Title: Spooks - Season 6 - Spoilers
little pixie - September 21, 2007 07:46 PM (GMT)
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| Spooks explodes back onto our screens this Autumn with a sensational 10 part series and an immersive interactive game-play experience... The team at Section D goes global as the complex relationship between the UK, Iran and the US is put under the spotlight... but who can really be trusted under this new world order? The team are immersed in their most intricate operation to date and embark on an exhilarating, high-octane journey with an abundance of dramatic twists and turns as the distinction between friend and foe becomes ever more blurred. Rupert Penry-Jones, Hermione Norris and Peter Firth return as officers Adam, Ros and Harry of Section D, MI5. Raza Jaffrey, Miranda Raison and Hugh Simon also reprise their roles as Zaf, Jo and Malcolm. The electric atmosphere between Adam and Ros comes to a head. Meanwhile Ros, whose loyalty has come under scrutiny in the past, once again finds herself questioning her ability to carry out the demands of a government she doesn't necessarily support. Harry gains a new friend on the Grid when he recruits old MI5 colleague Connie (Gemma Jones) as desk officer. Clever and with plenty of old school tricks up her sleeve, she might just be able to fill the void left by Ruth's departure. |
:thumbsup:
little pixie - October 3, 2007 08:01 PM (GMT)
little pixie - October 6, 2007 03:18 PM (GMT)
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| October 6, 2007 He’s ready for action Spooks star Rupert Penry-Jones, 37, is an adrenalin junkie – it keeps him fit and on his toes ZOˠSTRIMPEL BBC One’s spy drama Spooks confirmed your stud status. What’s it like being slavered over by the nation’s women? It’s great knowing that they are enjoying my work. You are a bit of an action man and do many of your own stunts. Ever been hurt? I’ve had the odd back injury and lots of knee injuries. In one sequence for this series I am hit by a car, dive over the bonnet and fall on to the pavement. I had to film that about 15 or 20 times and got various little injuries. I spend quite a bit of time at my osteopath. Has it put you in touch with your spiritual side? I have feared for my life filming some sequences, such as when I was lowered into the Thames Barrier in a tank with too little air. Who did you pray to? I just thought I was going to die. In another sequence I had to lie on a bed with 15 enormous snakes. I had my doubts then, too. What else rattles your cage? Nothing really. I think I’d be all right with anything as long as I knew I was safe. Cool, calm and collected? Yep, I’m no adrenalin junkie. I’m only temperamental on set when I’m naked because you feel so vulnerable. If something’s not going right, then I tend to lose my temper. Do you feel the pressure to look buff? If you want to be the leading man, you have to look good. Embrace ageing? Well, the older I get the better I look. But I don’t want to get really old. Not tempted to Botox your buttocks? If things started to get really bad, maybe I’d think about plastic surgery, but I’d never have a facelift. But what about “never say never”? Well, yes. Never say never, actually. If I looked absolutely terrible, maybe I’d have a facelift. Maybe I’ll need a nose job; I’ve got a bit of a bent nose, but then that’s what makes you who you are. Are guys more plastic fantastic these days? I reckon loads of guys do it. You only notice when it’s done badly. If I did it, nobody would ever know. You need to be quite acrobatic to do your stunts. Bit of a gymnast at school? No, but I was always quite good at sport and PE, swimming, rugby, cricket and stuff. These days I do lots of swimming, spend time on the rowing machine and I have a Power Plate. It’s a vibrating machine that helps you to get fit, but because it’s low impact it helps when I’m injured. Joined the bendy brigade? I haven’t, but Dervla [Kirwan, the Ballykissangel actress], my wife, is really into yoga. It seems like an awful lot of effort for the results. I prefer swimming. You sometimes see an osteopath; are you a fan of the herbs too? We use herbal remedies all the time. There’s a great herbal remedy shop called Dandelion near where we live in Clapham, South London. We use all those types of remedies on our two boys, aged 18 months and 3½, such as arnica for bruises. If that doesn’t work, then we go for the more hardcore stuff. Do you also follow a diet of mung beans and seeds? Dervla’s constantly eating those red berries – goji? I think they’re disgusting. To be honest, I think that my body tells me when I need certain things, so if I’m craving something, it’s for a reason. You keep it real, then? Yeah. I mean, if you feel like you look good, you probably do; if you feel like you look like sh**, you probably do. You’ll know if you’ve put on weight; you don’t need to jump on the scales. What about the booze? A beer after filming goes down a treat. I used to not drink the night before filming, but that went out the window during the last series of Spooks. I need a drink to get through it to be honest. Ever dabble in the wacky baccy? Erm, I don’t, no. How else do you unwind? I catch up on sleep when I can, but it’s difficult with two small children. I’ve got a little den at the bottom of the garden where I can hide away. The sixth series of Spooks begins on BBC One, at 9pm, October 16; the fifth series of Spooks is out on DVD, £39.95, BBC |
little pixie - October 10, 2007 05:42 PM (GMT)
Radio Times, 13 - 19 October. :)
little pixie - October 10, 2007 05:43 PM (GMT)
little pixie - October 11, 2007 11:59 AM (GMT)
This week`s *cough* Woman`s Weekly *cough* :lol:
little pixie - October 11, 2007 12:00 PM (GMT)
little pixie - October 11, 2007 01:01 PM (GMT)
TVZone Special #78 :)
little pixie - October 11, 2007 01:02 PM (GMT)
little pixie - October 11, 2007 01:03 PM (GMT)
little pixie - October 11, 2007 01:06 PM (GMT)
I didn`t realise she was Tallulah ! :o
little pixie - October 16, 2007 03:54 PM (GMT)
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| Last Updated: Tuesday, 16 October 2007, 07:39 GMT 08:39 UK Talking Shop: Miranda Raison Miranda Raison was injured during filming on location Actress Miranda Raison returns to TV in the sixth series of Spooks, which starts on Tuesday, as MI5 agent Jo Portman. The actress, who joined the cast in 2005, dreads the thought of being killed off - but fantasises about how she would go. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: Can you describe your character and what the role is in the series? A: I play Jo Portman, whose full title is the junior officer in the field office. I was recruited two years ago in the middle of series four. She's sort of come up through the ranks gradually since joining from being a reporter. Now she's much tougher, particularly in this series. She's much more in the thick of it, right in the action this time too. Q: Do you like playing her? A: I love playing her! She's a really fun character who has developed so much since I got the role. Q: Did you have to do any research for the role? A: I think the producers discreetly met members of MI5 and other people who were quite keen to talk to them. We were given literature and stories and a history of honey traps. We've had weapons training too. Q: You joined Spooks in 2005 - what was it like working on an already established show? A: The cast were brilliant. At the time there was a girl who was playing Adam's wife Fiona and I'd been to drama school with her. That made it much easier to join. Peter Firth has played Harry from the first series Peter Firth is a kind of a daddy. He's had such an extraordinary career. He's been nominated for an Oscar. There are no egos around him because if anyone was going to have an ego it would be him, and he doesn't. Everything is quite down to earth and there's lots of joking on set. We're always mucking about. Q: Can you give us any hints or teases as to what we can expect in the new series? A: Well as far as Jo is concerned she gets a little bit of loving this series. There is a new character, who is played by Gemma Jones and she's absolutely brilliant. She plays Connie who's a tough ex-MI5 officer who is re-recruited by Harry. She plays it so well. Q: Did you do your own stunts? A: Yes - apart from one moment in episode four where there was a double used. That was more of an insurance thing than anything else. I prefer doing fights with stunt people because they always know exactly what they're doing and they're a lot safer. Gemma Jones joins Spooks as Connie, a retired MI5 officer Sometimes when you're with actors they get a bit nervous and maybe overstep a mark by a couple of inches and you do get clocked occasionally. Q: Did you get hurt? A: I did, I had three weeks off filming because I was hurt in a sequence which was part of episode six. I tripped on a step and I hit my face on a metal door which was locked. I had six stitches and my eye really swelled up. I had quite an impressive black eye that went from above my eyebrow to half way down my neck. There was quite a lot of swelling afterwards so there was lots of make up and they had to film my left side quite a lot. So that was quite horrible and it was all on camera too. Q: Main characters in Spooks always seem to meet gruesome endings after a couple of series - are you worried about what the future holds for you? A: Always - it's not quite as bad as reading the scripts and wondering if it's you going to be you next. I've heard that you get a call from a producer saying "can I come over?" You can pretty much guarantee that it's not going not be good news. I'll just try and stay friends with everybody and suck up. Q: As an actress is it hard not to take that personally? A: Very hard I think so. Of course you think it's that because you haven't had a good response from the public. You imagine the sort of conversations that have gone on. If people leave because they're going on to do other things then of course the dynamic of the whole team has to change. It must be quite difficult though, it is hard on the ego to be told we're not having you back. Q: How would you like to be killed off? A: It would have to be dramatic. Saving the world. It would be jumping in the way of some bullet that's about to clock Harry or Adam, and Jo just manages to leap in the way of it. Then she has a brilliant dying speech which would make another director see it and go, "Wow I've got to have her in this movie". Nobody wants to go in a boring way. I think it's a bit of an insult if you do. There was one character that was written out and they just said "oh, she's under sedation" or something and that was it. You don't want to be that person. Spooks airs on Tuesdays at 2100 on BBC One. Miranda Raison was talking to BBC News entertainment reporter Fiona Pryor. |
little pixie - October 30, 2007 02:15 PM (GMT)
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| Spooks star: I'm too old for more kids By Jane Oddy 30/10/2007 Hermione Norris NINE weeks ago, Hermione Norris gave birth to her second child and she is beaming. Many new mums would be exhausted but the 40-year-old, who is back as MI5 spy Ros Myers in BBC1's Spooks, says she is still euphoric after having daughter Hero. The former Cold Feet star lives in London with husband Simon Wheeler and their kids, Wilf, three, and Hero. Here, she talks marriage, motherhood and plastic surgery... Congratulations on your new baby.. Thanks, the birth was all right - not brilliant. I don't think many women have an easy time. Well, I don't anyway. If only men could do it! Hero was 6lbs 7oz when she was born. Advertisement You've given her an unusual name.. People think it's after the character in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing but I met this beautiful old lady who was about 80, had long silvery hair and her name was Hero. I just thought: "She's cool." So is that it for you? Definitely. I'm not going to have any more children. I'm too old and too tired. I'm one of four and my husband is one of four. It's just chaos and I'm not up for that. I'm still euphoric after having her but I know the tiredness will kick in soon! You're a bit of a poster girl for the older mum.. I couldn't have had children any earlier. I didn't meet the right person and I wasn't ready before my late-30s. I think I'm lucky to have had my life with the travel and career before I started a family. But I forget how old I am! I have a 19-year-old nanny and sit down for a chat with her, then realise I'm 20 years older and she probably thinks I'm a boring old fart. What does motherhood mean to you? A lot of it is gruelling and relentless - the care, the feeding and the cleaning. But it's so rewarding. I'm not Supermum and I'm sure I get it all wrong sometimes. I didn't see enough of Wilf when I was filming Spooks for five months and the balance went the wrong way. Your husband is eight years younger than you. Has that been an issue? I don't think he sees me as an older woman. I wouldn't have been ready to have a child at his age but he's a great dad. He does as much childcare as I do. The scariest thing I ever did was to commit to marry Simon. I took myself in hand and thought: "If you don't marry him, you probably won't marry anybody." So I did. And it has changed everything for the better. Any plans to get back into shape? No, it's too soon and I want to devote myself to Hero. After Wilf I didn't either. You're born with the body you have and I'm fortunate I trained as a dancer and have that muscle memory. I'm always a size 10 and my body has retained that to a degree, and I just ping back. Any more nude scenes? You stripped off for Spooks and Kingdom.. It's unbelievable. The older I get, the more they've asked me to get my kit off. They should have asked me to do it 20 years ago. I hope that's it now and I'm not doing full frontals at 50. Would you have cosmetic surgery? I haven't had any yet but I will if I need to. I've no qualms about it. When I was young there were things I said I would never do but, as I get older, those opinions go out the window. Bring it on! I'm up for the full scaffolding when I'm 50. Any food vices? I have to have chips with most things. If I'm at work I'll eat them daily. And chocolate. My tip is to buy a juicer and get all your vitamins in one go so you don't have to force-feed yourself vegetables. What would Simon say was your worst habit? Backseat driving. Simon dreads long journeys with me. I have loads of pet hates. The congestion charge, the NHS... What's next? I'm filming Spooks next March and it will be good not to be heavily pregnant, like in this new series. My pregnancy wasn't written in and it was hard to hide. Spooks, tonight, BBC1, 9pm. |
:)
little pixie - November 9, 2007 04:31 PM (GMT)
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| We go undercover in Bermondsey and bring leading man Rupert Penry-Jones in for questioning… TV Zone is on set for the new series of Spooks. Actually, that’s a bit pre-emptive – we’re in between interviews sitting in the kitchen of the set of Spooks, watching the telly. Loose Women is on at the moment, and the picture is pretty shaky. You see, Spooks, that drama about spies saving the world with state of the art gadgetry, can only run to a battered portable with a dodgy picture. “You have to fiddle with the coat hanger sticking out the back,” one of the extras reliably informs us. Ah well, I’ll just sit here and read this file that says, ‘CIA Top Secret Information – Classified!’ instead… A short break in filming means we’re allowed access to the soundstage; today they’re shooting on The Grid, the base of operations for Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and his team at MI5. “This episode is about a Russian agent who has blueprints to a trigger for a nuclear warhead,” explains leading man Rupert Penry-Jones, aka Adam Carter. “He’s trying to smuggle them out of the country and we’re trying to find out who to.” In this gloomy, high-tech base of operations, hidden away on an industrial estate in the heart of Bermondsey, Harry, Jo Portman (Miranda Raison) and Ros Myers (Hermione Norris) are watching their flat screen monitors intently. There’s lots of urgent rushing around as MI5 tracks its prey. “Could you be a bit lighter on your feet, please?” asks the sound man, while in a gap between takes a props man comes on set to polish the glass desks. In an emergency, you need to see the shine. A little while later we’re back in Penry-Jones’s dressing room, as the actor gives TV Zone a taster of what lies in store in series six. This year the show is attempting something different; instead of a series of largely standalone stories, the 10 episodes form one, over-arcing tale concerning a political stand-off between the UK, America and Iran. “Each episode has a cliffhanger that leads to the next one,” he divulges. “They’re trying to make it that episodes stand alone as well as linking up but to be honest they just link up! I’ve always wanted Spooks to be like that but obviously it’s a lot harder to write a series where all the episodes link into each other. “I was worried that the scripts wouldn’t quite work out and to be honest there were a few hiccups to begin with, but if things carry on the way they are this series is going to be even better than last year. It’s more ambitious, it’s very exciting and it’s very topical. “My main worry was that the first two episodes were so plot-driven that the characters were suffering slightly but they’ve come right back in again now. You need to start the series off with a big bang, which is exactly what we’ve done. It’s huge and very terrifying.” |
:)
little pixie - November 10, 2007 06:43 PM (GMT)
From Cult Times # 146. :)
little pixie - November 10, 2007 06:44 PM (GMT)
little pixie - November 10, 2007 06:46 PM (GMT)
little pixie - November 10, 2007 06:47 PM (GMT)
little pixie - November 13, 2007 04:00 PM (GMT)
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| Harry Spooks America Ian Wylie 13/11/2007 SPOOKS star Peter Firth says his spy drama role as MI5 boss Harry Pearce is anything but nine to five. "It can be very difficult to forget at the end of 11 hours of filming," says the actor who plays the head of Section D. "But I don't take the work home with me. I don't believe I'm the head of counter terrorism. If I got stopped on the motorway, I wouldn't say: 'Do you realise who I am?'" Peter, 54, is still smiling as he's asked about the mail he gets from female fans of Harry. "There's a hard core out there of middle-aged ladies who would take tea with him. There's something for everyone in Spooks," he laughs. Though not, it would seem, for TV bosses in the US. He says: "The series did very well there for the first four years and now they've stopped showing it because we've taken too much of an anti-American stand in the stories. "Americans don't like that. They'll take it from themselves. In West Wing they criticise their foreign policy. But I don't think they'll take it from foreigners. Certainly not from the British. "And if they were to see this series, they'd be absolutely horrified, because it does have quite a strident opinion about American foreign policy." Series six of Spooks (BBC1, tonight, 9pm) continues as Section D learns that a Russian arms dealer is coming to London to sell vital nuclear blueprints to Iran. Following a showdown with Bob Hogan at the CIA, Harry learns that the US again has a hand in current events, with every side now working to a different agenda. "First and foremost, Spooks is entertainment," insists Peter. "The idea is to make a watchable, interesting, fun television programme. Not to be a documentary about MI5 or to reflect world events. "Certainly there's an agenda behind it. We've touched a few raw nerves before. That's really the writing team just looking at what might happen and then dramatising it. "You have to be clever and aware, which they are. It's living proof that you can make popular programmes without dumbing down the subject matter. "We did have one MI5 advisor in the first series, who was an ex-MI5 officer. But everything I asked him, he said, `I'm sorry, I can't tell you.' So you have to make it up, given the bits you've got. A lot of it is not factual-based but improvised entertainment." Spooks fans cheered when the writers created a spark of romance between Harry and Ruth (Nicola Walker) before Ruth was forced to fake her own death and vanish mid-way through the last series. "Nicola and I were flirting quite a bit on set and that spilled over into the scenes we were doing - and the writers picked up on that. Harry is still burning a candle for Ruth. It's not over," reveals Peter. "I wouldn't be surprised if Harry were to not let that go. You don't get many opportunities in life, do you? There's a broken heart and he hasn't given up on Ruth. I'm quite optimistic." Peter still gets letters about the time traveller from 2130 he played in The Flipside of Dominick Hide, a 1980 BBC Play For Today and the 1982 sequel Another Flip For Dominick. Both were screened again on BBC4 last year. "Reaction to that has never gone away. It was fantastically insightful. I spoke to the writer recently and he's just sold the idea to a Hollywood film company and they're going to make a modern version of it." There was also an element of time travel when Peter went to see Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe on the West End stage as Alan Strang in Equus. As a young man in 1973, Peter played the same role for two years in London and on Broadway. He later starred in the film. "I went on the first night and sat in the third row. Not through choice, I was very kindly invited. So it was a bit of a flashback. It was a little strange watching it, because it was a big part of my life. I knew most of the lines, which was amazing. It's burned in there." |
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| Spooks: Wild About Harry ACTORS will always tell you that what they do isn’t a real job. But spending months at a time filming a TV drama series always looks like pretty hard work to me. The days – and nights – are long and gruelling, especially for the main characters. And then there’s the sheer tedium of waiting around until you are needed in front of the camera. Glamorous, it ain’t. The bit of filming I saw while visiting the Spooks set earlier this year finally comes to the screen in episode five on BBC1 tonight. There’s an interview with Peter Firth – who plays MI5 Section D boss Harry Pearce – in today’s MEN. As you’ll see, he had some interesting things to say about Harry’s lost love and a Spooks American backlash. We also spoke about one of my favourite TV dramas of all time – The Flipside of Dominick Hide – and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe. A few extras which we weren’t able to squeeze into the feature: Peter said he was “very happy” to stay with Spooks, so long as the series keeps improving year on year. “As soon as it doesn’t, it’ll start to nosedive. “I still enjoy it enormously – it just seems to get a little bit better every time.” Does Peter wish Harry had more action scenes? “Of course. That’s a middle aged man’s dilemma, isn’t it? “I’ve asked if I could have, perhaps, a car chase, which would be quite exciting, without any exertion. “So of course I would like to do more of that. “But it’s not going to happen – it’s Rupert or Hermione…or Chuck as I call her, as in Chuck Norris. “She’s become action woman.” And what about Peter’s work away from Spooks? “I try but I’m really choosy and if I don’t have to, I’d rather not. I’m quite lazy. “It would have to be nice stuff, otherwise I just don’t bother. “It’s a very luxurious situation to be in for an actor. If I’m working half the year, that’s terrific. That’s enough. “I have no trouble with leisure. Absolutely none. I’ve got a little boat in the Med and I’ve got children. “My main hobby is looking for my glasses. “I spend more time doing that than anything else.” |
little pixie - November 13, 2007 04:08 PM (GMT)
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| They're out to get Carter Ian Wylie 12/10/2007 SPOOKS star Rupert Penry-Jones is on the top floor of a former biscuit factory and about to face another crunch moment in front of the cameras. This is the location of The Grid, the nerve centre of TV's MI5, where the stars of the award-winning drama are busy saving the world. "I've got bruises all over. We've just done a fight sequence on an aeroplane. I was getting thrown over seats. They don't pay us enough," grins Rupert He's back as MI5 agent Adam Carter, alongside Peter Firth as Harry and Hermione Norris as Ros, in series six of Spooks (BBC1, Tuesday, 9pm). "It's a massive opening to the new series, which is all about Iran trying to arm itself with nuclear weapons, so it's very topical. The whole Iran thing is terrifying. It's so real, so possible, so probable." Viewers will notice a change to a serial format over the entire 10 episode run. "Each episode has a cliffhanger on to the next one. I've always wanted Spooks to be like that and I think this series could be better than anything we've had before." Miranda Raison, who plays Jo, was temporarily sidelined when she fell over and then cut her eye open. Rupert adds: "I slipped running around Borough Market the other day and twisted my knee, so I couldn't run for a few weeks. But those sorts of things happen. "The more I'm out of this studio and running around London saving people, the better. "There's only so much standing around a computer, or sitting at a desk, you can do. So I've been quite lucky. I'm out and about fighting baddies." As we speak, he's just over half-way through shooting the new series and feeling the relentless pace of filming six days a week for several months. "I have two small children. My other half is an actress too and she's working all the time. So your personal life takes a real battering. "It's not like going down a mine or anything, but the pressure you're under, in terms of the work that you're doing is being viewed and judged by more than 6m people, does take its toll on you after a while." True Kiss Dare That 'other half' is Dervla Kirwan, who was in Manchester filming True Dare Kiss when Rupert was shooting Spooks earlier this year. On screen, his character becomes involved in a love triangle. We soon discover that Adam's relationship with Ros has moved on. He's also involved in a dangerous affair with someone from the Iranian embassy. How does Rupert feel about his "heart-throb" status among female fans? "It doesn't really bother me one way or another. I like people to think of me as sexy. It suits me fine - but it depends on who's ahead of me in the top 10 list," he laughs. He also took the role of Captain Wentworth in ITV1's recent adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion. "I feel that's one of the best things I've been involved in. It was just nice to be in something so completely different." Before starting work again on Spooks, Rupert found time to play a cabinet minister in Stephen Poliakoff's new film Joe's Palace, due on BBC1 this autumn. He will also co-star with West Wing actor Bradley Whitford in Burn Up, a two-part political thriller about climate change to be filmed for BBC2 next year. Even so, he knows he should cut down on his workload and reclaim some of that personal life. "It's very hard to say no. It goes against the grain. I've spent so many years trying to get where I am, to start turning stuff down just feels very strange. John Simm, I know, had the same thing with Life On Mars." Spooks has boosted recruitment to MI5, although there have been concerns. "They're worried that we're scaring women off, because it's often dangerous in our version. "But it's not real, what we're doing. It's absolutely nothing like it. There's a lot more sitting around a desk and paper shuffling. "It takes a lot longer to get things done. I'm very aware that I'm just an actor in a show." |
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| Spooks: From Vince To Rupert REGULAR readers, or those who are best friends with Mr Google, will know I took a trip to The Grid earlier this year. The nerve centre of TV series Spooks, it’s actually located in an old biscuit factory in south London. With the new series starting on BBC1 next Tuesday, it’s time to begin running the cast interviews from that set visit. As ever, there wasn’t room in the feature to include all of the chat with Rupert. I asked him, for example, about the dramatic climax to the last series. It saw MI5 agents Adam and Ros (Hermione Norris) resurface in the nick of time after being trapped underwater at the Thames Barrier. “It was quite scary,” confessed Rupert. “The set was suspended above a water tank, so they would just lower us into the water and the water would rush in. “And they had a mark on the set where they weren’t supposed to lower it past, so that we could still breathe – with divers underneath. “But there were a couple of times when we literally had a tiny amount of space between the ceiling and the surface of the water.” At one stage viewers saw a drowning Ros sink slowly away from Adam. “We had to film that quite a few times. She had threads tied to her legs and a diver was pulling her.” Thankfully, both actors lived to shoot another series. Did that storyline – with London under threat of catastrophic flooding – make Rupert think twice about living in the capital? “Absolutely, because that is something that could happen, if a major terrorist attack did blow up the Thames Barrier. “But I wouldn’t move because of the terror threat, just because London’s the hectic life.” Rupert, whose partner is actress Dervla Kirwan, added: “I can’t take it. I want to move to a little country house in the middle of nowhere.” The new 10-part series of Spooks has one theme running through the entire season – Iran trying to arm itself with nuclear weapons. It brought back memories of my first trip to North America in 1980, when the Iranian Hostage Crisis was at its peak. Driving from New York to Toronto, one current single was a favourite on the radio playlists. And it gave me a direct taste of how many Americans thought their nation’s foreign policy should be executed. Performed by Vince Vance & The Valiants, the No 1 hit had the catchy title “Bomb Iran”. Here’s a sample of the lyrics, sung to the tune of Barbara Ann by The Beach Boys: “Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran. Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran…” You get the idea. |
little pixie - November 13, 2007 04:13 PM (GMT)
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| No pregnant pauses for Ros Ian Wylie 23/10/2007 HERMIONE Norris went undercover while filming her latest TV drama - to hide her pregnancy. The Spooks star, who plays icy Ros Myers, says: "It is interesting pretending not to be pregnant when you're clearly getting bigger. You feel quite self-conscious. But when you can't breathe in, it doesn't make any difference." The former Cold Feet actress has since given birth to daughter Hero, sister to her three-year-old son Wilf. There are no pregnant pauses in tonight's episode of Spooks (BBC1, 9pm), the second in the new series. With Britain on the brink of a plague, the MI5 team must track down and quarantine anyone affected. Harry (Peter Firth) decides on drastic action to uncover which nation has the vaccine, and we meet new regular character Connie, a former operative, played by Duchess of Duke Street actress Gemma Jones. Meanwhile, Ros follows a French lead on Zaf (Raza Jaffrey) and is not safe, even in her own flat. Fans will already know that she treads a dangerous path in this series and may not make it to the very end. "Spooks is one of my favourite jobs ever," smiles Hermione. "I love doing the stunts. How many people get to go to work every day and blow something up, have a punch-up or get drowned. My husband can't believe that I run around our kitchen practising with a gun." One of the 10 new episodes features scenes shot aboard the same aircraft set used for the 2006 film United 93. "We were on an aeroplane for a week - and it felt like that by the end of it, except we didn't actually arrive anywhere. Collide "That was quite scary. The storylines on Spooks make you think about the future. They do seem to completely collide with what's going on at the time. I just hope this series doesn't reflect any kind of reality, but it sails quite close to the wind." Then there's Adam (Rupert Penry-Jones). He and Ros almost drowned at the end of the last series. Even so, most viewers would have been surprised to see them in bed together in last week's opening scene, especially as Adam was, and is, involved with the wife of an Iranian diplomat. Confused? You're not the only one. "In the spectacular, weird and wonderful way that Spooks works, it's been a mystery to us as we've been filming it," explains Hermione. "They have quite an interesting journey as it unfolds. "You sign up as an actor to do a long-running series and never know where it is going to take you. You're utterly powerless, on this more than anything. "The scripts are so late that you really don't know where it's going or what you'll be doing. This series is all about Iran, America, Britain. It's about trust within the team and who can you trust, on many levels." Is Ros still married to the job? "Do you mean, do we see any humanity at all? Not really, no. The near-drowning didn't teach her any lessons." After finishing work on Spooks, Hermione filmed four episodes of Kingdom, returning to the role of Stephen Fry's eccentric sister Beatrice. She then took time off to give birth to Hero, before going back to complete her scenes in the ITV1 drama. Ros and Beatrice couldn't be more different. Along with other parts, including Wire In The Blood, they've enabled Hermione to move on from Karen in Manchester's Cold Feet. "It's fun not playing the same type of role. That's what we're paid to do." Did she ever see herself as an action hero? "No, I never did. I thought Ros was great - her wit and how she doesn't compromise on anything. It's actually quite liberating not to care. "Spooks has a particular alchemy. You can't manufacture it, it's either there or it's not. And this just seemed to work. They teach you how to hold a gun properly, how to fire semi-automatics. All blanks, of course. The guns are surprisingly heavy and you have to look like you can use it. But if I was given a real gun, I wouldn't have a clue." |
little pixie - December 2, 2007 07:51 PM (GMT)
Radio Times 17-23 November, 2007. :)
little pixie - December 2, 2007 07:57 PM (GMT)
Radio Times 24-30 November, 2007. :)
little pixie - December 3, 2007 07:59 PM (GMT)
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| Spooks is a real hit for Miranda Ian Wylie 3/12/2007 FANS of our favourite TV spies know what to expect. It won't be easy, but we'll have to watch to the bitter end. The rollercoaster ride of the current series reaches a point of no return for Ros (Hermione Norris) in episode eight of Spooks (BBC1, Tuesday, 9pm). Can World War Three be averted? Will everyone survive? And, although some of the plot devices are plain daft, can it get any more exciting? This week's code cracking with half-a-second to spare prize goes to MI5 spook Jo Portman, played by Miranda Raison (pictured). With two more episodes to come after this, the drama is far from over for Jo, amid the emergence of another rogue organisation which tortures spies to extract intelligence. For now, double agent group Yalta are out to knock out America's satellite system in this week's thriller, which includes a shock for Harry (Peter Firth). By the end of the series we find out exactly what happened to agent Zaf Younis. He was played by Raza Jaffrey, who found real life romance with Miranda on the set of Spooks. The couple married in September. Fortunately, an occupational hazard of her role had healed by the time of the wedding, but Miranda missed three weeks of filming after picking up a head injury while shooting an action scene. "Unfortunately, I couldn't blame it on anyone but myself," she smiles. "We were filming a scene all morning, hurdling these bollards. But it was the last scene of the day and we were all tired. "I fell and whacked my head on a heavy door - so I had to take time off. They couldn't cover it up. "It was painful at the time but then it was just boring because I felt fine and wanted to come back. "Hopefully, I can run in a straight line now. I try to stay quite fit, anyway. But you're certainly more aware of it working on this. You want to look in good nick." She adds: "Hermione trained as a ballet dancer and she's fantastic at choreography. I have to work a bit harder with the action and fight scenes. "It's often easier when you're fighting with stunt men because they can compensate for your weaknesses. It's when you're fighting actor-on-actor that people get a bit over-excited and a bit nervous." Earlier this year, Miranda played 1930s New York showgirl Tallulha in two episodes of Doctor Who, as the Daleks invaded Manhattan. Her on-screen transformation was such that even some dedicated Spooks viewers may have failed to recognise her. Comfortable "I was quite comfortable with the accent but I was really nervous about the singing. I was convinced they were going to dub over her. But they didn't. I got an availability check for Chicago after that! "Filming Doctor Who is so incredibly different to Spooks. Near to the surface, there's quite a silly atmosphere. A lot of the times you're on the verge of giggles because it's so over the top. "David Tennant is the nicest guy in the world, but it's just crazy and you're constantly in hysterics, thinking how surreal it all is. I was genuinely frightened when I saw the Daleks. These ridiculous-looking things absolutely get to the core of you when you're standing in front of one. "I've had more fan mail from Doctor Who than anything. People love the show so passionately. "My brother and sister are still at school and I went to give a talk. "They know far more about Spooks and Doctor Who than they do about geography." In October, Miranda appeared alongside former Blue star Duncan James in Plus One, part of Channel 4's Comedy Showcase series. She also features as teacher Madame Blanche in a forthcoming ITV1 Poirot film called Cat Among The Pigeons. Norfolk-born Miranda, 27, admits the MI5 drama has given her pause for thought. That's when she returns to see her mum in Norfolk and dad in Suffolk. "It does make you think about what the people you are playing are doing. There are times, on the tube or wherever, where you're suddenly very aware of everything. "I'm a country girl. I disappear to Suffolk and distance myself from it. "I spend as much time as possible there. It does feel so ridiculously safe, so far away from anything. You could still get hit by a tractor, but..." |
little pixie - December 4, 2007 08:39 PM (GMT)
Radio Times 8 - 14 December 2007. :)
little pixie - December 4, 2007 08:41 PM (GMT)
little pixie - December 6, 2007 02:24 PM (GMT)
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| Spooks: Farewell Hermione HERMIONE Norris was looking well when I met up with her earlier this week. If you’re a Spooks fan and haven’t yet watched last night’s BBC1 episode, stop reading now. On the day we spoke, a certain tabloid newspaper had published a screen grab of spy Ros Myers – dead in her coffin, the victim of a lethal injection. Which was rather strange for those of us who had already seen preview DVDs of Hermione’s departure from the series. As you’ll know if you watched last night – or last week on BBC3 – Adam (Rupert Penry-Jones) switched syringes. Ros appeared dead, with no pulse, thanks to a synthetic nerve agent called TTX2, which simulates death. I imagine you can achieve the same sort of effect by watching too much daytime TV. Anyway, the scene required Hermione to play dead in a coffin for the best part of a day’s filming. Not made any easier by the fact she was almost eight months’ pregnant with daughter Hero. “I had to stay perfectly still and not move a muscle,” she told me. “When you have a baby, you become very aware of your mortality. “So lying in a coffin was intense and quite traumatic.” The ever-thoughtful Adam brought Ros back to life. He had even packed her an overnight bag with passport, money and a change of clothes. As “dead” MI5 agent Ros walked out through the graveyard, her Spooks colleagues gathered around her own grave. Eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted that the plate on the coffin lid read: “Rosalind Sarah Myers 1973 – 2007” Hermione – born in 1968 – smiled: “Rupert was laughing at the date of birth, saying, ‘Yeah, in your dreams.’” |
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little pixie - December 9, 2007 02:02 PM (GMT)
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| Spooks: Gemma Jones YOUNGER viewers know her as returning MI5 officer Connie James. Those with longer memories will recall that Spooks star Gemma Jones was once loved by millions for playing a very different character. Her career has included roles in Harry Potter, Inspector Morse, Trial and Retribution, Sense and Sensibility and Bridget Jones’ Diary. But she’s best remembered as cockney sparrow Louisa Leyton, later Louisa Trotter, in classic BBC1 Saturday night drama The Duchess of Duke Street. Two series were screened in 1976 and 1977, with a total of 31 episodes. Gemma starred as the scullery maid with ambitions to be the world’s greatest cook. The drama, set in London between 1900 and 1925, was loosely based on the life of celebrated cook Rosa Lewis. Like Louisa, she ended up running a posh hotel in Mayfair. The Duchess of Duke Street was created by John Hawkesworth, who had previously worked on Upstairs Downstairs. Back in the present day, things are cooking up nicely as the current series of Spooks comes to the boil. There are just two BBC1 episodes left, with Harry (Peter Firth) relying on old friend and colleague Connie. “She’s quite old school. The best acting I do is pretending to be efficient on the computers,” Gemma told a small group of us during a set visit earlier this year. “I think she’s essentially a career woman, but maybe there’s some secrets and liaisons that aren’t revealed. “But, essentially, she’s very dedicated to her work. Quite proud and private. “She has a very good relationship with Harry and they’re of a generation where they understand each other and can be quite open with each other. “I think maybe the younger members are slightly suspicous of them.” Connie had retired from MI5 and was living as the housekeeper of an isolated safe house. But Harry brought her back to The Grid because he needed someone he could trust. Earlier in the series, we saw Connie displaying her language skills. “I’m a Russian speaker, which I’m terribly proud of,” laughed.Gemma. “I’ve been doing a lot of Russian homework. It’s been bloody hard work, I tell you. “The speech is written down in phonetics and they also gave me a tape with a Russian speaker on the tape. “And then a Russian speaker actually came round to my house. So it’s been quite a challenge. It has to make sense. “I did the scene with a Russian actor and he was very complimentary and said that I sounded OK. “I am a French speaker, because I was an au pair girl when I was young and I lived there for about 18 months. “So that went in by ear. But the Russian is challenging. It cost me blood.” *The Duchess of Duke Street was recently repeated on ITV4 and is available on DVD. |
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