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UK spy drama 'Spooks' (aka MI5) to finish after 10 years
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/3745215/Spooks-killed-off-after-10-years.html
SPY drama Spooks is to be killed off after a decade on screen, TV Biz can reveal.
Fans of the hit BBC1 show about MI5 agents will be devastated by the decision.
It attracts more than six million viewers but the BBC said it will bow out in autumn after ten series.
Bosses have promised a "high octane thrilling finale" for the show, which has had a string of controversial storylines.
These included the death of an agent whose head was dunked into a deep fat fryer and plots about child suicide bombers in London.
The final series will focus on the past of lead character Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and his relationship with fellow agent Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker). Former stars, who include Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes, could also return for the final six episodes.
Producers said it was their decision to finish the series, which launched shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Jane Featherstone, chief executive of production company Kudos - which also makes Hustle and The Hour - said: "People still love the show and we could have carried on for a few more series but we wanted to go out on a high.
"Now feels like the right time. We have always killed off characters at their peak and now we are doing it with the show."
She said the final series would wrap up a lot of issues, adding: "Harry Pearce has always been at the heart of the show and this series focuses on Harry's past, bringing his tumultuous relationship with Ruth to a head. As we near the completion of this year's show, it feels this series is a fitting end to a much-loved programme.
"It's very tempting to keep going and we have had ongoing conversations with the BBC about it.
"But the heart of the show has become those two characters and I feel they own it.
"We've followed the arc of their personal story and I think they have brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year. It feels like now is the time for Spooks to bow out and make way for new spy dramas which reflect the changing world around us."
She added: "There will be a brilliant ending with some remarkable people and surprises. Some blasts from the past might return. The ending will give the show a full stop."
BBC controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson said the series had "redefined drama on the channel for a new generation
- <i>it's about time TBH but will miss it..hope 'Tom Quinn' (MacFayden) returns for a few scenes and smacks everyone down for the way he was unceremoniously kicked out. b-( Pitiful to say, I never got over that. </i>
SPY drama Spooks is to be killed off after a decade on screen, TV Biz can reveal.
Fans of the hit BBC1 show about MI5 agents will be devastated by the decision.
It attracts more than six million viewers but the BBC said it will bow out in autumn after ten series.
Bosses have promised a "high octane thrilling finale" for the show, which has had a string of controversial storylines.
These included the death of an agent whose head was dunked into a deep fat fryer and plots about child suicide bombers in London.
The final series will focus on the past of lead character Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and his relationship with fellow agent Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker). Former stars, who include Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes, could also return for the final six episodes.
Producers said it was their decision to finish the series, which launched shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Jane Featherstone, chief executive of production company Kudos - which also makes Hustle and The Hour - said: "People still love the show and we could have carried on for a few more series but we wanted to go out on a high.
"Now feels like the right time. We have always killed off characters at their peak and now we are doing it with the show."
She said the final series would wrap up a lot of issues, adding: "Harry Pearce has always been at the heart of the show and this series focuses on Harry's past, bringing his tumultuous relationship with Ruth to a head. As we near the completion of this year's show, it feels this series is a fitting end to a much-loved programme.
"It's very tempting to keep going and we have had ongoing conversations with the BBC about it.
"But the heart of the show has become those two characters and I feel they own it.
"We've followed the arc of their personal story and I think they have brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year. It feels like now is the time for Spooks to bow out and make way for new spy dramas which reflect the changing world around us."
She added: "There will be a brilliant ending with some remarkable people and surprises. Some blasts from the past might return. The ending will give the show a full stop."
BBC controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson said the series had "redefined drama on the channel for a new generation
- <i>it's about time TBH but will miss it..hope 'Tom Quinn' (MacFayden) returns for a few scenes and smacks everyone down for the way he was unceremoniously kicked out. b-( Pitiful to say, I never got over that. </i>
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Comments
I never really had the opportunity to get into the show because episodes were broadcast sporadically (the one where Helen Flynn was killed never even got broadcast), but I think the show's biggest drawcard was the way it had the balls to kill characters off without warning.
For me Spooks was the start of british TV realising they had to up there game. Gone were the days of cosy, low concept tv shows with minimal chance of getting out of the studio. Spooks (alongside 24) really came as a refreshment in the early naughties. Whether both outstayed their welcome, im not sure.
Spooks featured intelligent scripts, full of british humour, bite and clever metaphorical speak that is so often very hard to recreate without it seeming contrived.
Some may argue that Spooks was a bit too low key in it's execution...I think that was done purposefully to show a more realistic approach. The tech side would rear its head but only at times when it was absolutely necessary, ultimately this was about the people. Mi5 being the 'poor relation' of 6 was always good to explore, the underdog always trounced it's betters and showed a tad more wit as opposed to arrogance and bullish group thinking from Vauxhall Cross winning the day.
So we now wave goodbye to the series that in many ways challenged convention, ran storylines that were actually quite propheitc and alongside 24 restored my faith in TV.
In terms of returns - I would love to see Hugh Laurie come back as the 6 contact. When he is texting at the opera and gets told to shush by the lady sitting next to him " are you a Nazi Madame?...I myself bu::er skinheads, so please don't tell me what I can and cant do" great line. :))
Here is a sneak peak:
http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/trailers/1405-bbc-original-british-drama-july-2011-trailer
Episode 1. 18th September
Episode 2. 25th September
Episode 3. 2nd October
Episode 4. 9th October
Episode 5. 16th October
Episode 6. 23rd October
Producers have promised a "high octane thrilling finale" for the show, which has had a string of controversial storylines.
BBC1 will air the final season at 9pm opposite hit show "Downton Abbey" on rival station ITV1.
A BBC spokesperson played down the clash, stating: "Downton and Spooks are very different shows and offer a real alternative for audiences. This is the last ever series of Spooks and we wanted to celebrate this and make it a special event for viewers in the Sunday 9pm slot. It is not unusual for drama to go up against drama."
Sorry. It was a guy in his 30s who helped out Nigella Lawson. Much have got the names mixed-up.
Peter Firth actually would have been a good Bond, 25 years ago.
Bharat Nalluri who directed the first and last episodes of the series will be directing and Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent have written the script.
The film opens when terrorist Adam Qasim escapes from MI5 custody during a routine handover and head of counterterrorism, Harry Pearce, is blamed.
When the disgraced Pearce disappears one night off a bridge into the Thames, his protégé Will Crombie is called in to help uncover what happened. With a devastating attack on London imminent, Will finds himself on the trail of a conspiracy that stretches from Vietnam to the Mediterranean.
http://www.screendaily.com/5063143.article