Episode #3.8 (29 Nov. 2004)
"Spooks" Episode #3.8 (original title)

When the infant child of a fading but recently knighted rock star is kidnapped from his home, the Government wants MI-5 rather than the police to take charge of the investigation. Harry ... See full summary »

Director:

Bill Anderson

Writer:

Howard Brenton

Stars:

Peter Firth, Adrian Lukis, Shauna Macdonald

Cast

Episode uncredited cast:
Peter Firth	...	Harry Pearce (uncredited)
Adrian Lukis	...	John Sylvester (uncredited)
Shauna Macdonald	...	Sam Buxton (uncredited)
Rory MacGregor	...	Colin Wells (uncredited)
Tim McInnerny	...	Oliver Mace (uncredited)
Vincenzo Nicoli	...	Rudolphino Ponti (uncredited)
David Oyelowo	...	Danny Hunter (uncredited)
Rebecca Palmer	...	B (uncredited)
Rupert Penry-Jones	...	Adam Carter (uncredited)
Andy Serkis	...	Riff (uncredited)
Hugh Simon	...	Malcolm Wynn-Jones (uncredited)
Olga Sosnovska	...	Fiona Carter (uncredited)
Jeremy Thompson	...	Sky Newsreader (uncredited)
Nicola Walker	...	Ruth Evershed (uncredited)
Arabella Weir	...	Michelle Molby (uncredited)

Storyline

When the infant child of a fading but recently knighted rock star is kidnapped from his home, the Government wants MI-5 rather than the police to take charge of the investigation. Harry Pierce isn't very pleased but Oliver Mace let's him know in no uncertain terms that the decision comes from the highest authority. With Adam Carter in charge of the team and keeping the family under nearly constant surveillance, they decide to put someone in undercover to learn what they can. Adam isn't too pleased when he learns that his wife Fiona will come over on loan from MI-6 for the job. Meanwhile, Harry has other issues to deal with when a senior Government minister's sexual escapade goes wrong leaving the woman dead.

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Plot Keywords:

mi5

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Details

Release Date:

29 November 2004 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Tower Bridge Business Complex, Bermondsey, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Quotes

Harry Pearce: Dear God, Ruth. Is any institution in this country safe from you?
Ruth Evershed: I like to think not.

User Reviews

Oh dear, the Riff and Bea Episode….

Oh dear, the Riff and Bea Episode….

Every great television series has one really duff episode that is so spectacularly naff that you wonder watching it if the creative and production staff left the apprentice trainee in charge of creating one episode whilst they popped down the pub.

It took Spooks until episode eight of series three before they suddenly took fans by surprise by delivering this utter clunker of a story. A burnt out rock star and his equally drugged up missus get mixed up in a silly story of a kidnapped baby which for MI5 get lumbered with as it's 'politically convenient', this in a major nod to the celebrity culture that we seem to be constantly bombarded with these days.

Even poor old Harry Pearce looks dumbfounded at the whole thing pretty much throughout although whether this is because the script called for it or it was just actor Peter Firth's opinion on the lousy storyline is not quite clear.

There are a couple of good bits though, the return of the deliciously slimy Oliver Mace as the head of the JIC and a nice little 'B' story involving a Member of Parliament and his spectacular fall from grace that in a typical bit of burying bad news is hidden from public view behind the silly kidnap story.

It would have been better if the story of the disgraced MP was given prominence and the vast majority of the terrible Riff and Bea storyline ditched.

Still I suppose every great series has to have its bad moments…