“Better than Slow Horses”: Spooks is Nicola Walker’s “beyond brilliant” spy drama to watch tonight
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ANGUS MUIR
If the return of Slow Horses is feeling a little far off (24 th September), don’t fret because there’s another beyond brilliant spy drama that you can stream in full now – and, in our opinion, it’s even better. Enter Spooks, the hit BBC series about a band of MI5 agents working to protect the UK, which features one of Nicola Walker ’s best performances – and so many brilliant storylines that even Slow Horses can’t compete.
The exceptionally good series, which first arrived on our screens more than two decades ago, lets us into the inside secrets of ‘Section B’ – the counter-terrorism department of MI5. Headed up by Senior Case Officer Tom Quinn (Matthew Macfadyen). Over the course of 10 series, the agents face everything from terrorist plots to arms smuggling – and things are almost as complicated within the team as they are outside of it.
With the series now available to stream on the BBC, here’s everything you need to know about Spooks before you do, including the full plot, cast and how you can watch it.
What is Spooks about?
The British spy series, which first aired on the BBC in 2002 and ran for 10 series, takes an intriguing look into the inner workings of MI5 and the personal lives of those involved. We follow the adventures of ‘Section B’ – a crack team of spies in MI5’s counterterrorism department led by Matthew Macfadyen’s Senior Case Officer Tom Quinn.
The officers deal with everything from terrorist plots to immigration rings, always seeking to outwit the world’s smartest criminal minds. But being a spy comes with a price and we see that through the characters in Spooks. Among them are Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes), Danny Hunter (David Oyelowo) and, of course, Nicola Walker, who enters the show in series 2, playing quiet but brilliant intelligence analyst Ruth Evershed.
Fast-paced and stylish, the series moves quickly, always introducing new characters, plots and high-stakes missions. No spoilers, but the series 10 finale was as thrilling as it was poignant, ending with a truly heartbreaking scene between Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and Ruth. Fans will no doubt remember their will they-won’t they relationship!
Reflecting on her part in the series, Nicola Walker told Digital Spy: ” Spooks was unique. It took up such a lot of your life – I think we did 10 episodes for the first few seasons. That’s six months of your life. But some things happened on that show that… the attacks on London happened while we were filming.
“I remember us filming and the producer coming in and saying, ‘Stop filming, everyone must go home’ and the episode we were making at the time… they almost didn’t show it, because it was about a bombing of London.
“It was a new thing we were worried about – the rise of terrorism. I find that really strange looking back on it. Spooks was very much of its time, and rather unique, so I was more than happy to be in that as a long-runner – because I think we won’t have that sort of show again. I think it was really, really unusual.”
Who’s in the cast of Spooks?
The full cast of Spooks is a rather long one, with countless major character departures and arrivals over the 10 series. The main cast includes:
- Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Quinn
- Keeley Hawes as Zoe Reynolds
- David Oyelowo as Danny Hunter
- Jenny Agutter as Tessa Phillips
- Peter Firth as Harry Pearce
- Rupert Penry-Jones as Adam Carter
- Shauna Macdonald as Sam Buxton
- Hermione Norris as Ros Myers
- Anna Chancellor as Juliet Shaw
- Robert Glenister as The Rt Hon Nicholas Blake MP
- Nicola Walker as Ruth Evershed
Is Spooks any good?
Yes – it’s slick, pacy and surprisingly emotional, not least because – surprise, surprise – not everyone makes it out alive. While Slow Horses has a lot more humour than you can expect from Spooks, the latter has all the twists that Slow Horses doesn’t, and features some truly standout performances from the like of Nicola Walker, Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes. If you’re looking for a great series to devour ahead of Slow Horses ’ return in September, Spooks is a very worthwhile choice.
How can I watch Spooks?
You can watch Spooks series 1-10 now on BBC iPlayer.
What other Nicola Walker dramas can I watch now?
If you’re enjoyed watching Nicola play detective in Unforgotten, we’d recommend Prisoners’ Wives. The series takes us into the lives of a group of women who each have loved ones behind bars, with Nicola giving a superb performance as DCI Jo Fontaine. You can watch Prisoners’ Wives now on Prime Video. To see Nicola on the other side of the law, we’d suggest Collateral. Set over the course of four days, the drama follows the far-reaching repercussions of a fatal shooting of pizza delivery man Abdullah Asif (Sam Otto) and the impact it has on those who were connected to it, including Nicola’s Jane Oliver. Collateral is available to watch on Netflix.
