<![CDATA[Spooks Forum

<![CDATA[Spooks Forum - Series 1]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 18:18:14 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Spooks season 1 on Watch]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-714.html Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:12:58 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-714.html <![CDATA[1.6 DVD commentary]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-625.html Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:41:32 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-625.html
-Most scenes in this ep shot with new, smaller, hand-held professional camera, enabling shots where standard 16mm camera couldn't fit. Held at chest height to replicate looking through human eyes. Camera gives ep edgy look, nothing is totally still -- "twitchy" feeling.
-Strip scene with Tom and McCann in field -- real situation for meeting hostile contacts, gotten from CIA advisor.
-Story line inspired by newspaper piece re in Columbia, terrorist groups helping each other.
-Info about how to attack a power station gotten from an Irish radical website. Catch-22 situation -- attack had to be credible enough to be believable but if the set up was too credible it would give instructions on how to really do it.
-Tom/DG meeting during medical exam inspired by the Wizard of Oz -- the power behind the curtain.
-Tessa knows about Crombie killing before Harry tells them.
-Ep script written by Howard Brenton and Davis Wolstencroft -- not typical 3-act structure -- two stories going on simultaneously -- lots of false peaks in unusual places, timing wise, which edge toward real fear in story.
-Place in Scotland where MI5 send misbehaving officers to serve out their careers -- dubbed Narnia by David W.
-McCann -- scary but somehow likable, something quite genuine about him.
-Showdown between Tessa and Harry -- like a chess game between two titans. They barely blink throughout the exchange. When she accuses him of cowardice -- "the truth will out" -- her account is the truth!
-Every time your mobile goes dead for no apparent reason, MI5 is jamming the signals (don't ask me, that's what was said).]]>
-Most scenes in this ep shot with new, smaller, hand-held professional camera, enabling shots where standard 16mm camera couldn't fit. Held at chest height to replicate looking through human eyes. Camera gives ep edgy look, nothing is totally still -- "twitchy" feeling.
-Strip scene with Tom and McCann in field -- real situation for meeting hostile contacts, gotten from CIA advisor.
-Story line inspired by newspaper piece re in Columbia, terrorist groups helping each other.
-Info about how to attack a power station gotten from an Irish radical website. Catch-22 situation -- attack had to be credible enough to be believable but if the set up was too credible it would give instructions on how to really do it.
-Tom/DG meeting during medical exam inspired by the Wizard of Oz -- the power behind the curtain.
-Tessa knows about Crombie killing before Harry tells them.
-Ep script written by Howard Brenton and Davis Wolstencroft -- not typical 3-act structure -- two stories going on simultaneously -- lots of false peaks in unusual places, timing wise, which edge toward real fear in story.
-Place in Scotland where MI5 send misbehaving officers to serve out their careers -- dubbed Narnia by David W.
-McCann -- scary but somehow likable, something quite genuine about him.
-Showdown between Tessa and Harry -- like a chess game between two titans. They barely blink throughout the exchange. When she accuses him of cowardice -- "the truth will out" -- her account is the truth!
-Every time your mobile goes dead for no apparent reason, MI5 is jamming the signals (don't ask me, that's what was said).]]> <![CDATA[1.5 DVD commentary]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-624.html Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:02:03 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-624.html
-Character of Hampton Wilder based on politician Jeffrey Archer -- totally bonkers, incapable of telling the truth, long game revenge plot, a born-again, religious whack job!
-Matthew M. and Peter F. -- both terrible gigglers; can't do a scene together without losing it. The more serious the scene, the worse they are.
-Actors in Tessa/Maynard almost sex scene -- he was petrified at the thought (blushed bright red when discussing), she was all gung-ho.
-Tessa/Maynard scene in park (22.55) -- shot in the Orangerie in Holland Park, in front of a famous mural of British politicians.
-Lermov character brought in so they could touch on Cold War and "old time" spy stuff -- dead drops, etc.
-Tessa/Zoe: behind Tessa's smile -- real intimidation; Zoe -- layers and layers of confusion.
-Jools Siviter -- real weight in every scene and absolute disdain for sister service. Director kept trying to get Hugh Laurie to dial back his performance, but Laurie thought he was being too dull in his portrayal.
-Question of the ep -- do MI5 work for the party in power, or the govt. at large? Exploration of the ambiguity of their role.
-Tessa a mere "sideshow" in Maynard's career path -- she's taken in by him and manipulated without catching on -- interesting given her manipulation of others.
-They needed to make Maynard have shades of gray to match all the other characters -- if he was too innocent, he wouldn't have been believable in this environment.]]>
-Character of Hampton Wilder based on politician Jeffrey Archer -- totally bonkers, incapable of telling the truth, long game revenge plot, a born-again, religious whack job!
-Matthew M. and Peter F. -- both terrible gigglers; can't do a scene together without losing it. The more serious the scene, the worse they are.
-Actors in Tessa/Maynard almost sex scene -- he was petrified at the thought (blushed bright red when discussing), she was all gung-ho.
-Tessa/Maynard scene in park (22.55) -- shot in the Orangerie in Holland Park, in front of a famous mural of British politicians.
-Lermov character brought in so they could touch on Cold War and "old time" spy stuff -- dead drops, etc.
-Tessa/Zoe: behind Tessa's smile -- real intimidation; Zoe -- layers and layers of confusion.
-Jools Siviter -- real weight in every scene and absolute disdain for sister service. Director kept trying to get Hugh Laurie to dial back his performance, but Laurie thought he was being too dull in his portrayal.
-Question of the ep -- do MI5 work for the party in power, or the govt. at large? Exploration of the ambiguity of their role.
-Tessa a mere "sideshow" in Maynard's career path -- she's taken in by him and manipulated without catching on -- interesting given her manipulation of others.
-They needed to make Maynard have shades of gray to match all the other characters -- if he was too innocent, he wouldn't have been believable in this environment.]]> <![CDATA[Episode 6 Discussion [rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-619.html Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:39:55 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-619.html
For the rest of you ( Smile

) what did you think? I stand by my assessment of the season 1 cliffhanger being one of the best for the show as a whole. Very scary.

I liked how Harry dealt with Zoe over Tessa. He quietly ignored the fact that she'd known about her deception for some time and was hanging onto a considerable bribe, and went with the fact that she made the right decision in the end. Ultimately he was very compassionate about it, I thought.]]> <![CDATA[Episode 5 Discussion [rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-618.html Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:35:27 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-618.html
Tell all! Don't forget to try and keep this thread just to episode 5, although you can refer to other things in season 1 without spoiler tags. Please remember to use them for later seasons though.

My favourite thing about this episode was having the delectable Nicholas Farrell around as a guest star. He has to be one of the best actors going. They did well on guest stars in season 1, didn't they?

And of course, Naoko Mori's tiny cameo as Danny's paramour. You can tell she was told to ham up the Japanese accent.

Tell us how it really is!]]>
Tell all! Don't forget to try and keep this thread just to episode 5, although you can refer to other things in season 1 without spoiler tags. Please remember to use them for later seasons though.

My favourite thing about this episode was having the delectable Nicholas Farrell around as a guest star. He has to be one of the best actors going. They did well on guest stars in season 1, didn't they?

And of course, Naoko Mori's tiny cameo as Danny's paramour. You can tell she was told to ham up the Japanese accent.

Tell us how it really is!]]> <![CDATA[1.3 and 1.4 DVD commentary]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-616.html Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:14:45 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-616.html -Tom in sunglasses throughout ep -- Matthew had a burst blood vessel in his eye, had to wear dark glasses.
-Scene with Harry and Danny clearing out Helen's stuff after her death was almost cut because of time, but they decided to keep it because it showed a piece of Harry's character -- that his officers were important to him and he got upset when something happened to them, even if he didn't necessarily show it.
-Meeting with Johnny Marks -- first time Harry is off the grid and sets tone for H's character -- he has an interesting and colored past, he's done some underhanded things and he can be absolutely ruthless.
-What's not said in the scene is almost more important than what is said -- gives evidence that there's more to Harry than meets the eye.

1.4 DVD commentary:
-Tom -- spy as con man; for a spy it's more natural to lie than tell the truth. He doesn't let Ellie all the way in because it's psychologically dangerous to do so -- once he starts to tell the truth, where will it stop?
-Peter Salter -- "fallen angel." The "bad apple" scenario which is a nightmare for all security services.
-Different style of writing for this ep (Howard Brenton) -- scenes hold for much longer than is usual for spooks thus far.
-Creation of Jools Siviter -- Hugh Laurie's comic playing the heavy gives the character great depth. Also gives Harry and Tom someone to loathe and brings them together.
-"Red herring" tramp -- (Jools, Harry and Tom walking to shop) -- thrown in to get audience wondering, really meant nothing to the plot.
-Harry -- suppresses all sense of the personal in his work; "that in a curious way, is his success."
-Dead ground map -- actually exists and is continually updated to show unsurveilled areas of the UK.
-Phantom agent sub-plot -- a real problem in security services; if found out, officers not prosecuted -- retired or sent off to the boonies to serve out their careers.
-Clear bond between Tom and Peter, both know how it has to end, which sets up the suicide -- teacher has one last thing to teach student.]]> -Tom in sunglasses throughout ep -- Matthew had a burst blood vessel in his eye, had to wear dark glasses.
-Scene with Harry and Danny clearing out Helen's stuff after her death was almost cut because of time, but they decided to keep it because it showed a piece of Harry's character -- that his officers were important to him and he got upset when something happened to them, even if he didn't necessarily show it.
-Meeting with Johnny Marks -- first time Harry is off the grid and sets tone for H's character -- he has an interesting and colored past, he's done some underhanded things and he can be absolutely ruthless.
-What's not said in the scene is almost more important than what is said -- gives evidence that there's more to Harry than meets the eye.

1.4 DVD commentary:
-Tom -- spy as con man; for a spy it's more natural to lie than tell the truth. He doesn't let Ellie all the way in because it's psychologically dangerous to do so -- once he starts to tell the truth, where will it stop?
-Peter Salter -- "fallen angel." The "bad apple" scenario which is a nightmare for all security services.
-Different style of writing for this ep (Howard Brenton) -- scenes hold for much longer than is usual for spooks thus far.
-Creation of Jools Siviter -- Hugh Laurie's comic playing the heavy gives the character great depth. Also gives Harry and Tom someone to loathe and brings them together.
-"Red herring" tramp -- (Jools, Harry and Tom walking to shop) -- thrown in to get audience wondering, really meant nothing to the plot.
-Harry -- suppresses all sense of the personal in his work; "that in a curious way, is his success."
-Dead ground map -- actually exists and is continually updated to show unsurveilled areas of the UK.
-Phantom agent sub-plot -- a real problem in security services; if found out, officers not prosecuted -- retired or sent off to the boonies to serve out their careers.
-Clear bond between Tom and Peter, both know how it has to end, which sets up the suicide -- teacher has one last thing to teach student.]]> <![CDATA[1.2 DVD commentary]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-615.html Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:43:33 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-615.html -At 3.10 in, the shot of Danny and Tom at Albert Bridge is directly opposite the MI6 building.
-Danny's wardrobe for the series is based on the storyline of his being unable to control his spending; expensive wardrobe, comparatively.
-Pressure for 2nd ep -- top first ep but don't go overboard -- keep something in reserve for future eps (ie. don't spend all the money!!).
-Many shots of Lisa Faulkner in this ep specifically to set up for the ending.
-Filming trick -- wet down streets to make lighting pop -- used a lot in spooks.
-Scenes between Tessa and Zoe were set up as a recruiting effort by Tessa, to be exploited in a later ep.
-Danny looking at his bank statement -- Cranborne Bank -- also a set up for use in later ep.
-Death by deep fat fryer -- decision to not use shooting because most people can't really relate to being shot. However, everyone knows what it's like to be burned -- the fear is already there (in the audience) so "all the work" of the scene was done by the actors, not by the situation.
-Last 5 minutes of ep (starting with Osbourne going home and finding wife missing) -- no dialogue -- like a little silent movie.
-In real Thames House, can't use mobile phones because of signal jamming (Faraday spike) -- writer's using poetic license.
-Funeral scene -- man coming up to Harry to let him know that Osbourne had been killed, kept saying "the goose has landed," sending all the actors into hysterics. Had to be shot multiple times!]]> -At 3.10 in, the shot of Danny and Tom at Albert Bridge is directly opposite the MI6 building.
-Danny's wardrobe for the series is based on the storyline of his being unable to control his spending; expensive wardrobe, comparatively.
-Pressure for 2nd ep -- top first ep but don't go overboard -- keep something in reserve for future eps (ie. don't spend all the money!!).
-Many shots of Lisa Faulkner in this ep specifically to set up for the ending.
-Filming trick -- wet down streets to make lighting pop -- used a lot in spooks.
-Scenes between Tessa and Zoe were set up as a recruiting effort by Tessa, to be exploited in a later ep.
-Danny looking at his bank statement -- Cranborne Bank -- also a set up for use in later ep.
-Death by deep fat fryer -- decision to not use shooting because most people can't really relate to being shot. However, everyone knows what it's like to be burned -- the fear is already there (in the audience) so "all the work" of the scene was done by the actors, not by the situation.
-Last 5 minutes of ep (starting with Osbourne going home and finding wife missing) -- no dialogue -- like a little silent movie.
-In real Thames House, can't use mobile phones because of signal jamming (Faraday spike) -- writer's using poetic license.
-Funeral scene -- man coming up to Harry to let him know that Osbourne had been killed, kept saying "the goose has landed," sending all the actors into hysterics. Had to be shot multiple times!]]> <![CDATA[1.1 DVD commentary]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-614.html Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:23:00 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-614.html -There were 4-5 different story lines considered for first ep and 30 drafts for the first script.
-In a spooks script, there are a total of 130-140 scenes vs. 80-90 scenes in a standard one hour drama. Sets the tone for the series.
-Thames House and Freemason's Hall - designed by the same architect and built in the same period.
-Harry and Tom at lift at top of ep - lift is not real (behind lift doors is the gent's toilet). Also, lift doors too short for Matthew to go through!
-Pods are not a made up thing -- they are actually visible through the windows of the real Thames House.
-Likewise, keeping legend info in little boxes is not made up. Field officers generally have 30-40 legends each.
-Hallway in hospital where Tom meets Keith Burns was actually shot in New Covent Garden Flower Market.
-Ellie's restaurant was an actual working restaurant in London called Bubs or Buds (hard to make out).
-The location used for the lift of Mary Kane was Barrow Market.
-No "black hats" or "white hats" in the series -- everyone is shades of gray; even the "baddies" are passionate about what they believe in.
-Great chemistry between Keeley and David from the get go.]]> -There were 4-5 different story lines considered for first ep and 30 drafts for the first script.
-In a spooks script, there are a total of 130-140 scenes vs. 80-90 scenes in a standard one hour drama. Sets the tone for the series.
-Thames House and Freemason's Hall - designed by the same architect and built in the same period.
-Harry and Tom at lift at top of ep - lift is not real (behind lift doors is the gent's toilet). Also, lift doors too short for Matthew to go through!
-Pods are not a made up thing -- they are actually visible through the windows of the real Thames House.
-Likewise, keeping legend info in little boxes is not made up. Field officers generally have 30-40 legends each.
-Hallway in hospital where Tom meets Keith Burns was actually shot in New Covent Garden Flower Market.
-Ellie's restaurant was an actual working restaurant in London called Bubs or Buds (hard to make out).
-The location used for the lift of Mary Kane was Barrow Market.
-No "black hats" or "white hats" in the series -- everyone is shades of gray; even the "baddies" are passionate about what they believe in.
-Great chemistry between Keeley and David from the get go.]]> <![CDATA[Episode 4 Discussion [rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-601.html Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:49:01 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-601.html
Go.]]>
Go.]]> <![CDATA[Episode 3 Discussion [rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-600.html Sun, 17 Jan 2010 12:46:47 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-600.html
Go.]]>
Go.]]> <![CDATA[Fryer Voted Top "Spooks" Death]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-589.html Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:33:37 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-589.html

Quote:Helen Flynn's death by deep fat fryer has been named the most shocking in Spooks's history.

A poll carried out by LastBroadcast saw the demise of Lisa Faulkner's character in 2002 voted into the top spot by fans of the show.

Spoiler: show
Other character exits in the top five include Colin Wells (Rory MacGregor) being hung from a tree in series five, Ben Kaplan's (Alex Lanipekun) throat being cut, the car bomb explosion that killed Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones), and Jo Portman (Miranda Raison) being shot by fellow team member Ros Myers.

Helen's death, which claimed 49% of the vote, also drew the highest number of complaints in 2002 to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a194...death.html

Can't say I'm surprised, it's always the one people remember.]]>

Quote:Helen Flynn's death by deep fat fryer has been named the most shocking in Spooks's history.

A poll carried out by LastBroadcast saw the demise of Lisa Faulkner's character in 2002 voted into the top spot by fans of the show.

Spoiler: show
Other character exits in the top five include Colin Wells (Rory MacGregor) being hung from a tree in series five, Ben Kaplan's (Alex Lanipekun) throat being cut, the car bomb explosion that killed Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones), and Jo Portman (Miranda Raison) being shot by fellow team member Ros Myers.

Helen's death, which claimed 49% of the vote, also drew the highest number of complaints in 2002 to the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

Source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/news/a194...death.html

Can't say I'm surprised, it's always the one people remember.]]> <![CDATA[Episode 2 Discussion [Rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-586.html Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:13:22 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-586.html
GO!]]>
GO!]]> <![CDATA[Episode 1 Discussion [Rewatch]]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-585.html Sun, 10 Jan 2010 11:09:12 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-585.html
Go!]]>
Go!]]> <![CDATA[Mistakes?]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-292.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:08:30 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-292.html
It was a new show so things like cinematography and format might have changed...mistakes can be made..

What do you think?]]>
It was a new show so things like cinematography and format might have changed...mistakes can be made..

What do you think?]]> <![CDATA[Danny & Zoe]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-291.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:06:10 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-291.html
It always struck me as odd that she was reluctant.. do you think she suspected his feelings?]]>
It always struck me as odd that she was reluctant.. do you think she suspected his feelings?]]> <![CDATA[Tom and Ellie]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-246.html Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:11:38 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-246.html <![CDATA[Jools Siviter - Fantastic!]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-141.html Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:29:00 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-141.html
What did you think of him?]]>
What did you think of him?]]> <![CDATA[Episode 2 Trivia]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-133.html Mon, 24 Aug 2009 09:12:23 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-133.html

Quote:* After Osborne has been assassinated, an MI5 agent comes over to Tom and Harry in the churchyard and whispers something in Harry's ear, what he actually says is, "The goose has landed." This had to be repeatedly re-shot as 'Matthew MacFadyen' and Peter Firth couldn't stop laughing.

* The second episode of the first season, where Lisa Faulkner's character dies by being tortured with a deep fat fryer and subsequently being shot in the head, was the most complained about television show in Britain in 2002. Likewise the second episode of the second season, in which the plot dealt with Muslim suicide bombers, was the most complained about television broadcast in the UK of 2003.

* The boiling fat which killed off Lisa Faulkner's character in episode 2 ("Looking After Our Own") was actually cold tea.

* In the first series the interior of Thames house was filmed in a college in Kensington, the night shots of the beach shown in Episode 2 ("Looking After Our Own") were actually filmed on the cobbled courtyard outside the university.

]]>

Quote:* After Osborne has been assassinated, an MI5 agent comes over to Tom and Harry in the churchyard and whispers something in Harry's ear, what he actually says is, "The goose has landed." This had to be repeatedly re-shot as 'Matthew MacFadyen' and Peter Firth couldn't stop laughing.

* The second episode of the first season, where Lisa Faulkner's character dies by being tortured with a deep fat fryer and subsequently being shot in the head, was the most complained about television show in Britain in 2002. Likewise the second episode of the second season, in which the plot dealt with Muslim suicide bombers, was the most complained about television broadcast in the UK of 2003.

* The boiling fat which killed off Lisa Faulkner's character in episode 2 ("Looking After Our Own") was actually cold tea.

* In the first series the interior of Thames house was filmed in a college in Kensington, the night shots of the beach shown in Episode 2 ("Looking After Our Own") were actually filmed on the cobbled courtyard outside the university.

]]> <![CDATA[Tom or Matthew?]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-105.html Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:37:45 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-105.html
Personally, I don't think we'd be together any more.]]>
Personally, I don't think we'd be together any more.]]> <![CDATA[Your first episode?]]> http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-85.html Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:15:49 +0000 http://www.spooksforum.co.uk/thread-85.html
I missed the first two initially, the third was my very first episode.. the one where Zoe is taken hostage in an embassy.

It has a big impact on me, and thus led me to become the huge fan I am today!]]>
I missed the first two initially, the third was my very first episode.. the one where Zoe is taken hostage in an embassy.

It has a big impact on me, and thus led me to become the huge fan I am today!]]>