 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(September 2021) |
| Spooks | |
|---|---|
| Season 5 | |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 17 September – 13 November 2006 |
| Series chronology | |
The fifth series of the BBC espionage television series Spooks began broadcasting on 17 September 2006 before ending on 13 November 2006. The series consists of ten episodes. Ruth Evershed left after episode 5; the actor playing the part, Nicola Walker was expecting her first child.
Main
Guests
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 1 | "Gas and Oil (Part 1)" | Omar Madha | Ben Richards | 17 September 2006 (BBC One) | 6.31 | |
| After shooting Adam, Angela jumps off the roof and kills herself. While Adam recovers, a gas and oil depot is attacked, followed by assassinations of some MPs. At first, MI5 suspect Al-Qaeda, but they discover that a group of influential businessmen, politicians and members of MI6 led by Jocelyn Myers are responsible, in an attempt to take control of the UK. Jo is tasked with protecting the Prime Minister's son. Colin is abducted and murdered by the conspirators. They launch another attack, taking over air traffic control and attempting to cause a mid-air collision over the heart of London. Jocelyn's daughter, Ros Myers warns Juliet, Adam and Harry that their cars are rigged with bombs. | |||||||
| 38 | 2 | "Gas and Oil (Part 2)" | Omar Madha | Ben Richards | 17 September 2006 (BBC Three) [n 1] | 5.75 | |
| While Zaf is able to prevent the collision, the car bombs leave Juliet paralysed from the waist down. The conspirators manage to coax the PM to give in to their plan, including detaining citizens without trial, and to have armed police officers shoot people attending a protest to oppose their new plans. Harry is arrested and sent to a detention facility by the new rules, to prevent him from stopping them. However, the rest of the team are able to convince Ros that her father is the ringleader, and they force him to surrender. They are informed of Harry's location, and Zaf manages to stop Collingwood from setting fire to the entire detention centre, by activating the sprinkler system beforehand. Adam offers Ros a position on the Grid. | |||||||
| 39 | 3 | "The Cell" | Julian Simpson | Ben Richards | 18 September 2006 (BBC Three) | 6.12 | |
| Zaf goes undercover to infiltrate an Al-Qaeda cell, who are preparing to attack London with a thermobaric weapon. Ros also tasks Zaf to try to turn one of the members, who broke up with his girlfriend after converting to Islam. Jo and Adam pose as mercenaries to try to buy the weapon before it reaches the cell; the operation is cut short after the arms dealer assaults Jo and reveals the weapon has already been sold. By the time the weapon arrives in England, Adam is able to commandeer the weapon, but he discovers that someone is planning to detonate the bomb remotely. Armed units are able to take the terrorist down. Meanwhile, Harry and Ruth start a brief romance, which Ruth ends after learning everyone on The Grid knows about it. | |||||||
| 40 | 4 | "World Trade" | Kenny Glenaan | David Farr | 25 September 2006 (BBC Three) | 5.79 | |
| Section D is tasked to ensure a successful "Addressing Africa" summit for the British Foreign Secretary. Adam and the team soon uncover a plot to assassinate an attending African president. After they successfully capture the would-be female assassin, Adam and the team find evidence that, after the summit, the president will buy weapons of mass destruction to commit a genocide against his own poverty-stricken people. Adam advises the assassin to escape, allowing her to successfully assassinate the president. Despite Adam disarming her, the Foreign Secretary orders a member of his security team to kill her. When the Foreign Secretary later threatens Harry's job, the team's embarrassing audio of his closed door comments from a previous conversation at the summit convinces him to back off. | |||||||
| 41 | 5 | "The Message" | Kenny Glenaan | Zinnie Harris | 2 October 2006 (BBC Three) | 5.89 | |
| Ruth witnesses the Head of Security for Cotterdam prison commit suicide in an Underground station; the prison had recently suffered a fire that reportedly killed seven terrorist suspects. Ros, not yet comfortable within the team, is duped into helping frame Ruth for the guard's death (she later helps Ruth find the truth). Harry takes the rap for Ruth, but not wanting that to happen, Ruth is able to incriminate herself and works with the team to have Harry released, and fake her own death. It is eventually revealed that Oliver Mace faked the terrorists' deaths, and sent them to Egypt to be tortured. With this evidence, the team force Mace to resign. Harry says goodbye to Ruth, who then leaves the country. | |||||||
| 42 | 6 | "Hostage Takers (Part 1)" | Andy Hay | Raymond Khoury | 9 October 2006 (BBC Three) | 6.05 | |
| After a group of terrorists are discovered smuggling themselves into England, MI5 know a series of suicide attacks will happen during negotiations for the government to sell nuclear power to Saudi Arabia. During the operation to stop the attacks, Ros goes undercover seducing and drugging members of the Saudi Arabian royal family to get information. Meanwhile, Adam starts an affair with Wes' babysitter after she wakes him from a nightmare about losing Wes. One of the new members of Section D is a mole for the terrorists, who are using the suicide bombers as a distraction. Zaf and Adam stop a suicide bomber, only to find the "bomb" is just putty. At the same time, gunmen attack the Saudi Trade Centre, and tie up the hostages, including Ros who is present. | |||||||
| 43 | 7 | "Hostage Takers (Part 2)" | Andy Hay | Raymond Khoury | 16 October 2006 (BBC Three) | 5.53 | |
| The gunmen demand the release of al Qaeda prisoners, or they'd execute a hostage every hour. MI5 uncover the mole, who, when caught, commits suicide to not divulge any information. Eventually, MI5 discover that the hostage situation is not al Qaeda's style. It is revealed that the hostage takers are in fact Mossad agents, who are trying to stop the nuclear deal. After Ros provides some needed intel, SAS is able to storm the Trade Centre and kill all but one of the gunmen; Adam subdues the leader, who he is handed to the Americans. | |||||||
| 44 | 8 | "Agenda" | Julian Simpson | Julian Simpson | 23 October 2006 (BBC Three) | 5.97 | |
| Two fundamentalist Islamic clerics are murdered by the "Sons of Phinehas", a radical Christian group led by Steven Paynton. Paynton runs a homeless charity, which is where he recruits his group members. Adam goes undercover as a prospective investor to uncover the identities of his "soldiers". Wes runs away, trying to get to Adam who he thinks is abroad on a work trip. This causes Adam to have a panic attack at a crucial point in the operation: Mossad, who have interests in Paynton's operation has sent a kill squad into its headquarters. After they kill Paynton, Harry talks the Mossad leader into backing down before the squad corners Adam. Wes is found by the end of the episode. | |||||||
| 45 | 9 | "The Criminal" | Julian Holmes | Neil Cross | 30 October 2006 (BBC Three) | 5.80 | |
| MI5 are assigned to protect Niko Grecic, a Serbian war criminal who is testifying against his former commander at the Hague. A former MI6 officer, Richard Dempsey, is believed to be targeting him. Dempsey and Adam are old friends, but while undercover Dempsey let Adam be tortured, and it is believed Dempsey has defected. Dempsey contacts Adam and wants his help clearing his name, but Harry orders Jo and Zaf to kill him. Adam and Dempsey are able to prove that Dempsey is not the one trying to kill Grecic, whose evidence convicts the former commander. However, six months later in Rio de Janeiro, Dempsey does kill Grecic. | |||||||
| 46 | 10 | "Aftermath" | Julian Holmes | David Farr | 13 November 2006 (BBC One) | 6.47 | |
| When a North Sea tidal surge threatens to flood London, an eco-terror group, Divine Earth take control of the Thames Barrier, rig it with explosives and threaten to blow it unless the government publishes a report, "Aftermath", which states that the government will build an economic and military strength so that Britain and America can control the remaining resources from global warming. Meanwhile, Harry learns that Adam is growing suicidal, and has gone into a complete breakdown during the operation. To prevent the group from destroying the barrier, MI5 must flood a section of the barrier to counter the threat. However, Adam and Ros are in those sections. After stopping Divine Earth, the two narrowly escape drowning. | |||||||
Spooks is a British television spy drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 to 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid. In the United States, the show is broadcast under the title MI-5. In Canada, the programme originally aired as MI-5, but later aired on BBC Canada as Spooks.
Nicola Jane Walker is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks and DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten (2015–2021). She has also worked in theatre, radio and film. She won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax.
Adam Henry Carter is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series Spooks, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. He is portrayed by British actor Rupert Penry-Jones. The character is a former MI6 officer who takes charge as the chief of Section D, and hence the head protagonist following the departure of Tom Quinn in series three.
Danny Hunter is a fictional character appearing in the first three seasons of the BBC television series Spooks, known as MI5 in the United States. The character, played by British actor David Oyelowo, is a Junior Case Officer in Section D, the counter-terrorism department of MI5. According to the fictional Spooks: Harry's Diary—one of several spin-off books created by Kudos, the series' production company—Hunter joined Section D in June 2000.
Lucas North, formerly known as John Bateman, is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series Spooks, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. North is portrayed by British actor Richard Armitage. The character is introduced in Spooks' seventh series as the former head of Section D, who was captured and imprisoned during an operation in Russia. He returns to the UK after eight years and is eventually reinstated into MI5. He is described as having once been the best in his field, and he is now trying to regain his former brilliance.
The second series of the British spy drama television series Spooks began broadcasting on 2 June 2003 on BBC One, ending on 11 August 2003. It consists of ten episodes. Spooks centres on the actions of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of the British Security Service (MI5). Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Hugh Simon, Shauna Macdonald, Rory MacGregor, Natasha Little, Nicola Walker, Megan Dodds, Jenny Agutter and Enzo Cilenti are listed as the main cast.
The third series of the British spy drama television series Spooks began broadcasting on 11 October 2004 on BBC One, and ended on 13 December 2004. It consists of ten episodes which continue to follow the actions of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of the British Security Service (MI5). It also sees the departure of three principal characters: Tom Quinn is decommissioned in the second episode, Zoe Reynolds is exiled to Chile in the sixth episode, and Danny Hunter 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.
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.
The sixth series of the BBC espionage television series Spooks began broadcasting on 16 October 2007 and ended on 18 December 2007. The series, consisting of ten episodes, was serialised - a first for the programme. Appearing as recurring characters are CIA Agent, Bob Hogan, and Iranian Special Consul, Dariush Bakhshi, and his wife, Ana.
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.
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.
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 is willingly captured by Viktor Sarkisiian. In this episode, Harry is taken by Amish Mani, 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.
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 former interrogators, FSB officer Oleg Darshavin, 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.
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.
"New Allegiances" is the series seven premiere and 57th episode of the British espionage television series Spooks. It was originally broadcast on BBC One on 27 October 2008. The episode was written by Neil Cross, with additional writing by Ben Richards, and directed by Colm McCarthy. The episode is considered the first of a two-part story, which concludes with following episode "Split Loyalties".
The tenth and final series of the BBC espionage television series Spooks 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".
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.
"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, 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, an Algerian agent who left his country to work with the British.