For more background information about the filming of Series 10, please read our companion Post.
After months of rumours and speculations on the internet (Twitter and various Spooks forums), Kudos, the production company behind Spooks, have finally made a formal announcement that Series 10 will be the last ever series for Spooks. You can read more about it in this Guardian article.
HERE is the official BBC Press Release about the end of Spooks.
HERE is Ian Wylie on the end of Spooks, with a short audio clip from Nicola on how she feels about this.
HERE is Cultbox’s report on this subject, complete with comments from Sam Vincent, writer of various episodes in Series 10. This piece also includes that BBC Drama trailer, in full, with no geographic restrictions.
HERE is another Guardian article commenting on the passing of Spooks.
Please take a moment now to observe a 30 second silence for the passing of a great TV show.
What’s going to happen to Harry and Ruth?
It is interesting to see this comment from Jane Featherstone, chief executive of Kudos and Spooks,
It was during the writing of the episodes [for Series 10] about Harry’s past and his relationship with colleague Ruth that [I] realized [I] wanted Spooks to end. … We’ve followed the arc of their personal story and I think they’ve brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year.
There is only one of three ways things can end for Harry and Ruth :
- they finally get together (but Spooks is not known for doing happy endings)
- they break up and go their separate ways, either voluntarily or because one of the characters get killed off (Spooks have done that too many times in the past, its getting old for its shock value)
or - they leave the two characters “as is”, that is, neither moving forwards nor backwards (that would be most unsatisfying for fans).
The cast have already done interviews with various media sources in connection with Series 10. In particular, the Telly Rocket (@TheTellyRocket, the Sunday Express TV Editor’s Twitter account) have logged this tweet
Just did lovely chat with #spooks Nicola Walker. She told of audacious climax to series. Sounds brilliant. Chat to run autumn.
Spooks and Nicola fans, you can draw your own conclusions with that comment!
Old face(s) returning in Series 10?
In that Guardian article, Jane Featherstone did not rule out an old face or two “returning during flashback scenes to explain Harry’s past”. Indeed, Rupert Penry-Jones (@rpenryj) has also tweeted something to the same effect, though he said that he himself will not be returning. This Sun article went further and posted photos of two former Spooks to go with their article.
Who do you think will return? Who would you like to see come back, however briefly, to explain Harry’s past?
Transmission Date for Series 10
Although there has been no formal announcement from the BBC, through various sources, we have been told that Spooks Series 10 is likely to be transmitted in the UK during the second half of September 2011. This is further bolstered by the fact that an anonymous source has logged a post on one of the Spooks forums to the effect that the Series 10 Region 2 box set will be released in November 2011, as a two disc package.
We already know that there will only be 6 episodes for Series 10. We also know from tweets logged by Helen James Productions (@HelenJamesProd) that they are once again putting together extras for the Series 10 box set. We don’t know how will they be able to fit all 6 episodes and the Extras on two discs?!
On the brighter side
Now that Nicola is done with filming Spooks, it will free her up to accept other, possibly more interesting, projects. We would love to see her take on a comedy series next, as we all know, from Chalk [TV] and the Big Town All Stars [Audio] what a great comedic actress she can be. If we get to meet with her after a performance of Di and Viv and Rose [Stage] during its run, we will certainly grill her for more information on this subject.
In the meantime, got a comment (which you can leave below) about the passing of Spooks and/or what will happen to Harry and Ruth?
Update : 11 August 2011
By now, over 55 news outlets are carrying the press release about the end of Spooks. However, many of their reports are inaccurate. The BBC did not axe or cancel the show. Kudos made that decision alone, even though the BBC asked it to reconsider. There is a difference.
Then there is this pic from the Sun report. This photo is not available in the online version of the Sun article and comes to you courtesy of @crazycazzz.
Here is another version of that pic
What do you think? Hope for all the Harry and Ruth fans out there, or disinformation intended to soften the blow when the episodes actually air and we do not get the ending that we want?
Update : 12 August 2011
Jane Featherstone of Kudos was interviewed on BBC Breakfast this morning. For those of us who missed this programme, and for the non-UK based fans who may not have access to this show, the great Ian Wylie has prepared a transcript, complete with audio clip, and you can access it HERE.
As for the return of some likely old faces, the Sun was a little coy and simply included pics of Matthew MacFadyen (Tom) and Keeley Hawes (Zoe) in their article with a brief indication that some old faces might return. The Daily Mail is more open and came right out with “Hawes and MacFadyen are believed to have been invited back to reprise their roles in the final six episodes of the MI5 drama”. Meanwhile, the Telegraph seems to be labouring under some misapprehension that Lucas North (Richard Armitage) is still alive out there, somewhere.
Digital Spy has summed up fans’ reaction perfectly about the end of Spooks!
Update : 23 August 2011
@ianwylie posted the following tweets today :
Spooks 10 ep 1 is an assured return as Sir Harry’s final secrets begin to unfold. Thrilling opener ahead of The End.
For those asking, Spooks returns to BBC1 next month but exact date still under wraps and never certain until schedules are finalised.
Spoke to Peter Firth in April about the Spooks 10 revelations. Good to see Harry given some cracking script lines in ep 1.
Update : 24 August 2011
Cultbox has posted 10 lines of dialogue from the first episode of Series 10 of Spooks. They do not contain spoilers, and you may have a fun time guessing which Spooks characters delivered the lines in question. Don’t click on the link if you do not wish to know about these lines.
Update : 1 September 2011
taken from the Prime Focus World website
The BBC Programme Information page for week 38 announces that Series 10 will premiere sometime during the week from 17 – 23 September 2011, with the exact date and time to be announced. HERE is more information about the first episode – the description is a little spoilery so don’t click on that link if you do not wish to know what happens in episode 1.
Cultbox has previously tweeted that all official publicity photos for Series 10 are embargoed until 13 September 2011. Go to the Cultbox website NOW to vote for Nicola as UK cult TV’s sexiest female!
Update : 5 September 2011
Culbox has an exclusive interview with Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, the main scriptwriters for Series 10 of Spooks. Part 1 can be found HERE. The interview is relatively spoiler-free. Part 2 will be online on Friday, 9 September 2011.
We still don’t have an official airdate for episode 1 though the Cultbox website has a clip of the brief preview promo which ran on BBC TV as from Sunday.
Update : 7 September 2011
Finally, we have an official air date for episode 1 of Series 10, the last ever Spooks series. In their inimitable wisdom, the BBC is scheduling Spooks on Sunday nights, at 9 pm (starting from 18 September 2011), which puts it squarely against Series 2 of Downton Abbey airing on iTV at the same time. HERE is the Guardian article on this subject. The Press Association has something similar to say.
What do you think? Inspired scheduling, or the BBC not giving a damn that the last ever Spooks series might get killed in the ratings war between the two programmes?
Update : 9 September 2011
The second part of Cultbox’s exclusive interview with Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley can be found HERE.
HERE is the Radio Times’s thoughts on the scheduling of Spooks against Downton Abbey.
The Huffington Post UK is conducting a poll to see which show UK viewers will be watching come Sunday night, 18 September 2011. You can vote HERE.
Update : 10 September 2011
Thanks to ramblingscribe/HarryFan, here are :
the first teaser trailer for Spooks Series 10
and the first full trailer for Spooks S10
Getting proper excited about Series 10? I know that we are!
We shall now close this Post and start the proper Spooks Series 10 page, which you can access HERE.
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