9.2 million viewers, with a 41 per cent audience share, easily winning its time slot, and nearly doubling the numbers of ITV1's "Helen West", which was viewed by 4.8 million at the same slot. The second episode dropped to 7.8 million, but was still the most seen series in the timeslot. Although the series won its timeslot again in the third episode, "One Last Dance" faced competition from "The Kumars at No. 42" on BBC Two, and was down to seven million. The different timeslot for episode four meant that it dipped below six million; however, ratings recovered to over seven million by the series finale. With consolidated figures factored in, the first series was seen by an average of 7.49 million viewers. After two episodes aired, the BBC began considering renewing the show for a longer second series as it had proved popular among the key demographics of viewers aged 16 to 34 years. The renewal was officially announced by the BBC's Head of Drama Commissioning Jane Tranter in December 2002.
Spooks (series 9)
The ninth series of the BBC espionage television series "Spooks" began broadcasting on 20 September 2010 before ending on 8 November 2010. The series consists of eight episodes.
Harry Pearce
Sir Henry James "Harry" Pearce, KBE (born 1 November 1953) is a fictional character, head of the counter-terrorism department ("Section D") of MI5 as featured in the British television series "Spooks". He was played by Peter Firth during the whole run of the series from 2002 to 2011, and reprised for the 2015 film, "".
Spooks (series 7)
The seventh series was nominated for a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for "Best Drama Series" in 2009, but lost to "Wallander". Because of the strong ratings and positive feedback from fans and critics, the BBC announced they would recommission "Spooks" for an eighth series for 2009 on 4 December 2008, just days before the finale was set to air.
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.
Series 8, Episode 4 (Spooks)
The fourth episode of series eight of the British espionage television series "Spooks" is the 69th episode in the overall series. It was originally broadcast on BBC Three on 20 November 2009, later repeated on BBC One on 25 November. The episode was written by David Farr, and directed by Sam Miller. In the episode one of Lucas North's (Richard Armitage) former interrogators, FSB officer Oleg Darshavin (Emil Hostina), approaches Lucas regarding an upcoming terrorist attack. The episode also continues the story-arc of "Nightingale", a shadow organisation bent on a New World Order, and reveals that CIA liaison Sarah Caufield is a part of it. A little over five million people tuned in to watch the episode following its BBC One broadcast. It was met with generally positive reviews.
Spooks (TV series)
With the success of the first series, a second, longer series of ten episodes was commissioned and subsequently aired in 2003. New regular characters Sam Buxton (Shauna Macdonald) and Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker), were introduced in the first and second episodes respectively, while the series finale ended with a dramatic cliffhanger. The series averaged 7.1 million viewers.
Spooks (series 2)
Not all reviews were positive. Holly E Ordway of DVD Talk disliked the series, stating "I'd heard that it was a gripping, intelligent series that told great spy-thriller stories with gritty realism [...] Well, it seems ["Spooks"] and I are not meant to be together; I bounced off the show on the very first episode and never succeeded afterwards in bringing myself to like it any better." Ordway further felt it was "poorly acted", the rapid cuts and frantic editing "doesn't work" to make it more entertaining, and that the attempts for complexity were "painful".
Smoke and Mirrors (Spooks)
Writer Howard Brenton found writing the end difficult because the producers knew Matthew Macfadyen would leave the series, but not whether he'd return in the beginning of the third series. He stated that the producers "didn't know whether Matthew was going to return to the series or not. We knew there'd be a third series, but we didn't know whether he'd be in it. So I said 'well, is he going to be in it, or isn't he'. And for some times it was, 'oh he's not going to be', so I kill him. And then he said he is gonna be in it, so I unkill him." Because of this, Brenton wrote twelve drafts of the episode. In the end, he wrote a "big cliffhanger, in which he could be dead, could be gone forever, or what." The character Herman Joyce was created by Brenton to become a worthy opponent to Tom. Joyce's creation was inspired from the "great criminal minds" such as Karla from John le Carré and Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes. Brenton thought the addition of Joyce would be a fitting end, so that if Tom was defeated, it would be by a master who would later be undone in some way with or without him.
Nuclear Strike (Spooks)
"Nuclear Strike" is the series seven finale and 64th episode of the British espionage television series "Spooks". It was originally broadcast on BBC One on 8 December 2008. The episode was written by Neil Cross, and directed by Sam Miller. In the episode, Tiresias, the Russian equivalent of Sugarhorse, awakens a sleeper agent to detonate a nuclear suitcase bomb in central London. The Section D team use Connie James (Gemma Jones), an FSB mole who helped set up Tiresias, to help them stop the bomb. However, the team find themselves targeted by an FSB kill squad, who are unaware of the bomb threat.
Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes
Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes is a television crime drama series created by David Pirie, and co-produced by the BBC and WGBH Boston, a PBS station. Six episodes were made and were first broadcast on BBC Two, the first two on 4 and 5 January 2000, and the other four from 4 September to 2 October 2001.
Spooks (series 3)
Though the producers knew that Macfayden would leave the series, they did not know "when" he would do so, and so the first two episodes were initially written without him. In either case, the producers created a new character, Adam Carter. In addition, the writers heavily researched the episodes; many of the story lines are based on truth. The producers also took information from advisors who were ex-MI5 officers. The series was directed in five blocks of two episodes in each. Filming started in January 2004 and took place over six to seven months. Shooting took place almost entirely in London, England, with some scenes shot in a cross-English Channel ferry in the fifth episode.
Dennis Spooner
Dennis Spooner (1 December 1932 – 20 September 1986) was an English television writer and script editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s. He had long-lasting professional working relationships with a number of other British screenwriters and producers, notably Brian Clemens, Terry Nation, Monty Berman and Richard Harris, with whom he developed several programmes. Though he was a contributor to BBC programmes, his work made him one of the most prolific writers of televised output from ITC Entertainment.
Spooks (series 1)
The first series of "Spooks" was nominated for six awards, one of which it won. It was nominated for three British Academy Television Awards (BAFTA) awards, two of which were Craft nominations. The series won the Best Drama Series category over "Clocking Off", "Cutting It" and "Teachers".
Spooks (TV series)
All series of Spooks (most episodes edited) are available on iTunes, with series 7, 8, 9 and 10 becoming available to download one week after original broadcast. Series 1–8 have been released on DVD by Contender Home Entertainment with its successor Entertainment One then taking over; series 9 was released by Universal Playback.
Split Loyalties
"Split Loyalties" is the second episode of series seven of the British espionage television series "Spooks", and the 58th episode overall. It was originally broadcast on BBC Three on 27 October 2008, and repeated on frontline channel BBC One the following day. The episode was written by head writer Neil Cross; with additional writing by Ben Richards; and directed by Colm McCarthy. The episode is considered the second of a two-part story, following preceding episode "New Allegiances".
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Mad Men)
Creator Matthew Weiner conceived the script for "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" in 2000, while he was working as a writer for the sitcom "Becker". The first draft of the episode was written as a spec script and was titled "The Division". Two years later, Weiner sent the script to David Chase, the creator of "The Sopranos", although Weiner's agents insisted that he not proceed with his plans. Chase later recruited him upon first glance. "It was what you’re always hoping to see," he recalled. "It was lively and it had something new to say. Here was someone who had written a story about advertising in the 1960s, and was looking at recent American history through that prism." Weiner set the pilot script aside for the next seven years to focus on "The Sopranos". Neither HBO nor Showtime expressed interest in the project until the commencement of "The Sopranos" final season. During that time, AMC began looking into the television market for new programming. "The network was looking for distinction in launching its first original series," according to AMC Networks president Ed Carroll, "and we took a bet that quality would win out over formulaic mass appeal."
Spooks (TV series)
The series 8 recommission press release stated there would be a twist in the final episode of series 7. In this episode, a nuclear bomb is set to explode, triggered by a Russian sleeper agent who is part of Operation Tiresias. As Parliament and the Royal Family are evacuated, the nuclear threat to London is eliminated when Ros and Lucas are able to turn Connie James and elude an FSB kill squad. While defusing the bomb, Connie is killed by its conventional explosives. Seconds before the bomb exploded, Connie revealed that it had not been Harry who sold Lucas North out to the Russians as Lucas had always believed but, rather, herself. The episode concludes with Harry, conscious but with his mouth taped shut, in the boot of a car being zipped up in a body bag by Viktor Sarkisian, head of the FSB's London station.
Tom Quinn (Spooks)
Series creator David Wolstencroft believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet the hardest work compared with other characters, because he was "Spooks" primary protagonist. Wolstencroft chose a job in Information Technology (IT) as the cover story Tom used in his relationship with Ellie, because he felt that in real life people are reluctant to ask questions about IT work. To portray the character, actor Matthew Macfadyen followed the scripts, and did not want to deviate from them, as he did not believe doing so would be useful. Macfadyen was also keen to explore parts of Tom from within him for influence.
Dennis Spooner
After "The Baron" had a cool reception when broadcast by ABC on American television, the show ended its run in Britain. Spooner then turned to an old friend, the television writer Richard Harris, to help him in creating a new venture, "Man in a Suitcase". However, the more significant partnership Spooner initiated in 1967 was with Monty Berman, an ITC producer with whom he launched a production company called Scoton Productions. Between 1967 and 1971 Berman and Spooner created "The Champions", "Department S", its spin-off "Jason King", and "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)". None of these programmes lasted more than two series, yet they all survived in the public memory long enough to justify video and DVD releases decades later. Indeed, "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)" was re-imagined by television producers in 2000 for a two-series run. Spooner's time with these programmes revealed not just his great interest in spy fiction, but also his penchant for rewarding friendship. Many former writing partners, including Williamson and Harris, returned to work on Spooner's ITC creations.
Spooks (TV series)
The series was filmed on Super 16, rather than the more commonly used digital alternatives. Episodes were originally aired with no credits on BBC One, a choice made to maintain an atmosphere of the anonymity of real-life spies and the drama of each episode. Prior to Series 9, the subsequent episode was aired on BBC Three one week ahead of its BBC One showing (the first and last episode were only shown on BBC One). BBC Three airings included a brief credit sequence following the trailer and before the Kudos and BBC logos.
Neil Cross
He later diversified into television, writing an episode of the BBC spy drama "Spooks" in 2006 before becoming lead writer on the sixth and seventh series of the show. He has also written for "The Fixer" and "Doctor Who" ("The Rings of Akhaten" and "Hide"). In 2010 he wrote a new adaptation of "Whistle and I'll Come to You", from the story by M. R. James.
Sherlock (TV series)
Sherlock is a British crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017, and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day, while the one-off special features a Victorian period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories. "Sherlock" is produced by the British network BBC, along with Hartswood Films, with Moffat, Gatiss, Sue Vertue and Rebecca Eaton serving as executive producers. The series is supported by the American station WGBH Boston for its "Masterpiece" anthology series on PBS, where it also airs in the United States. The series is primarily filmed in Cardiff, Wales, with North Gower Street in London used for exterior shots of Holmes and Watson's 221B Baker Street residence.
Spookies
The creature effects were created by Gabe Bartalos, Arnold Gargulio, Jennifer Aspinall, John Dods, and others helping in various capacities.
Nest of Angels
"Nest of Angels" is the second episode of the second series of the British espionage television series "Spooks", and the eighth episode overall. It was originally broadcast on BBC Three on 2 June 2003, and repeated on frontline channel BBC One on 9 June. The episode was written by Howard Brenton, and directed by Bharat Nalluri. The episode centres on MI5's actions in stopping Muhammed Rachid (Qarie Marshall), a radicalised mullah in a mosque and community centre in Birmingham, who they believe is recruiting young suicide bombers. After their previous asset is discovered and brutally expelled, the team turn to Muhammed Ibhn Khaldun (Alexander Siddig), an Algerian agent who left his country to work with the British.
Spooks (series 3)
The producers learned from an ex-MI5 officer that it is common for intelligence gatherers who spend most of their work listening in to other people to fall in love with civilians through just their voices. This story was the basis of Ruth wanting to go out with John in "Love and Death". Khoury based "Outsiders" on Internet security. He already became intoned with the area, as he once worked with an internet company. Although the story is dramatised, Khoury did research on what was feasible, such as if one man and a laptop could theoretically bring Britain to its knees. Also in the episode, the G&J algorithm is based on an actual computer programme. "Frequently Asked Questions" deals with interrogation and torture. Walters realised that torture is counterproductive as the suspects can say anything the interrogators want to hear, but rationalises that Adam is an expert in that field. To get the interrogation as true as possible, the producers consulted with ex-Army advisors who were trained in questioning terror suspects. As the episode was first broadcast, a prison abuse scandal in Iraq was put on the news. In response to this, Kudos director Stephen Garrett stated ""Spooks" is really well researched and sometimes we look like we're ahead of the game. It's just we know stuff that's happening, and it'll come out in the news a bit later on." In the same episode, the weapons caches came from a true story that the Russians hid weapons in Britain during the Cold War, according to Collins.
Thou Shalt Not Kill (Spooks)
Writer David Wolstencroft decided that Tom Quinn would use IT as his cover story for Ellie Simm, because IT has, according to Wolstencroft, "something that has an enormous amount of thought and technical fact behind it that nobody would really understand," and according to series producer Jane Featherstone, has people reluctant to be asking questions about. A scene where a cat escaped during Zoe's operation to bug Kane's cottage, and the ensuing search in the rain mirrored an experience during Wolstencroft's early career. It was also intended that the episode established that although spies plan heavily before operations, things can go wrong. Among the main cast, Peter Firth was attracted to appearing on "Spooks" after hearing of Howard Brenton's involvement in the series. The cast were advised by ex-MI5 officers in order to help give insight into how the characters operate in the spy world and how their personal lives would be affected by it. The character Maisie Simm (Heather Cave), Ellie's daughter, was created because Featherstone believed that "children are the best spies of all"; Maisie is often seen "spying" on Tom throughout the episode and first series. Megan Dodds guest starred as Christine Dale; the producers were sufficiently impressed with her performance that she would later return as Dale in the second series.
Stefan Schwartz
Stefan Schwartz (born 1 May 1963) is an English and Canadian film and television director, writer and actor, most known for the feature film "Shooting Fish" and his work on the BBC's "Spooks" and "Luther", AMC's "The Walking Dead" and Fear The Walking Dead as well as Showtime's "Dexter".
Spooks (video game)
Spooks has a very simple concept - a man running through a maze avoiding ghosts in a style not unreminiscent of Pac-Man but has more features and is almost like a crude RPG. Its music is The Grande Valse Brillante (Chopin), which is also on the Tom and Jerry cartoons "The Flying Cat" and "Snowbody Loves Me".
Spooks (series 10)
In August 2011, Kudos announced that the tenth series of "Spooks" would be the final series. Executive producer Jane Featherstone decided to end the series during its writing stage, stating "It's very tempting to keep going, and we have had ongoing conversations with our partners at the BBC about it, but the heart of the show has become those two characters [Harry and Ruth] and I feel they own it. We've followed the arc of their personal story and I think they've brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year." It was also intended to end the series "in its prime." Writers Brackley and Vincent noted "there was always a strong possibility of it being the end, so throughout the [writing] process we were looking for ways to infuse it with a sense of finality. We'd done a fair bit of writing before it was made definite by Kudos – but had plenty of time to plot a true conclusion. And crucially, by the time we began to write the final ep, we knew it would be the last." They also stated; "When Kudos asked for our opinion, we said we'd hate to see it cancelled on a cliffhanger – it just wouldn't be right, or fair on the fans. Call us suck-ups, but you have to really admire Kudos for having the confidence to kill off a very successful show – purely because it's the right thing creatively." Firth believed the series is getting to a point where the producers were starting to run out of story ideas, as virtually every type of antagonists have been featured in past episodes.
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.
Spooks (series 1)
The first series also sees a number of recurring characters and guest appearances. Rory MacGregor appears in two episodes as Colin Wells, an MI5 technical officer. American actress Megan Dodds appears in the first episode as CIA liaison Christine Dale. The producers were impressed enough by Dodds' performance that they wished to see her return in the second series. Kevin McNally appears as Robert Osbourne, the antagonist of the second episode. The producers felt the actor was suitable for the role, as was the case with Debra Stephenson, who played his wife Claire. In the fourth and fifth episodes, Hugh Laurie appears as Jools Siviter, a department head of MI6, an organisation depicted as "old school" compared with MI5. Laurie based his performance on Barry Foster's portrayal of the head of MI6 in "Sweeney!". Meanwhile, also in episode four, Anthony Head, best known for his work on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" at the time, played Peter Salter. Despite his status as a former "Buffy" regular, Head still had to earn the role from his audition.
On the Brink (Spooks)
"On the Brink" is the fifth episode of series seven of the British espionage television series "Spooks", and the 60th episode overall. It was originally broadcast on digital channel BBC Three on 10 November 2008, and repeated on frontline channel BBC One on 17 November. The episode was written by Christian Spurrier, his first writing credit for the series, and directed by Edward Hall. Set during the credit crunch, in this episode, Section D chief Ros Myers (Hermione Norris) works undercover to stop Alexis Meynell (Paul Rhys), a banker who is attempting to bankrupt the country. Later, Ros discovers Meynell's motive.
David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft (born 16 July 1969), is an American-born British screenwriter and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama "Spooks" and its spin-off series, "".
Spooks (series 1)
In episode five, Tim Pigott-Smith plays Hampton Wilder, a character who was based on Richard Nixon and Jeffrey Archer. In the same episode, Naoko Mori appeared as a lover of Danny's; Mori previously appeared in "Psychos", another series produced by Kudos. In the finale, Irish actor Lorcan Cranitch plays Irish splinter group terrorist Patrick McCann. Cranitch had previously appeared in several other dramas as Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) operators.
Spooks (series 10)
Early on in the series' developmental stage, it was decided that the series would only consist of six episodes. The decision was likely based on budget cuts from the BBC. The series featured a mix of standalone stories, and a "big old arc" that runs through it. The arc focuses on Harry, the only remaining original lead character from the first series. The Harry/Ruth storyline continued, as Firth believed it is "too delicious to stop." The series also saw the pair's relationship enter a new phase, though it may probably be "too late for them to proceed any further." Brackley and Vincent realise that there are fans of the show who will be "immensely cheesed off if they get anything less than Ruth riding in on a unicorn to marry Harry in a white suit," but at the same time know other fans "love the uncompromising toughness of "Spooks". And both viewpoints were always well represented around the table."
Black Lips
Three Black Lips, Cole Alexander (vocals), Jared Swilley (bass) and Joe Bradley (keyboards), perform as ghost-rock band The Spooks. The Spooks formed in 2002 to play Halloween shows. The band members wear white sheets on stage, and performances have included blood, animal parts and a chainsaw. They began recording songs for an album in 2004, and their first LP, "Death From Beyond The Grave", was released by Die Slaughterhaus in late 2008.
Spooks (series 3)
The third series of the British spy drama television series "Spooks" (known as MI-5 in the United States) began broadcasting on 11 October 2004 on BBC One, before ending on 13 December 2004. It consists of ten episodes which continue to follow the actions of Section B, a counter-terrorism division of the British Security Services (MI5). It also sees the departure of three principal characters: Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen) is decommissioned in the second episode, Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) is exiled to Chile in the sixth episode, and Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo) is killed in the series finale. In addition to Macfadyen, Hawes and Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Rupert Penry-Jones, Nicola Walker, Hugh Simon, Shauna Macdonald and Rory MacGregor are listed as the main cast.
On the Brink (Spooks)
The episode was written by Christian Spurrier, his first writing credit for the series. He joined the "Spooks" writing staff in January 2008. Producer Katie Swinden wanted to base an episode on the economy, which at the time was facing a recession following the financial crisis of the British bank Northern Rock just months before. After trying a few different stories, the producers settled on a story about a bank collapse that is so severe it could result in an economic collapse. Spurrier did research on banking climate in the City of London in March 2008, and realised the economy was going down, but also wanted to exaggerate the numbers for the episode. Ros was chosen to lead because the character had a background in business. In some of the original drafts of the episode, John Castle would return as Jocelyn Myers, Ros' father, but later on the producers realised they did not need him. The producers also wanted to include some jeopardy in the climax, namely adding a gun to a head or a bomb, which created the scenes where Darlek threatened to kill Ros. Spurrier felt he had a "lot of juggling" in writing three separate storylines; the main plot, the Sugarhorse subplot and Jo; but did a lot of learning how to write a "Spooks" script as he wrote it.
Spooks (TV series)
In the first episode, central character Adam Carter (portrayed by Rupert Penry-Jones) dies in a car explosion set by terrorists, and the character Ros Myers (played by Hermione Norris) returns to the show as a deep-cover agent in Moscow. Richard Armitage joins the cast as Lucas North, an agent who has been held in a Russian prison for the past eight years and released as part of a spy exchange. Following Adam's death, Ros is made the section leader and Lucas replaces her as a Senior Case officer.
Spooks (TV series)
The season ends with the deaths of Lucas' lover Maya Lahan, following the death of Lucas' blackmailer, Vaughn, in the climactic end of the penultimate episode. Lucas had kidnapped Ruth, binding and gagging her, and was attempting to get a top-secret computer file for the Chinese. The climactic scene was a showdown between Harry and Lucas on top of a tower block in London. After Harry reveals that the file never actually worked, and that Lucas had apparently betrayed his MI5 colleagues and stolen another man's identity, "Lucas" (apparently "real" name John Bateman) orders Harry to turn around. Harry anticipates execution, but no shots come. Hearing a car alarm and screams from the ground many seconds later, Harry turns around to find Lucas no longer on the roof. Forty-eight hours later, the Home Secretary calls Harry to inform him that a full investigation will be made into his actions at MI5 and to "prepare for life after MI5". The series ends with Harry looking out over the London skyline at night. A caption reveals that a 10th series would be shown in 2011.
Spooks (TV series)
This series' storylines include a fake home-grown Al-Qaeda cell that plans an attack on London; the British government selling nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia; and the US administration selling arms to African dictators.
The Professionals (TV series)
After the series ended, ITV produced "Dempsey and Makepeace" as its replacement, while Raymond Menmuir produced "Special Squad" for Australia's Network Ten in the mid-1980s, following "The Professionals"' format. A revival series, "" was produced for Sky in the late 1990s and starred Edward Woodward, but it was not a success. The BBC introduced "Spender" in the early 1990s, which featured several "Professionals" influenced themes. The BBC television series Spooks that was broadcast in 2002 also had a fact action style inspired by The Professionals.
Spooks (TV series)
In episode seven, Fiona Carter leaves because the actress portraying her, Olga Sosnovska, was pregnant during filming and chose to leave the programme. In that story arc, Fiona attempts to kill her deranged ex-husband, whom she thought was hanged several years earlier. However, her ex-husband ultimately abducts her and later shoots her dead in Adam's presence during her attempted escape. Her character is replaced by Jo Portman (played by Miranda Raison), a new arrival at MI5 who was recruited by Adam in a previous episode.
Jane Featherstone
Featherstone joined Kudos in 2000 as Head of Drama. She became Creative Director in 2008 and the company's Chief Executive in 2011. Whilst at Kudos, she executive produced "Spooks", "Life on Mars", "Ashes to Ashes", "Utopia", "The Tunnel", and "The Smoke". Most recently she has executive produced "River" by Abi Morgan for BBC1/Netflix, "Humans" written by Jon Brackley and the Spooks movie "The Greater Good".
Spooks (TV series)
Production on the six-episode series reportedly began during March 2011, with Lara Pulver joining the series as an "ambitious, hungry" new spook "determined to make her mark". Also joining the series were Geoffrey Streatfeild, Alice Krige and Jonathan Hyde, while Peter Firth, Nicola Walker, Max Brown, Shazad Latif and Simon Russell Beale reprised their roles, as well as Matthew Macfadyen in a cameo role in the final episode. Sophia Myles did not return as Beth Bailey.
Spooks: The Greater Good
A week later, Harry meets with Geraldine Maltby at a seaside home where she is playing with her niece. While her niece is outside, Harry tells her that he knows she was the one who sabotaged the prisoner transport and let Qasim escape, Emerson just claimed credit in order to protect her. She intended to destroy MI5's reputation so that it could be quietly absorbed by the Americans, who would then repay her by making her Director General of MI5, replacing Mace. Geraldine refuses to accept any consequences for her actions, so Harry reveals she doesn't have to because he poisoned her lunch hours before, and she has only two hours left to live. Harry later meets with Will beside the Thames and is warned that Ruth's grave is being watched so he can no longer visit it. Harry tells Will that the real reason he decommissioned him wasn't because he wasn't good enough, but to protect him out of respect for his father. Harry then leaves, his future unclear. The movie ends with a photo negative snapshot, a trademark of the TV show.Plans of the film were first revealed to be 'in the works' by Firth in March 2013, with a script in development. Firth stated that although "they should make it," he also thought it would cost a lot, "and there's not a lot of money to go 'round at the moment." The film was officially announced on 1 November 2013. Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, who took over as head writers for the last two years of the "Spooks" television series, wrote the script. It would be directed by Bharat Nalluri, who previously directed the first episodes of the programme. Jane Featherstone and Stephen Garrett of Kudos, and Ollie Madden of Shine Group would produce the film.
Bob Spiers
Robert Alexander Spiers (27 September 1945 – 8 December 2008) was a Scottish director. He is particularly noted as the director of the early series of "Absolutely Fabulous" (1992–2001), the musical comedy "Spice World", and of the second series of "Fawlty Towers" (1979). He also worked with Steven Moffat on "Press Gang" and "Joking Apart". Spiers won a BAFTA Award twice for his work as a television comedy director.
Nicholas Blake (Spooks)
Nicholas Blake MP is a fictional character in the British TV series "Spooks", portrayed by British actor Robert Glenister. Blake was Home Secretary in the British government. He was regularly in contact with Harry Pearce, regarding National Security.
Series 8, Episode 1 (Spooks)
The series eight premiere is the first episode in the eighth series of the British espionage television series "Spooks", and the 65th episode in total. It was originally broadcast on BBC One on 4 November 2009. The episode was written by Ben Richards and directed by Alrick Riley. It continues from the seventh series finale, where Sir Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) is willingly captured by Viktor Sarkisiian (Peter Sullivan). In this episode, Harry is taken by Amish Mani (Ace Bhatti), a former Indian intelligence officer, who wants Harry to reveal the location of a secret uranium shipment he knows the location of, in order to build nuclear weapons.
List of Spooks episodes
"Spooks" (known as "MI-5" in certain countries) is a British spy drama television series, created by David Wolstencroft. It debuted on BBC One on 13 May 2002. The series follows the activities of the intelligence officers of Section D in MI5. In 2003 it won the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series.
Spooks (series 4)
The fourth series of the BBC espionage television series "Spooks" began broadcasting on 12 September 2005 before ending on 10 November 2005. The series consists of ten episodes.
Sherlock Holmes (1954 TV series)
Sherlock Holmes was a detective television series aired in syndication in the fall of 1954, based on the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. The 39 half-hour mostly original stories were produced by Sheldon Reynolds and filmed in France by Guild Films, starring Ronald Howard (son of Leslie Howard) as Holmes and Howard Marion Crawford as Watson. Archie Duncan appeared in many episodes as Inspector Lestrade (and in a few as other characters). Richard Larke, billed as Kenneth Richards, played Sgt. Wilkins in about fifteen episodes. The series' associate producer, Nicole Milinaire, was one of the first women to attain a senior production role in a television series.
Stephen Garrett (producer)
He originated the idea for BBC One’s spy drama "Spooks", on which he acted as executive producer for series one and a producer for 2015’s feature film "". Under Kudos’s filmmaking arm (and later Shine Pictures, after the sale of Kudos to Elisabeth Murdoch’s Shine Group) Garrett acted as executive producer on Keira Knightley’s "Pure" (2002), David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises" (2007) and "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" (2011), featuring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.
Spooks (TV series)
The fourth series of "Spooks" began transmission on Monday 12 September 2005 on BBC One at 9 pm with the first of a two-part story. The next day (13 September) the second episode was shown. The following week "Spooks" assumed a 9 pm Thursday slot, a break from the Monday 9 pm slot the previous series had traditionally occupied. Once again, the series ran for ten episodes and averaged 6.05 million viewers, a notable increase on the previous series.
Spooks (TV series)
The opening two-part episode introduces two new characters to the series, Zafar Younis (Raza Jaffrey, whose character made his debut in the final episode of series three), and Juliet Shaw (Anna Chancellor). The storyline involves a terrorist bombing central London, something that, in reality, took place on 7 July, two months prior to the airing but after the filming was already complete.
Spooks (series 6)
The sixth series of the BBC espionage television series "Spooks" began broadcasting on 16 October 2007 before ending on 18 December 2007. The series, consisting of ten episodes, is the first where there is a story line throughout the episodes. Appearing as recurring characters are CIA Agent, Bob Hogan, and Iranian Special Consul, Dariush Bakhshi, and his wife, Ana.
John Chambers (make-up artist)
John Chambers (September 12, 1922August 25, 2001) was an American make-up artist and prosthetic makeup expert in both television and film. He received an Academy Honorary Award from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1968. He is best known for creating the pointed ears of Spock in the television series "" (1966), and for his groundbreaking prosthetic make-up work on the "Planet of the Apes" film franchise.
Juliet Shaw
Juliet Shaw is a fictional character in the British TV show "Spooks", portrayed by British actress Anna Chancellor. She rose fast as a spy, achieving the position of National Security Coordinator, at the Cabinet Office. She worked with Harry Pearce on a number of operations during the 1970s.
Spooks: Code 9
The decision to relate the new project to the original "Spooks" was controversial, with actor Georgia Moffett saying "it's slightly misleading in terms of the word Spooks." and producer Chris Fry saying "this is a completely new show. There are no crossover characters or storylines and, most importantly, it is set in a completely new world." After the first series ended relatively unsuccessfully (with an audience of 245,000 for the series finale) executive producer Karen Wilson claimed that many of the existing cast members were "contracted for another year" and outlined themes "we'd like to explore if we get a second series." However, due to low ratings and damning reviews, a second series was never commissioned.
The Baby Snooks Show
In 1904, George McManus began his comic strip, "The Newlyweds", about a couple and their child, Baby Snookums. Brice began doing her Baby Snooks character in vaudeville, as she recalled many years later: "I first did Snooks in 1912 when I was in vaudeville. At the time there was a juvenile actress named Baby Peggy and she was very popular. Her hair was all curled and bleached and she was always in pink or blue. She looked like a strawberry ice cream soda. When I started to do Baby Snooks, I really was a baby, because when I think about Baby Snooks it's really the way I was when I was a kid. On stage, I made Snooks a caricature of Baby Peggy."
List of awards and nominations received by Sherlock
"Sherlock" is a British television series that presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It was created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. "Sherlock" has been nominated for a variety of different awards. It has been nominated for 42 awards and has won 24 awards currently.
Spooks (series 9)
The ninth series was released on DVD in the United Kingdom on 28 February 2011. The box set consists of all eight episodes from the series. Extras include two featurettes entitled "The Cost of Being a Spy" and "The Downfall of Lucas North", as well as episode audio commentaries by Jonathan Brackley, Anthony Neilson, Sam Vincent, Nicola Walker, and Andrew Woodhead.
Spooks (series 1)
Kudos began to develop the show after producing the Channel 4 medical drama series "Psychos" in 1999. Kudos wished to explore series ideas that saw beyond typical "precinct-based dramas" (crime and medical). Stephen Garrett decided on developing a spy drama after coming across John le Carré novels at a Waterstone's bookstore, and came to realise that MI5 or MI6 had not been featured as the setting for shows before. He felt the benefit of a spy show is that rather than in a crime drama where the protagonists take their work home with them, spies are given the added dimension that they cannot reveal their work even to their loved ones. In the meantime, Wolstencroft, who wrote "Psychos", was also developing a spy drama, albeit as a film. When Kudos contacted him, they agreed they should work together to create a television series based on his idea, which was not to glamourise the world of spies, instead showing the audience that spies work in a "shitty job". Kudos later pitched the show to all the major British television networks; however none of them were as enthusiastic as Kudos, as they did not see the potential of a post-Cold War spy series. After the commissioning teams from the networks were replaced, Kudos again pitched the show, albeit reinvented, and as a result Lorraine Heggessey, controller of BBC One, commissioned the show after planning to introduce "braver", "dynamic" and "pacier" shows to attract a younger audience for the channel.
Stephen Garrett (producer)
Stephen Garrett is a British film and television producer. He is best known for founding the Kudos production company, and executive producing the BBC spy drama "Spooks." As a film producer and executive producer, his credits include "Eastern Promises" (2007), "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" (2008), "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" (2011) and "The Night Manager" (2016). In 2016, he launched a new production company, Character Seven.
Spooks: Code 9
The series was commissioned by BBC Fiction's controller Jane Tranter as a spin-off of their long-running drama "Spooks", offering a "more maverick, younger perspective" that would attract a 16–24-year-old audience. The series follows a group of six new young MI5 recruits who "follow a different rule book". It was produced by the independent production company Kudos and was filmed in and around Leeds and Bradford. The first two episodes were broadcast on BBC Three on 10 August 2008 and repeated on the same channel on 11 August 2008.
Brock Winkless
N. Brock Winkless IV (October 12, 1959 – July 18, 2015) was an American puppeteer and visual effects technician. He was best known as the puppeteer of Chucky in the 1988 horror film, "Child's Play", and its sequels. Winkless was also the puppeteer of the Crypt Keeper in several episodes of the HBO television series, "Tales from the Crypt".
He was known for his attention to detail on his puppets and other creations. "Make-Up Artist Magazine" noted that Winkless "was one of the few people who understood and excelled at lipsyncing a puppet's mouth and jaw movements, which made him invaluable for projects such as the Child's Play series, as well as the Crypt Keeper character from the Tales from the Crypt television show."
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.
Smoke and Mirrors (Spooks)
"Smoke and Mirrors", known as "Pit of Secrets" in the United States, is the tenth and final episode of the second series, and the 16th episode overall of the British television series "Spooks". It first aired on BBC One on 11 August 2003. The episode was written by Howard Brenton, and directed by Sam Miller. In the episode, Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen) is being framed by thought-to-be-dead CIA agent Herman Joyce (Tomas Arana), as revenge for what happened to his daughter. After its original broadcast, the finale was seen by seven million people, a third of the television audience during its time slot. The episode, particularly due to its cliffhanger, received critical acclaim.
Spooks (1953 film)
The Stooges are private detectives that are hired to track down a kidnapped girl name Mary Bopper (Norma Randall), daughter of George B. Bopper. They decide to trace Bopper back to where she was last seen, which leads them to mad scientist Dr. Jeckyl (Philip Van Zandt) and his assistant, Mr. Hyde (Tom Kennedy). There is also a gorilla kept imprisoned in the house for experimental purposes. The Stooges arrive to rescue the kidnapped girl disguised as door-to door pie salesmen.
Spooks (series 8)
The eighth series of the BBC espionage television series "Spooks" began broadcasting on 4 November 2009 before ending on 23 December 2009. The series consists of eight episodes.
Spellz
Spellz was a 2006 - 2008 magic series featuring famed magician Jay Sankey. Produced by GAPC Entertainment in partnership with TVO Kids, with the participation of Knowledge Network, SCN and the Canadian Television Fund, Spellz was created by Hoda Elatawi, Mike Erskine-Kellie, Jay Sankey and David Peck. The show was directed by Ron Allen, written by Susan McLennan, and executive produced by Ken Stewart.
Spooks (series 1)
The second episode included the death of a main character. The idea was originally going to be used in the series finale. However, the producers did not know how to fill in episode two, so the death was moved up. According to Wolstencroft, the inclusion of Helen's death was to give the audience the message that "the world of Spooks isn't the world where the cavalry always arrive, because in reality these people [MI5] do risk their lives on our behalf and they do get into sticky situations with genuinely nasty people." The producers also wanted main characters to die on occasion rather than on a weekly or bi-weekly basis; otherwise it would show MI5 officers as not doing their jobs properly. Although "Spooks" is a serious show, the writers add occasional humour from the characters. According to Wolstencroft, he felt that anybody who works in such an occupation with high responsibilities tends to have humour around, and that those people make jokes even though they have seen "heinous things". This became the basis for creating Jools Siviter.
Spooks (series 2)
The second series was nominated for two awards, winning one of them. Paul Knight and Barney Pilling were nominated for a British Academy Television (BAFTA) Craft award for Editing in Fiction/Entertainment, but lost out to Mark Day for his work on the 2003 serial "State of Play". However it won a Royal Television Society award for Best Drama Series, beating "At Home with the Braithwaites" and "Teachers".
Spooks (series 1)
The pilot originally underwent 30 rewrites and four separate story ideas before the BBC was satisfied with it. Similarly, the second episode went through four rewrites. After four episodes were written, the September 11 attacks took place, resulting in three thousand deaths in the United States. As a result, the episodes were rewritten to take account of the events to assure the audience that the show is about fighting terrorism. According to Wolstencroft, the attacks "sidewinded" the show, "perversely made it as relevant as can be," and "commuted a great sense of responsibility" on "Spooks".
Colm McCarthy (director)
"Spooks"
Spooks (series 7)
The writers and producers got together to discuss what direction they would take for the seventh series. They wanted to repeat the same style for series six, which was to add a serial element to be carried throughout the duration of the series. They got together to think about what they would believe to be a big political story that would affect politics in the United Kingdom in within twelve to eighteen months after their initial meetings early in 2008. They settled on using Russia, which was facing a resurgence in power after the Cold War, which the producers felt, in subtle ways, would threaten the security of the west. Sometime through the writing process, the producers set up a story-arc, Sugarhorse, to be a threat throughout the series and have it resolved by the finale. The writers enjoyed making the Sugarhorse storyline because it was one of the instances that "really brings Harry to the edge" and causing him to doubt everything he has done or achieved. The writing team took several meetings together to discuss what it is and how it should work into the storyline. Christian Spurrier noted it was "kind of a headache" to figure out how to "weave it in" to the series and work out what parts would be used in which episodes. The producers wanted to use a scene relating to Sugarhorse as the finale scene of every episode it was featured in, as the producers believed it would provide a "right hook" to the audience. Adding the new storyline would allow the series to return to the world of spying, truth, and who the characters should trust.
Whoopi Goldberg
Goldberg trained under acting teacher Uta Hagen at the HB Studio in New York City. She first appeared onscreen in "" (1982), an avant-garde ensemble feature by San Francisco filmmaker William Farley. Goldberg created "The Spook Show", a one-woman show composed of different character monologues in 1983. Director Mike Nichols offered to take the show to Broadway. The show was retitled "Whoopi Goldberg" for its Broadway incarnation, ran from October 24, 1984, to March 10, 1985, for a total of 156 performances; the play was taped during this run and broadcast by HBO as "Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway" in 1985.
Spooks (series 1)
Peter Firth plays the head of the counter-terrorism department, Harry Pearce. Firth was interested in the series after hearing of Brenton's involvement in the project, and thought "Spooks" was "special" and "different" from British television at the time. Firth would "pepper" the dialogue with quotations from famous classical works, with moral and religious philosophies. Jenny Agutter plays Tessa Philips, senior case officer for Section K. The actress described Tessa as "hard edged" and "not a nice person", but straightforward and not initially expected to be corrupt. She realised that although Tessa would start off as a peripheral character, her role would build as the series continued. Tessa's story was described by a BBC press release as being about "the dangers of corruption from within". Lisa Faulkner portrays admin support officer Helen Flynn. Esther Hall plays Tom's girlfriend and restaurant owner Ellie Simm, while Heather Cave plays her eight-year-old daughter, Maisie. Hall felt that Ellie was the character the audience could identify with. The producers created Maisie because they believed that children are often "the best spies of all". Hugh Simon plays technical officer Malcolm Wynn-Jones, and Greame Mearns plays MI5 officer Jed Kelley.
Series 10, Episode 6 (Spooks)
The series ten finale of the British spy drama television series "Spooks" was originally broadcast on BBC One on 23 October 2011. It is the show's sixth episode of the tenth series and the 86th and final episode of "Spooks". The episode was written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, and directed by Bharat Nalluri. The series finale concludes the "Tourmeline" story-arc that ran through the final series. Section D tries to prevent a terrorist attack from a Russian ultranationalist that will disrupt a partnership between Russia and the United Kingdom, and push both nations into war.
Sonny Spoon
Sonny Spoon is a detective program aired in the United States on the NBC television network in 1988. The series was created by Michael Daly, Dinah Prince, Stephen J. Cannell, and Randall Wallace and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions (the fall 1988 episodes were in association with NBC Productions).