There are plenty of notable spy crossovers at play in the BBC’s five-part espionage thriller series London Spy. For one, Q branch himself, Ben Whishaw, appears in another covert guise; for another, it’s the creation of novelist Tom Rob Smith, whose bestselling potboiler Child 44 is winging its way to the big screen with Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman in tow. Would a cameo from Moonraker’s double-taking pigeon be too much to ask for? Well, probably but we do have an exclusive first look at London Spy’s protagonist to share with you. Click on the image below for a much closer look. Whishaw’s chief character is Danny, a fun-loving and charismatic man drawn like a moth to the bright lights of the city’s hotspots and fleshpots. Playing the more serious spy to his flighty, hedonistic Guy Burgess type is Alex (Wolf Hall’s Edward Holcroft). The pair, attracted to each other, form a bond that’s shattered by a sudden, seismic event that leaves Danny drawn into British secret intelligence and a world of menace.
“Ben Whishaw is quite simply one of the best actors in the country,” enthuses Smith in a statement. “It's an extraordinary privilege, as a writer, to have him play the lead. London Spy has gathered an exceptional cast and a visionary director. I couldn't be more excited, or proud.”
Overseeing Smith’s first TV work is The Fall director Jakob Verbruggen for BBC Drama and Working Title Television. London Spy officially wrapped last week and will debut on BBC Two later in 2015.
Picture credit: Working Title Television/Joss Barratt