Spy is a British television programme originally made by Wall to Wall for BBC Three in 2004. It has been one of the most-exported United Kingdom television shows; according to the Producers' Alliance for Cinema and Television (PACT), it had been sold to 129 countries by April 2005.
The series follows a group of real-life volunteers as they are trained by former spies in espionage techniques, including maintaining a false identity, surveillance, persuasion and recruitment. The programme's psychological challenges, dramatic tension, high production values, and personable cast led to its being called 'the most addictive thing on TV at the moment' by The Daily Telegraph .
The series further develops a format that first appeared in the Wall to Wall television productions Spymaster (2002; UK) and Spymaster USA (2003; USA).
SPY: A Handbook, a companion book written by Harry Ferguson, a trainer featured on the show, was published in 2004 by Bloomsbury in the UK ( ISBN 0-7475-7523-1).
Over 5,000 candidates from across the United Kingdom applied to be on the show. The candidates were narrowed down to a pool of eight recruits before the start of the show. As the show progressed, recruits who failed to demonstrate sufficient potential as agents were unceremoniously dismissed from the competition.
In the final episode, Nicola Jackson emerged as the winner, but there was no prize other than the satisfaction of knowing that they had what it takes to be a real spy.
The recruits, in alphabetical order, were:
The three experts, called their "tutors", who devised the training missions, trained the recruits, and evaluated their performance were:
Additional training was conducted by John Potter, and narration was provided by Paul Brightwell.
Ten hour-long episodes were originally produced. The show was then recut into a series of 15 half-hour episodes. Broadcasters in some markets air the original series, while broadcasters in other markets air the other.
Summaries published for the original ten episodes follow:
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage is called an espionage agent or spy. Any individual or spy ring, in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law.
Mission: Impossible is an American espionage television series that aired on CBS from September 1966 to March 1973, which was financed and filmed by Desilu Productions.It was revived in 1988 for two seasons on ABC, and later inspired the series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise beginning in 1996.
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Boot Camp is an American reality competition television series that aired for one season on Fox starting March 28, 2001. The game was won by Jen Whitlow from Atlanta, Georgia.
Tradecraft, within the intelligence community, refers to the techniques, methods, and technologies used in modern espionage (spying) and generally as part of the activity of intelligence assessment. This includes general topics or techniques, or the specific techniques of a nation or organization.
United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper was a secondary MOS designator of U.S. Marine Corps infantrymen and reconnaissance Marines that have graduated from a U.S. Marine Corps Scout Sniper School. Scout Snipers must earn the rank of Lance Corporal, be selected by their battalion to join the scout-sniper platoon, and complete an approved scout-sniper course in order to receive this designation. As of December 2023, Marine scout snipers have been reorganized as MOS 0322 Reconnaissance Sniper Marines, as part of a 26-Marine Scout Platoon.
United States Army Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leaders Course (RSLC) is a 29-day school designed on mastering reconnaissance fundamentals of officers and non-commissioned officers eligible for assignments to those units whose primary mission is to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, target acquisition, and combat assessment operations. RSLC is taught by the 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade. The school is open to Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen to train them to expert levels in reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, battle damage assessment, communications, planning, foreign vehicle identification, and other skills. The school was originally created to serve leaders from Long Range Surveillance Units (LRSU's), but now provides the specific reconnaissance training needed to ensure the effectiveness of small unit reconnaissance elements for the U.S. Army and joint force. Given the training focus and difficulty of the RSLC, the school is still commonly attended by operators from U.S. Army Special Forces, the 75th Ranger Regiment's Regimental Reconnaissance Company, U.S. Army Civil Affairs, Navy SEALs, and Marine reconnaissance units; today's students also come from more conventional infantry, Stryker and armored Brigade Combat Teams (BCT). Following the US Army decision to disband US Army LRS companies, the reconnaissance fundamentals taught in the course also provides U.S. military commanders the ability to preserve key LRS skills and abilities within the conventional force.
Spymaster is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
United States Marine Corps Recruit Training is a 13-week program, including in & out-processing, of recruit training that each recruit must successfully complete in order to serve in the United States Marine Corps.
Spymaster USA was an American television program originally made by Wall to Wall Television for The Learning Channel in 2003. The series was created by Jacqui Wilson for Europe and the United States. The US series was directed by Chris Holt and Dennis Lofgren.
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Charles Irving Bartowski is the title character of the American spy show Chuck on NBC. He is portrayed by Zachary Levi. UGO.com named him one of the best TV nerds.
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The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, also called the FAA and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008, is an Act of Congress that amended the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It has been used as the legal basis for surveillance programs disclosed by Edward Snowden in 2013, including PRISM.
Sarah Lisa Bartowski is the alias of one of the main characters of the television show Chuck on NBC. She is portrayed by Yvonne Strahovski and is one of two agents assigned by the NSA and CIA to protect Chuck Bartowski after he unwittingly downloads the secret government computer known as the Intersect into his brain. Throughout the series, she is Chuck's primary love interest and initially poses as Chuck's girlfriend to conceal their identities as spies from the public. In the Season 4 finale, "Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger", Chuck and Sarah were married, dismissed from government service, and given ownership of Volkoff Industries, with which they bought the Burbank Buy More and the secret Castle base thereunder. During the final three episodes of season 5, Sarah gets her memories suppressed due to a faulty Intersect upload, the signs of recovery from which are exhibited throughout the final episode. At an episode later in the series her real first name is known to be Sam, and a while later her real middle name is said to be Lisa.
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The Challenge: Double Agents is the thirty-sixth season of the MTV reality competition series The Challenge. This season features alumni from The Real World, Road Rules, The Challenge, Are You the One?, Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, the Olympics, Love Island UK, The Amazing Race, Survivor, Geordie Shore, Ex on the Beach, Shipwrecked, America's Got Talent, WWE NXT, and Ultimate Beastmaster competing for a share at a $1 million prize. The season premiered on December 9, 2020. A launch special, titled "The Challenge: Double Agents Declassified" aired on December 7, 2020.