Curtain down on Spooks

So that’s it. BBC1's long running spy drama has come to a close and it is hard to believe it is almost ten years since it all began; so many characters have come and gone; many in less than pleasant ways. Surprisingly the departure of the lead character hasn't led to a drastic change in the feel of the programme, although over the years the centre of attention has drifted towards MI5 Chief Harry Pearce and slightly away from a front line officer; although they were always important enough for the viewer to care about… when an MI5 character was killed off it was almost always somebody the viewer had got to know well for many episodes. The creators made it clear from very early on that nobody was safe when one of the two apparently major characters was brutally murdered in the second ever episode… usually fomenting several complaints. Over the years the team has taken on a variety of threats including Islamic terrorists, fascists, Russians, Chinese and even supposedly friendly Americans! Whoever the team took on in a given episode, you knew things would get exciting and the threat wouldn't be stopped till the last minute… cliché I know but it works! It wasn’t all action though; there was plenty of politicking and back-room work to keep the viewer thinking.

And now it’s all over. Yesterday’s last episode drew a curtain over the series in the most dramatic way. Heart-broken about the final scenes, I am somehow relieved that I’ve sobbed over Spooks for the last time. With Harry Pierce back at his desk, top button fastened, emotions contained, Britain is safe now. For a moment it all looked like it might be so different. That Harry and Ruth might run off to their cottage by the sea and live simply and happily ever after. And like many Spooks fans, I almost wanted it to finish on that note – except really, that wouldn't have been right, it wouldn’t have been Spooks. The Tom Quinn’s cameo was the cherry on the cake but that was not enough to cheer me up. I will really miss the programme. I will even miss my predicted sobbing over the years. And I still hope that the BBC will change their minds at some point and make more episodes.

Waiting for Spooks 9 ...

The team at Section D is in mourning following the tragic death of Ros Myers, who was killed in an explosion while trying to save the British Home Secretary, as the award-winning spy drama Spooks returns for its ninth series. After killing off most of its main characters in the past series, I had promised myself not to watch it again, having spent quite a lot of tears mourning Adam (Rupert Penry-Jones), Jo (Miranda raison) and finally Ros, Hermione Norris (Yes, I know, I'm a bit of a saddo!), not to mention the disappearance of Tom, Danny and Zoe a few years ago, but now I know that I won't be able to resist the first episode tonight at 9 o'clock on BBC1! But now, dear BBC, hands off Lucas North (Richard Armitage), my new favourite.